Changes on the horizon for Penguins, who did not, in fact, three-peat

Changes on the horizon for Pittsburgh Penguins, who did not, in fact, three-peat

PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 07: Members of the Pittsburgh Penguins acknowledge the crowd after a 2-1 overtime lose to the Washington Capitals in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena on May 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) /

The Pittsburgh Penguins saw their chances at a three-peat slip away when the Washington Capitals knocked them out of the playoffs in the Second Round. And general manager Jim Rutherford is ready to make some changes as a result.

By most accounts, finishing the regular season 47-29-6 and reaching a Game 6 of a semifinal playoff series would be an above-average season for an NHL team, one surely to be celebrated.

But not if you’re the Pittsburgh Penguins, coming off back-to-back Stanley Cup wins and pushing for an elusive three-peat.

Was it fair of us to actually expect the Penguins to hoist the Cup for a third-straight time in arguably the hardest league to rack up consecutive championships? Of course not. But them’s the breaks when you achieve high levels of success. People expect it to continue.

Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford certainly expected his team to reach the Stanley Cup Final again this year, and the fact that it did not means that some ch-ch-changes are on their way for the organization.

During the Penguins’ dressing room clean-out, Rutherford made it clear that he wasn’t content to rest on his laurels simply because all the major players in Pittsburgh’s quest for another Cup are set to return next season.

Per the Tribune-Review‘s Jonathan Bombulie:

"“I think it’s obvious that I’m going to keep an open mind to making some changes, and I will make some changes. I can’t give you a definite answer on who that’s going to be right now and exactly the positions, but we’re a good team, and we will be a good team going forward. We’ll have a chance to win again. We have the nucleus to do that.”"

Penguins fans will be excited to learn Rutherford indicated wing prospect Daniel Sprong will be a regular presence in the lineup in the 2018-19 season.

There’s also a strong possibility that Pittsburgh looks to trade some of its attractive pieces to get better overall, whether that’s Conor Sheary, Matt Hunwick, Kris Letang, Carl Hagelin or even, possibly, Phil Kessel.

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