Post-mortem for the 2023-24 Penguins

The end of the season came not with a roar, but a whimper. For the first time in many years, the last game of the season came with the Penguins having lost control of their destiny. Last year, they fought to get into the playoffs, and lost to the 25-48-9 Blue Jackets¹ to fall just short.² This year, they were already mathematically eliminated before the start of the final bout.

Beginning in late March, the Penguins had actually made it quite far back into contention for a wildcard spot. In a nine-game stretch, they battled to a 7-2-0 record to sit in the a cluster with the Capitals, Flyers, and Red Wings in the standings (…after losing 11 of the previous 14 games). The last three games of the season for each team would determine which one team would make the playoffs.

In that set, the Penguins went loss, win, and loss. The goalies that started were Tristan Jarry, Alex Nedeljkovic, and Nedeljkovic again. This is significant because before this Jarry start, Nedeljkovic had been handed the net for ten straight games. And before that, Jarry had started 13 of 16. The coaching staff appeared to have lost interest in starting Jarry down the stretch, which is unfortunate because he was inked to a five year deal at the start of the season.

Statistically, Sidney Crosby had his best season in points (94) since 2018.³ It was the most goals he’s scored in a season (42) since 2016, which included the playoffs. It’s really difficult to see him doing so well and not getting a chance to battle through the postseason. That’s where he’s shone. Considering that he’s 36 and his contract is ending at the end of the 24-25 season, it’s fair to wonder how many years he has left.

This final game against the Islanders also marked the last season of Jeff Carter’s career. Even though his role was diminished for a large number of games towards the end, it’s hard to forget the excitement he brought in the initial trade from the Kings. With every goal he scored that season, the myth around “Big Jeff Carter” grew. I certainly won’t forget the brief sponsorship from Welch’s Fruit Snacks!⁴

Individually the season was pretty great! Sidney Crosby was a superstar as ever, Bryan Rust played very well, and some younger players like Jack St. Ivany stepped up into carving themselves spots in the lineup. But the Penguins failed to make the playoffs and lost one of the most impactful players on the team in Jake Guentzel.

All in all, the season was a wash because the players on this team always expect to be contending in the playoffs. They’ve missed it for the past two years, and a lot of the blame was placed on Ron Hextall, who was fired as GM at the end of last season when the Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006-07. Kyle Dubas’s first year team has missed the playoffs again, so I guess we’ll see what happens next year.