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Jared McCann is one of the Penguins’ biggest X-factors this season

It has been assumed for most of the offseason that the success or failure of the 2019-20 Penguins is going to depend on what their top players do, specifically Evgeni Malkin and his ability to bounce back from what was — by his own admission — a down year.

I get that mindset.

The Penguins are defined by their stars, and their stars are going to be the ones that have to drive them. But is their ability to do so really that big of a question? As long as they stay healthy there should be a high level of confidence that Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, Kris Letang, Matt Murray, and yes, Evgeni Malkin, are going to pull their end of the weight and do what they need to do.