Analyst Hopeful Sidney Crosby Leaves Penguins

One analyst still believes that it's in Sidney Crosby's best interest to leave the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Nov 23, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) reacts after scoring his 600th career NHL goal against the Utah Hockey Club during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Penguins have gotten a lot of attention over the last few seasons, and it’s not because they’ve had a lot of success in the win column. Frankly, it’s been the exact opposite for the Penguins as they stare down their third straight year without the playoffs.

Through most of the 2023-24 season, TSN analyst Bryan Hayes was pleading for one of the greatest players in the game, Sidney Crosby, to move on from the Penguins and find a new home. With a terrible start to the 2024-25 season, Hayes still believes it’s in Crosby’s best interest to finish his career in a different uniform.

Hayes joined Jay Onrait and doubled down on his take from last year.

“If it ever got to a point, and I hope it does get to this point, and I said this on your show a year ago,” Hayes said. “I said ‘get Sid out of Pittsburgh’ because I was fearful of that the exact scenario that’s playing out right now was going to play out.”

The Penguins are 7-12-4 through 23 games of the season and just a point out of dead last in the Eastern Conference. Their 18 points are only two up on the Chicago Blackhawks who have the worst record in the NHL.

Crosby is still cruising along at a decent pace, with eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points through 23 games and knocking down huge career milestones.

“Pittsburgh’s only going to get worse, it’s only going to get uglier,” Hayes said. “So I’m hopeful at some point Sidney Crosby says ‘I can’t do this anymore.’”

Crosby signed a two-year contract extension over the offseason to keep him in Pittsburgh through the 2026-27 season. Crosby has also never given the slightest insight that he may want to leave the Penguins.

The goal has always been to make Crosby a Penguin for life, and no matter what direction the team is heading in, that’s the likely outcome.

Hayes went on to say the Toronto Maple Leafs make the most sense as a destination if the impossible were to happen and Crosby was to request his way out of Pittsburgh.

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