The Pittsburgh Penguins are five games under .500 and are 1-3-1 in their last five games heading into their tilt Tuesday night with the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena.
The Penguins, currently ninth in the Eastern Conference, are in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the third straight season. Last week, head coach Mike Sullivan said he expects the players to “dig in” and “fight,” not hang their heads.
With offensive juggernauts like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins
Former Penguin and three-time Stanley Cup champion Mark Recchi offered his take on what Pittsburgh needs to do to get back into contention.
“Just looking at Pittsburgh, I think with Sid still their captain and they got (Kris) Letang and some other older guys (Erik) Karlsson and Malkin,” Recchi told Sportsnet Pittsburgh.com. “They’re trying to get younger, quickly, it seems. I assume they would have a plan moving forward, trying to help, get back into a competitive team that is going to fight for a championship sooner than later.
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“I think overall depth, especially up front. I think on the back end, they could have used probably more physical-type guys. Maybe one or two more physical defensemen back there that can skate. I think overall depth is not where it needs to be to get to that spot.”
Pittsburgh can work on getting younger with the plethora of draft capital the franchise has over the next three NHL drafts. The Penguins have 29 selections, including four first-round selections and 15 picks in the first three rounds. Their first pick in the 2025 entry draft is sixth overall.
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