FRIBOURG, Switzerland — Sidney Crosby always has the Pittsburgh Penguins on his mind, even when he’s 4,000 miles away.This week, representing Canada at the World Championship in Switzerland, he hasn’t had to look very far for a physical reminder of his employer.Outside his team’s locker room after a recent practice, Crosby’s bosses, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas and assistant GM Jason Spezza, who also happen to be his bosses at worlds, walked right behind him.Regardless of the continent, Dubas is at the heart of the Penguins’ story of the summer. Everyone wants to know if he’ll bring back aging star forward Evgeni Malkin for another season. At one point, the feeling was that Dubas was against it, but that has apparently thawed, as he said last week he’d “love to bring Geno back.”Crosby would love that, too, but he won’t be confident in a deal becoming reality until Malkin’s name is signed on a new contract.“There’s been a lot of players over the years,” Crosby started, going through a Rolodex of players he thought would return to Pittsburgh only to sign elsewhere.Then he paused.“I remember a few years ago when Geno was coming up on being a free agent,” he said, referring to the summer of 2022. “It went into July. Hopefully, there’s something that gets done here before that.”Malkin turns 40 in July. Though his game has generally regressed over the past five seasons, he enjoyed a bounce-back campaign in 2025-26, registering 61 points in 56 games.When asked if he’d have a problem playing without Malkin on his team, Crosby thought for a moment.“I’ve just always expected to be playing with him,” Crosby said while shrugging. “I don’t know. After talking with everyone at the end of the year, it felt like it was in a good place in terms of getting something done.”While Crosby is optimistic a deal will happen, he’s not making any assumptions. He’s been burned before.“I stopped trying to project things a long time ago,” he explained. “I try not to forecast or think ahead. I’ve found out many times that doing that can be a bad idea.”Players with Crosby’s importance have the power to push general managers in a certain direction. Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr, in generations before Crosby, influenced many coach firings and player trades or re-signings. Crosby isn’t cut from that cloth.“I’m a player,” he said. “If Kyle asks me for my opinion, I’ll share it. I’m comfortable with that. But I’m definitely not trying to pick our roster.”To Crosby, though, this Penguins roster wouldn’t feel right without No. 71. The players, who have been teammates since 2006, have authored a remarkable two decades in Pittsburgh.As he always does, Crosby lights up when he’s asked about Malkin. The two are as close off the ice as they are revered in Pittsburgh sports history.“I think everybody knows how I feel about Geno at this point,” Crosby said. “I think everybody knows what I think he means to our team, what he’s done for the organization for 20 years. It goes without saying.”May 22, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms