A post-mortem for the Penguins season
Mar 13, 2024
Nobody came into this season thinking that the Penguins were going to win the Stanley Cup (unless they were the fiercest of believers and fans, and a little blinded by their love). But it's safe to say that most people expected them to make the postseason, likely in a wild-card spot.
Well, it's March 13th, exactly 19 games left to go in the season. That's almost a quarter left! Yet the Penguins sit in 7th in a crowded Metropolitan division with little to no chance of finishing above 5th.
In a year where Sidney Crosby has excelled, leading the team with 64 points, half of them goals – the Penguins GM has sold at the deadline, shipping away fan-favorite, Milkshake Factory-sponsored, Stanley Cup Champion Jake Guentzel - fans are starting discussions about possibly securing a high pick through the NHL draft lottery.
The lottery determines the assigned picks for the teams that finish in the bottom half of the league standings that year. The Penguins aren't just bottom 16 right now, they're bottom 10.
Last season was a sad preview. This Penguins season – when every season for nearly the last two decades have revolved around what happens after it – is dead.[1]
yeah, yeah, yeah - I'll write another post-mortem following these last 19 games! ↩︎