Mark Madden: Penguins and Sidney Crosby should reach a deal ... but what if they can't?

Sidney Crosby has one year to go on his Pittsburgh Penguins contract. He hasn’t yet signed an extension. He was able to do so as of July 1.

When his 37th birthday came and went Wednesday (Aug. 7, you know, 8/7) and the numerically obsessed Crosby still hadn’t put pen to paper, eyebrows got raised.

But don’t worry.

Crosby hates change. He’s not going to put himself through the biggest change possible this late in his career, even if it might land him on a better team and give him a shot at a fourth Stanley Cup.

Like his heroes Steve Yzerman and Mario Lemieux, Crosby is a one-team guy. He’s a Penguin.

Some suggest a fourth Stanley Cup would cement Crosby’s legacy.

A quick check of Crosby’s championships and stats confirm his legacy is extremely concrete. Not to mention his intangibles, leadership and all-around good guy status.

Ray Bourque had to leave Boston for Denver to glom onto a Stanley Cup he didn’t really earn.

Our sports-saturated culture mandates we play the “what if?” game by way of filling time and space.

So, what if Penguins training camp arrives and Crosby still hasn’t signed?

Crosby would have to address it with the media every single day. Out-of-town media, mostly from Canada, would greatly inflate the numbers and the showbiz aspect.

Crosby would hate it. But he wouldn’t have a choice beyond not being available, which isn’t his way. Especially at training camp.

What if the Penguins’ season starts and Crosby still hasn’t signed?

Take the excrement show at training camp, multiply it by 10, and take it on the road.

The first away game is at Detroit: “Hey, Sid, wouldn’t it be great to come to Detroit and play for your hero Yzerman? For an Original Six team?”

The second away game is at Toronto: “Hey, Sid, wouldn’t it be great to bring the Stanley Cup back to your home country, Canada? And in hockey’s capital, Toronto? Wouldn’t it cement your legacy as a Canadian?” (Like five international gold medals and “the Golden Goal” in 2010 haven’t done that.)

The third away game is at Montreal: “Hey, Sid, you were a Canadiens fan as a boy. Wouldn’t it be great to finish your career in that iconic sweater?”

Skip ahead two weeks later, when the Penguins visit Edmonton: “OH MY GOD, SID, YOU AND MCDAVID, YOU GOTTA DO IT!” (At some point the questions would morph into demands.)

At Vancouver the next day: Rutherford, Tocchet, reunion, etc. (Vancouver’s a tougher sell.)

That’s all in the first month.

It’s a month Crosby would rather not experience.

It’s been reported that negotiations are close, and merely taking a summer break.

I buy that. I believe Crosby will finish his career as a Penguin. And be frustrated by much of what’s left.

Disclaimer: Does Evgeni Malkin’s reported return to Russia after the upcoming season change Crosby’s outlook? It shouldn’t. Crosby likely values playing out the string with Malkin more than Malkin does.

Anyway, since we’re playing the “what if?” game, we have to examine the nuclear option.

The Penguins absolutely must explore the possibility of trading Crosby if an extension still hasn’t been completed by the trade deadline. (There would be blood everywhere by then.)

It’s sacrilege, sure. But these Penguins aren’t contenders, and you can’t let Crosby walk via free agency without bringing anything in return. Whenever Crosby ceases playing for the Penguins, the franchise will still continue to operate. As it did when Lemieux retired (both times).

Trading Crosby, even at 37, would fetch a ton. If Crosby went to a legit contender, they would become the immediate favorite to win the Stanley Cup.

That’s the sort of impact Crosby still has. He’s still one of the NHL’s top five players.

Trading Crosby might even bring Brandon Aiyuk to Pittsburgh.

But Crosby won’t get traded. He will sign an extension. He will finish his career with the Penguins. That concludes today’s episode of the “what if?” game.

It would be better for the Penguins if the process is hastened. There are tickets to be sold and sponsors to be wrangled. Crosby is signed for the upcoming season, but it’s not good to make those who provide revenue play the “what if?” game for very long.