The Penguins closed out the season with a win, but they’ll be watching the Stanley Cup playoffs from home.
Players cleaned out their lockers Friday after Pittsburgh beat the Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday. The Penguins finished the season with 80 points and missed the postseason for a third campaign in a row. It was a tough way to finish the season for Sidney Crosby.
“I felt like there was a lot of games, walking out of the rink at the end of the night where I felt like we could have won,” Crosby told reporters, per the Penguins. “I felt pretty good about our game. … We had a lot of shots, a lot chances, it was different things. It’s tough. It’s difficult when you’re cleaning out your locker stall and you’re just thinking about how fun it is to play in the playoffs and how important that is and how much work everyone puts into trying to make that happen. That’s not a fun feeling when other teams are playing and you’re going home.”
The Penguins are projected to have at least $2.8 million in cap space, per Puck Pedia. They’ll have two first-round picks and one second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Those are the resources head coach Mike Sullivan and general manager Kyle Dubas will have to try to figure out the best way to retool the roster for better results next season.
Featured image via Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images