End of Penguins' Big 3? Why Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang may have played in final game together

Nothing is set in stone, but Wednesday may have marked the end of an era for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

With their 1-0 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round, the Penguins were eliminated. Their first playoff appearance in four years was a brief one, providing some hope of a 3-0 series comeback before a Game 6 loss.

As Pittsburgh enters the offseason, however, there's no guarantee that its aging "Big 3" of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang will ever be on the ice together again.

Here's what to know about the future of the Penguins' three stars.

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Why Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang may have played final game together

The Crosby-Malkin-Letang trio has defined Pittsburgh hockey for 20 years now, a championship core that has now remained together for multiple decades. In fact, per ESPN, those three players are the longest-tenured trio of teammates in North American sports history. They surpassed the record held by Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada of the New York Yankees (17 seasons) three years ago.

In the series against the Flyers, Crosby had a team-high five points, Malkin had three points and Letang had two game-winning goals. But that may have been the end of the trio's long run with the Penguins.

With Crosby being 38 years old — although he's under contract for 2026-27 and expected to return — Letang being 39 years old and Malkin being 39 years old, there's no longer a full guarantee that any of those players will continue their career entering each offseason.

"It might be a little early for that. We'll have a few days to digest everything and evaluate stuff," Crosby said of the trio's future on Wednesday, per ESPN.

While Crosby and Letang are under contract with Pittsburgh for next season, that is not the case with Malkin. Per ESPN, while Letang and Malkin did not speak to reporters after the Penguins' Game 6 loss, Crosby spoke to what the other two stars mean to him as teammates.

"Honestly, it's something that we've probably just gotten used to, but I think they're like family. I think that's the best way to describe it," Crosby said, per ESPN. "We've had some great wins, some tough losses like this. Ultimately, though, that's a long time that we've played together. I'm so appreciative for the opportunity to be able to play with them as long as we have. Hopefully, we can keep going."

Penguins coach Dan Muse, despite only being in one year of his Pittsburgh tenure, also spoke to the star trio's impact over 20 years.

"I honestly don't think the three of them get enough credit for the fact that they've been doing it together for this long," Muse said, per ESPN. "It hasn't happened before in sports in North America, and there's a reason for it, because it's ridiculously hard and it's so uncommon and it takes special people to be able to do it." 

MORE: Full Flyers-Penguins playoff rivalry history

Will Sidney Crosby retire?

Crosby, the biggest star of the Penguins' trio, is a year younger than Malkin and Letang. But considering his age, questions over his eventual retirement have only picked up.

However, Crosby is under contract with Pittsburgh through the 2026-27 season, and he's expected to return — he hasn't shown any public signs of considering stepping away from the NHL quite yet. Even his answer about Malkin and Letang provided a hint, with Crosby saying, "Hopefully we can keep it going."

All things considered, it's appears unlikely Crosby retires this offseason.

MORE: What to know about Sidney Crosby's future 

Evgeni Malkin contract

While Crosby and Letang are poised to return to the Penguins next season barring a trade, it's Malkin's future that is primarily threatening to break up the trio. 

He will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Per ESPN, Malkin has "expressed a desire to stay with the Penguins next season and said last month that he and general manager Kyle Dubas would talk about his future after the playoffs."

Considering Malkin has spent his entire 20-year career with the Penguins, it would appear unlikely he'd sign with another team for his age-40 season. If he doesn't retire, a return to Pittsburgh is certainly possible, but Malkin's future is one of the Penguins' biggest offseason questions.

Penguins' Big 3 accomplishments

Over 20 years together as teammates, the Penguins' three stars have racked up both individual and team accomplishments at a historic rate.

Crosby, considered one of the greatest players ever, is a two-time winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, Hart Memorial Trophy and Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, also an eight-time NHL All-Star selection. Malkin has a Hart Memorial Trophy, a Conn Smythe Trophy and two Art Ross trophies on his resume, while Letang is a six-time All-Star and a Masterton Trophy winner.

Together, the trio has brought three Stanley Cups to Pittsburgh, scoring nearly 4,000 points combined in their 3,924 games together.