The main core of the Pittsburgh Penguins have waived the white flag on the 2023-24 season.

PITTSBURGH – The trade deadline is history, and things are getting ugly for the Pittsburgh Penguins. A shutout loss to the Edmonton Oilers extended their losing skid to 1-6 in their last seven while being outscored 30-10 in that span.

Not only are the Penguins hitting rock bottom, but a lot of the recent downfall also has to do with the core’s recent performance. After great starts for Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, they all appear to have completely given up on the season.

It shows in more ways than one, too. On the ice, all three have failed to play up to their Hall of Fame standards. They've also all looked dejected and uninterested in multiple aspects of the game.

Over that seven-game span, Crosby has scored no goals with just two assists, and his body language has been abhorrent on most nights. Some of it may have to do with the Penguins’ recent state, but it’s also possible the trade of Jake Guentzel is taking a toll on him.

Crosby started the year on a possible MVP pace, but now there’s a threat he may not finish the season over a point-per-game. In 63 games played he has 64 points in total.

Malkin has looked just as defeated on the ice in recent games. He’s gone three straight games without a shot on goal and has only scored twice in the last 18 games. Malkin apologized to fans for his and the team’s recent play, but nothing positive has come since.

Taking on a newer role in 2023-24, Letang was putting together a fantastic season on the defensive side of the puck. That’s all disappeared as multiple Letang turnovers have led directly to game-winning goals against the Penguins.

Surely, they've been giving an effort at certain times, but it's been extremely poor as of late. They were the only ones giving the Penguins any sense of life. With Guentzel out of the picture and the core group done caring, the Penguins have no chance of making the playoffs.

As the leaders of the Penguins, how is anyone expected to elevate their own game if their future Hall of Fame core has stopped caring?

No matter how much the group says they’re going for it, they’re better off shooting for that top-10 draft pick.

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