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Insider Reveals How the Penguins Can Rebuild Without Tanking
Photo credit: Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins reporter Josh Yohe revealed how the Penguins can get back into the playoffs without bottoming out in his latest article.
The Penguins have gone on a hot streak, making the remainder of their season just a little bit more interesting.
Thanks to their current four-game winning streak, the team is now just four points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Not many were expecting that to be the case halfway through March, especially considering how the team's start to the season went, but here we are.
This just goes to show that you never know what is going to happen in the National Hockey League, and the season isn't over yet.
That being said, the Penguins still have a lot of work to do if they are going to sneak into the playoffs this year, and ultimately that remains rather unlikely.
However, as Penguins reporter Josh Yohe points out, this is not the end of the world for the franchise.
He argues that the team does not need to tank in order to be successful in the future, instead saying that they should focus on maintaining the club's winning culture.
"Tanking, however, isn't all it's cut out to be. If you want a certain player, there are plenty of things you can do. You can make trades. The Penguins have the draft assets and tradable veterans to move up in drafts, to identify certain players.
Additionally, when you tank, you start to lose credibility. And dignity. And more than anything, you lose what we like to call a 'winning culture.' And I assure you, that kind of culture is far more precious than slotting fifth instead of eighth in the draft."
Additionally, when you tank, you start to lose credibility. And dignity. And more than anything, you lose what we like to call a 'winning culture.' And I assure you, that kind of culture is far more precious than slotting fifth instead of eighth in the draft."
Yohe also points out that only two 1st overall picks have won the Stanley Cup in the past 16 years, Nathan MacKinnon and Aaron Ekblad.
"Of the past 16 players drafted No. 1, only two have won the Stanley Cup with the team that drafted them. Two. Nathan MacKinnon and Aaron Ekblad."
So if the penguins never get another 1st overall pick over this rebuild/retool phase, that shouldn't prevent them from winning another championship, hopefully in the relatively near future.
| POLL | ||
MARS 17 | 280 ANSWERS Insider Reveals How the Penguins Can Rebuild Without Tanking Do you think the Pittsburgh Penguins should embrace a full rebuild? | ||
| Yes | 146 | 52.1 % |
| No | 81 | 28.9 % |
| Unsure | 44 | 15.7 % |
| indifferent | 9 | 3.2 % |
| List of polls | ||