After rough start, can the Penguins actually make the playoffs in 2024-25?
The Pittsburgh Penguins had a rough start to the 2024-25 season, going 3-7-1 to start the year and leaving some wondering if the year had already been lost. In fact, on Nov. 29, the Penguins were 9-12-4 and last in the Metropolitan Division.
But the club has played better in the last few weeks, going 8-2-1 in their last 11 games and are now 15-14-5 with 35 points, one point behind the Ottawa Senators for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss the team’s recent surge and if they see Pittsburgh making a run at the postseason this spring.
Tyler Yaremchuk: Another win last night coming in overtime for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby was absolutely terrific with a four-point performance. I’m not sitting here trying to convince people that the Penguins are a Stanley Cup contender, but with the mush that is the Eastern Conference, a 7-2-1 run has them right back in the thick of the playoff conversation.
Are they playoff contenders?
Frank Seravalli: Are they a contender to make the playoffs? Yes. Are they contender to do anything else? The answer is no. So, I guess it depends on what you want to get excited about. They’ve had a great run, and I’m certainly not taking anything away from their run, it’s been fantastic and it’s made this season so much more interesting than they could have hoped.
The door has been kicked wide open by the New York Rangers and their stumble down the standings. The Ottawa Senators have taken full advantage of that, and they’re the team I think is in the driver’s seat for that final spot in the East. The Penguins are gonna need more consistency, but the problem is I don’t really see any reinforcements on the way.
Let’s say you’re Kyle Dubas and you want to add to support this team – they’re pot committed and they’ve been pot committed for years – what assets do you have to go spend to do it? You don’t have prospects, and I think it would be incredibly foolish to trade your first-round pick, yet again, to try and prop up this team that has proven year in and year out that they don’t have the makings to be something special. What do you do?
You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…