This season, the Penguins find themselves in what is arguably the most disheartening position on preseason power rankings.
They aren’t listed among the top 10 teams, where they would be viewed as a legitimate playoff threat; they can’t be found in the bottom 10, where a sense of being underestimated might spur the team on with a helpful chip on their shoulders; they’re in the middle, expected to be a fringe playoff team but not a playoff threat. Here’s a glimpse of the consensus from hockey writers’ published league rankings just before the regular season starts.
Consensus pros: Last regular season’s standings, last regular season’s Tristan Jarry
Consensus cons: Season start without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, last postseason’s Tristan Jarry
Quotes below: Name, source, place the writer ranked the Penguins among 32 NHL teams
The Penguins won’t have centers Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin available at the start of the season.