Analyst: Penguins' Sidney Crosby should follow in footsteps of Tom Brady

NHL analyst Bryan Hayes of TSN believes Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby should emulate NFL legend Tom Brady and finish his career away from the club that drafted him. 

"Get Sidney Crosby out of Pittsburgh," Hayes pleaded during an on-air segment, as shared by Nick Horwat of The Hockey News. "...He will always be remembered as a Penguin. It’s him and Mario Lemieux. The two greatest Penguins of all time. He’s given everything he possibly could to that franchise. That franchise is no longer repaying him." 

Crosby has played only for the Penguins since 2005, guided the club to three Stanley Cup titles during his career and is part of Most Valuable Player discussions this winter even though Pittsburgh wouldn't be a playoff team if the postseason began today. 

The franchise's remarkable 16-year playoff streak ended last season, but Crosby nevertheless is expected to sign a contract extension this coming summer before he turns 37 years old in August. 

While Crosby may want to retire a one-club man, Hayes repeatedly compared the all-time great to the previously mentioned Brady. Brady, of course, earned six Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots from 2000 through the 2019 season before he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2020. Brady then led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl LV victory in his first year with that organization. 

"If he follows in the footsteps of Brady," Hayes added about Crosby, "goes somewhere else, wins a Cup, is competitive… that is going to make the case for him to get into the top five all time."

For a piece published Wednesday, Rob Rossi of The Athletic wrote that "the Penguins won’t rebuild with Crosby, and Crosby isn’t going anywhere" because the future Hall of Famer wants to win the Cup for the fourth time alongside longtime teammates Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin. 

Whether or not Crosby would change his mind if Pittsburgh becomes a laughingstock following the upcoming trade deadline shall be seen.