The Pittsburgh Penguins are at a crossroads when it comes to the future of some key players, most notably the likes of Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins veterans are both set to hit free agency, although they have both expressed their desire to return to Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby is also keen on continuing to play alongside his longtime teammates, and amid rumors that he was upset over the reported lowball offers the team put forth to Letang and Malkin, the captain has spoken out.

Via the Penguins' Twitter account, Crosby said:

“I think we all feel the same way. We've been fortunate enough to play together for a long time. There's a lot of belief and trust in one another,” said Crosby. “We understand that it's not something that can happen forever, but hopefully a little bit longer.”

Clearly, the trio of Crosby, Malkin, and Letang have hopes of playing together a bit longer, but whether or not that's a real possibility for the Penguins remains to be seen. There are a multitude of Penguins players set to hit free agency, and the team is already strapped for cash.

In addition to Malkin and Letang, the Penguins also have to make decisions on the likes of Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust, Evan Rodrigues, Nathan Beaulieu, and Casey DeSmith, all of whom are set to hit unrestricted free agency. Meanwhile, Danton Heinan and Kasperi Kapanen are set to hit restricted free agency this offseason.

Without much wiggle room to work with, Letang and Malkin may be forced to accept significant pay cuts if they want to stay in Pittsburgh, but the reported three-year, $15 million offers they received were more insulting than constructive. Crosby wasn't too pleased with the initial offers, and he's made clear that he hopes he can continue to play alongside his two longtime teammates.