Sidney Crosby heads into an uncertain season in Pittsburgh - ESPN

CRANBERRY, Pa. — As Evgeni Malkin sits in an empty locker room at the Penguins practice facility, being interviewed for a story about his longtime teammate Sidney Crosby, the 39-year-old Russian center makes a point for emphasis.

«You see security here?» Malkin says, motioning to the Penguins' detail, standing discreetly in the doorway. «It's like, not my security. It's Sidney Crosby's security.»

Malkin's résumé certainly warrants the celebrity treatment: Calder Trophy, Hart Trophy, two scoring titles and, of course, three Stanley Cups in a nine-year span that brought the Penguins back to glory.

But nobody on the Penguins — or perhaps the entire hockey world — can match Crosby's star power. The captain's reputation, let alone his list of on-ice accomplishments, is pristine. «You never heard one bad thing about Sidney Crosby,» said Kris Letang, the other member of Pittsburgh's big three. «He's perfect. He's the perfect ambassador for the game.»

It's why, ahead of Crosby's 21st season in the NHL, there has been so much discourse about what his future might hold — and whether one of hockey's most transcendent talents is wasting his final chapter holding on to what he once had in Pittsburgh.

Not only is Crosby's production absurd (1,687 points in 1,352 career games and counting) but few players in hockey history have remained this consistent and this competitive as they enter their career twilight. While playing his sound two-way game, Crosby scored 91 points (33 goals, 58 assists) in 80 games this past season, leading the Penguins by 21 points. In an NHLPA poll released in April, Crosby was voted by his peers as the «most complete player» in the game — for the sixth straight season.

Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid — at