Penguins Limping Into Quarter Mark of Season

The Pittsburgh Penguins are well beyond a slow start.

Nov 16, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) prepares to take a face-off against the San Jose Sharks during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Tonight marks the quarter mark of the Pittsburgh Penguins season. They have lost five of their previous seven games, falling to seventh in the Metropolitan division, and are one point above last place in the Eastern Conference.

The Penguins' struggles have served as a reality check for the organization and the fan base, and any hope they had of watching Sidney Crosby raise the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in his Hall of Fame career is likely gone.

Crosby has looked more like his typical self of late, scoring 12 points (6G-6A) in his past ten games, but the team's performance hasn't followed suit.

The Penguins are an abysmal 1-9-2 against teams that currently have a .500 or better record. Unfortunately, the next quarter of the Penguins' schedule features 14 games (out of 21) against such opponents.

If the Penguins continue at their current pace, they could look very different by the turn of the New Year. Lars Eller, traded to the Washington Capitals last week, maybe the beginning of a mass exodus of veterans from the Penguins roster.

According to The Athletic's Josh Yohe, the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks have expressed interest in veteran defenseman Marcus Pettersson.

Yohe also named Rickard Rakell as a potential trade candidate for the Penguins. It would be unsurprising if other veterans (Michael Bunting, Anthony Beauvillier, etc.) found their way onto that list.

The vultures are circling as the Penguins seem to be on the verge of a fire sale and a third consecutive missed postseason.

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