Where Will Sidney Crosby End up Among the NHL’s All-Time Points Leaders? – The Hockey Writers – Pittsburgh Penguins

All it will take for Sidney Crosby to end his career second on the NHL’s all-time scoring list is 271 points. While nobody is catching Wayne Gretzky’s point totals, Crosby has a legitimate shot at surpassing Jaromir Jagr’s total of 1,921 points and ending his career as the player directly behind “The Great One.”

What Crosby Needs to Catch Jaromir Jagr

Crosby has averaged 1.14 points per game over the last four seasons, but let’s say, for the sake of this exercise, he will average one point per game for the rest of his career. Let’s also assume, although unlikely, that Crosby doesn’t miss a game from here on out.

Crosby needs 235 points to get to 1,922 total, which means he would need to play 207 more games or roughly 2.5 full 82-game seasons.

With 91 points in 80 games in 2024-25, he broke the tie with Gretzky for his 20th-straight season averaging a point per game. Crosby could pass Jagr by the end of the 2027-28 season. The problem is that Crosby’s contract expires after the 2026-2027 season, and it remains to be seen whether he wants to play beyond it.

How Long Will Crosby Play?

If Crosby continues to average a point per game, when his contract ends, he could be only 78 points away from sitting alone in second all-time. However, it’s clear that individual accolades aren’t what drives him. So, if the Penguins are still floundering after the 2026-27 season, he might hang up his skates regardless of how close he is to this milestone.

However, if general manager Kyle Dubas can successfully guide the Penguins through this mini-rebuild, they could be on the verge of making one last run at the Stanley Cup by the final year of Crosby’s contract. That is a scenario that he might consider sticking around an extra year or two for.

A lot needs to go right between now and the end of his contract. Crosby needs to keep averaging a point per game for what would be 23 consecutive seasons. He also needs to remain healthy and play almost every game, while a rebuild or a retool would need to be a success. 

So, while it seems unlikely, if anyone can achieve the unthinkable, it’s Crosby, especially considering all the injuries he’s overcome.

Crosby’s Missing Years

From 2011-2013, Crosby only played 99 of a possible 212 games, mainly due to concussions. He missed 113 games during his prime years when he was averaging .55…