CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The chronically optimistic among us believe the Penguins are still a top-tier Stanley Cup contender.
Committed skeptics are convinced that the only thing the Penguins will get out of the 2021-22 regular season is a spot in the 2022 draft lottery.
The reality, of course, figures to be somewhere in the middle.
The Penguins have a core of elite talents that, while aging, still could make them a legitimate threat to defeat any team they would meet in a best-of-seven playoff series.
Conversely, they're in a highly competitive division and conference, and a run of injuries to key personnel or an extended winless streak could lead to them sitting out the postseason for the first time in 16 years.