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<\/p>\nPITTSBURGH \u2014 This NHL offseason has been dominated by players wanting a change of address.<\/p>\n
Brady Tkachuk wanted to play in Florida and got his wish.<\/p>\n
Dylan Larkin wants to depart Detroit. We\u2019ll see whether he gets his way.<\/p>\n
Zach Werenski seemed to flirt with leaving Columbus before deciding to stay in Ohio. For now, anyway.<\/p>\n
The Jason Robertson saga is ongoing. The Leo Carlsson situation is capturing the attention of hockey fans \u2014 and general managers \u2014 everywhere.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t blame players for chasing as much money as they can. We all have families, loved ones or ourselves to support. They shouldn\u2019t be villainized for maximizing their earning potential.<\/p>\n
But those who display true loyalty and those who, in the name of winning and affection for a region, refuse to play elsewhere deserve special recognition.<\/p>\n
The further the Pittsburgh Penguins get from the winning days \u2014 next spring will mark the 10th anniversary of their most recent championship \u2014 the more angst, in some circles of the fanbase, grows. This is understandable. The Penguins haven\u2019t won a playoff series since 2018, and the franchise is attempting to execute a rebuild of sorts that isn\u2019t really a rebuild because of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.<\/p>\n
With these three, the numbers sometimes tell the story.<\/p>\n
By the conclusion of this offseason, the big three will be a combined 118 years old. When next season begins, they will have spent a combined 64 seasons as members of the Penguins. That\u2019s more than half of their lifetimes.<\/p>\n
Crosby\u2019s loyalty to the Penguins is almost as legendary as his career. We can conservatively estimate that, during his time with Pittsburgh, Crosby has turned away $50 million to give the Penguins more salary-cap flexibility. Many will point to his $8.7 million salary as a reflection of Crosby\u2019s well-known superstition about his birthday, and though I have no doubt this plays a role, I also have no doubt Crosby wouldn\u2019t play for $3.28 million annually if his birthday were March 28. Nor would he play for $12.31 million if he were a New Year\u2019s Eve baby. \u00a0He knows his worth and chooses to make a respectable amount of money while still shorting himself of riches so the Penguins have a better opportunity to thrive.<\/p>\n
Agents and the National Hockey League Players\u2019 Association don\u2019t love Crosby does this, but I know Pittsburgh does.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not like Crosby is acting alone.<\/p>\n
When Malkin was about to become an unrestricted free agent in 2022, he was furious that then-general manager Ron Hextall had chosen against offering him a contract. An era appeared to be ending. Malkin, past his prime but still a magnificent player at that time, could have found a lucrative contract elsewhere. He owns a home in Florida and probably could have made his way to Sunrise. Remember, that was before they became the Panthers as we know them. Someone would have offered him quite a deal.<\/p>\n
Instead, Malkin patiently waited. He never thought about playing for another team. It was made clear to Hextall that Crosby preferred that Malkin stay.<\/p>\n
Malkin, much to his delight, got his contract. Though he doesn\u2019t always articulate his thoughts to perfection in English, he speaks a lot about how much he loves Pittsburgh and the Penguins. When he does, his point is loud and clear. He\u2019s a Penguin. At this point, he\u2019s a Pittsburgher.<\/p>\n
This was more than evident during the 2025-26 season. It was well known within the organization Kyle Dubas didn\u2019t plan on bringing back Malkin after last season. Otherwise, of course, he would have signed him many months earlier. The only way Malkin was staying for another season was if he played well and if the Penguins overcame the odds by making the playoffs. Malkin made it his mission to make both things happen. He didn\u2019t want his time in Pittsburgh to end, just like most Penguins fans didn\u2019t want to imagine the franchise without him.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n Kris Letang\u2019s family lives in California, but he has not requested a trade to a team there. (Charles LeClaire \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n
Letang\u2019s loyalty to the Penguins should never be questioned, either. His family lives in California now and has for years. To the best of my knowledge, he\u2019s requested a trade to one of the California teams precisely zero times. He doesn\u2019t want to go home to Montreal to play. He doesn\u2019t want a retirement job in California. Just black and gold.<\/p>\n
Though it\u2019s true Crosby, Malkin and Letang are loyal to each other and simply playing for the same team, it\u2019s also true they are historically loyal to the only franchise they\u2019ve ever known. In the second half of their careers, after they had won their championships, all three members of the big three could have chased banners elsewhere. Make no mistakes, all three of them are freakish competitors. Getting their names on the Cup again in Pittsburgh, at this point, is unlikely. They surely know this on some level. Yet they went down with the ship when the Penguins saw their playoff streak end in 2024. Two more seasons without reaching the postseason came and went.<\/p>\n
They never asked to be let out, instead preferring to still be around when a new wave of Penguins came along.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t typical. Look at the landscape right now. Players are flexing their muscles like never before, and they\u2019re receiving amounts of money like never before. There\u2019s money to be made, much of it under the sunshine of a preferred climate. Yet the big three keep on ticking under those gray Pittsburgh skies.<\/p>\n
Maybe it\u2019s an organizational thing, and the big three have learned from those who came before them.<\/p>\n
Mario Lemieux was owed nearly $30 million by the broke Penguins when he retired in 1997. Two years later, he took quite the financial chance by purchasing the team out of bankruptcy. Yes, he got his money back. And yes, he turned it into an even bigger fortune. Do not forget, however, how easy it would have been for Lemieux to play for another team when he came out of retirement, legally getting his money from Pittsburgh one way or the other.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been told many times over the years the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs were prepared to offer him something north of $20 million annually to switch teams. Here\u2019s a little-known fact: He never really wanted to be the owner of the Penguins, or of any team. He was never interested in being a businessman. It\u2019s the only way he could have gotten his money and the Penguins could have remained in Pittsburgh. He did what he had to do for himself and for the franchise.<\/p>\n