Sidney Crosby 'begged' by Ryan Whitney to leave Pittsburgh Penguins

Sidney Crosby's former teammate Ryan Whitney has weighed in on the star center's future with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The ex-NHLer turned podcaster urged No. 87 to consider leaving Pittsburgh in pursuit of at least one more Stanley Cup elsewhere.

Crosby's $104.4M contract will expire at the end of the 2024-25 season. There were questions about whether Crosby would re-sign with the Penguins, potentially ending his NHL career in Pittsburgh, or if he would demand a trade to another team with a better chance of competing for a Stanley Cup. He put these rumors to rest this week by stating that he plans to re-sign and remain a Penguin for the rest of his playing career.

On the latest episode of the "Spittin' Chiclets" podcast, Ryan Whitney mentioned that he had heard from numerous sources that Crosby would not sign with any other team. He "begged" Crosby to leave Pittsburgh, but indicated that it was unlikely even if the Penguins struggled to make the playoffs later in the season.

"I would beg him -- Please, please go somewhere else," Whitney said. "Let us watch you compete for a Stanley Cup, let us see you in the playoffs sending yourself off in this Hall of Fame, Mt. Rushmore type career in the NHL. But it sounds like no matter what, that will not be happening."

Ryan Whitney pessimistic about Sidney Crosby & Penguins' playoff chances

The Pittsburgh Penguins have added more veteran presence for the upcoming season with forward Kevin Hayes after Reilly Smith's move to the Rangers. In August, they also acquired top prospect Rutger McGroarty, who forced a trade out of Winnipeg.

Ryan Whitney opines the team's fate lies in the gloves of goalie Tristan Jarry and the Penguins' powerplay, which was one of the worst last season.

Whitney said:

"Too many question marks, too slow of a team in the current NHL style play and how quick teams are in getting on pucks and forechekcing I dont see it in Pittsburgh and I think they're gonna be outside looking in again."

Whitney seemed unimpressed by the current Penguins roster and predicted they would not make the playoffs for the third straight season.