Early off-season checklist for the Penguins

Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty ImagesIt’s going to be another long summer for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have failed to make the playoffs for a second season in row. Here are some early off-season things to watch for as the team navigates another cycle of change and the standard NHL events. It might not be as wide open as last year, when at this time we didn’t even know who the main hockey operations leadership would be, but there should still be enough drama and intrigue along the way.

Before we reach the two biggest milestones and events of the offseason — the draft in June and free agency’s start on July 1 — there are still several key decisions to be made. We’ll focus on that for this…