Sidney Crosby’s $100 million-plus contract to be announced Sunday, says report

That Sidney Crosby would be getting a contract extension from the Pittsburgh Penguins was a given. So was the fact that the contract would be a mammoth one: Elliotte Friedman of CBC Sports reported on June 9 that the average annual salary would be in the neighborhood of $9 million per season, up from $8.7 million in his current deal that ends next summer.

Darren Dreger of TSN reports on Thursday that Crosby's contract will be formally announced on Sunday: An AAV of "close to $9 million" and an extension that will eclipse $100 million in total value.

ESPN's Pierre LeBrun reports the contract is being finalized, and the term will be around 12-13 years.

Penguins GM Ray Shero doesn't like to massively frontload contacts — consider the Evgeni Malkin and James Neal deals — but to the surprise of no one Crosby's contract will be heavily frontloaded, according to LeBrun. It's the last summer this practice might be allowed under the CBA. (And it makes you wonder if Shero would go down that road again with a player like Zach Parise, given that teams like the Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota Wild will pump major cash into the opening years of their offers to the free-agent winger.)

Under the current rules, Crosby could earn over $14 million in an individual year of his contract. The two highest-paid players in base salary in the NHL right now are Brad Richards of the New York Rangers and Tyler Myers of the Buffalo Sabres, each at $12 million.

The highest cap hit is Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, at $9.538.462. Yes, the 13-year deal he signed in 2008 will still carry a higher cap hit than Crosby's in 2013. (Keep in mind Shero has to sign Evgeni Malkin is a new deal before Summer 2015.)

Hooks Orpik from Pensburgh responds to the news:

It's a risk to take for the team, who will have a whale of a time insuring the biggest contract in franchise history, but then again, financially as we've said here time and time again, it's not a risk at all. Sidney Crosby is a cash cow and a cottage industry for the Pittsburgh Penguins and the NHL at large. Even if he can't play 82 games a season, he can and will be a focal point of the team's marketing and merchandising campaigns and the club will easily recoup his salary, many times over.

His injury history will always be a concern. But he's a $100 million player, and shall be compensated as one.