A surgical staple including a deformable member and a crown, where the deformable member can slide relative to the crown. In at least one embodiment, a staple cartridge can include a cavity and a deck, where the cavity can be configured to receive at least a portion of the deformable member and the crown can be positioned within an opening in the deck. In various embodiments, when soft tissue is captured between an anvil and the staple cartridge, the crown can apply a compressive force or pressure to the soft tissue even before the deformable member is deployed toward the anvil.
