Penguins Predictions: Could another 100-point season be in the cards for Sidney Crosby?

Ever since he was a teenage phenom growing up in Nova Scotia, absolutely nothing Sidney Crosby has accomplished in his hockey career has flown under the radar.

He’s one of the most well-chronicled athletes in history.

Still, it’s possible that something Crosby accomplished with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season has gone a little bit underreported.

When he finished the season with 35 goals and 65 points, Crosby became just the 11th 31-year-old in NHL history to hit triple digits in points in a season. The only two to accomplish the feat this century were Joe Sakic with 118 in 2000-01 and Martin St. Louis with 102 in 2006-07.

Crosby basically took the aging curve that most professional athletes adhere to and tossed it out the window.

The question now, of course, is whether Crosby can continue to defy the passing of time for another year.

Only three players in NHL history have recorded 100-point seasons as a 32-year-old — Wayne Gretzky with 130 in 1993-94, Phil Espsoito with 127 in 1974-75 and Ron Francis with 119 for the Penguins in 1995-96.

Could Crosby join them?

He’s certainly going to try.

Crosby setting his sights on racking up points isn’t like an NBA shooting guard bombing 3-pointers when he should be passing. The Penguins want the puck on Crosby’s stick as much as possible.

It’s not like Crosby will cheat for offense, either. That’s not in his DNA. Any point total he reaches will come as part of a solid two-way game.

“Ninety is better than 89, I think, and 100 is better than 93,” Crosby said last season. “If I can be around it, I’d definitely like to get it. Like I said, it doesn’t mean sacrificing anything to do that. I think that if we play the right way, I’ll have a shot at it.”

THE QUESTION

How many points will Sidney Crosby finish with this season?

A. Triple digits

There’s nothing particularly fluky about the 100-point season Crosby turned in last year. His 15.9% shooting percentage is a little high, but only a little above the 14.6% he’s had in his career. The Penguins didn’t score an inordinate amount of goals. Their power play was good but not freakishly great. Jake Guentzel will be back on his wing for another season. If the conditions for a triple-digit season remain in place, why bet against Crosby just because he’s one year older.

B. In the 90s

For Crosby to fail to get triple digits again this season, age wouldn’t have to hit him like a brick wall. He wouldn’t have to start eating early bird specials and watching Matlock. He’d just have to have one fewer point than last season. Maybe Guentzel’s goal total drops a bit due to shooting percentage normalization. Maybe a lack of Phil Kessel chips away a point or two on the power play. Maybe Crosby misses an extra game or two because of injury. No matter how superhuman Crosby has been in his career, it’s perfectly reasonable to expect a slight drop from age 31 to 32.

C. In the 80s or below

Before his banner year last season, Crosby recorded between 84 and 89 points each of the previous four seasons. Leaving everything else out of it and looking only at the hard numbers, last year was the outlier. Consistency has actually become the hallmark of Crosby’s game in his 30s. The Penguins know what to expect from him every night in all three zones. That’s great in most cases. In this case, it means a return to around a point-per-game is likely.

THE PREDICTION

C. In the 80s or below

The entire offseason plan general manager Jim Rutherford has implemented has been about making the Penguins harder to play against. It’s entirely likely that Crosby will take up that mantra as well. Following the Steve Yzerman model, it’s reasonable to expect Crosby will become a better two-way player and a little less dynamic offensively as he ages. That’s the way things were trending before last season, anyway.

Follow the Pittsburgh Penguins all season long.