The expectations were high for the Pittsburgh Penguins, but they are yet to come close to meeting them.
Heading into the 2022-23 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins were in a fun spot; an aging core could still feel the fire to perform and key pieces were re-signed all over the lineup.
As the year has gone on, however, the Penguins have found themselves in a much different situation and it’s forced several questions to be asked.
What happened to the bottom six? Is this defense stout enough? Can the goaltending gain consistency?
All of these questions, and their position in the standings, has forced the Penguins to look like one of the most disappointing teams in the NHL.
According to a recent pool from the Athletic, the Penguins are one of the teams most likely to disappoint despite aspirations of a Stanley Cup.
The Penguins were a +1800 and within the top 10 teams to finish the season as champions.
As the season has progressed, all of those aforementioned questions have began to push the Penguins further and further away from the promised land.
They started the season with +1800 odds and in the top 10, but now as mid-February is upon us, the Penguins are at +2500.
Still within the top half of the league, but sliding as the inconsistencies are yet to be exercised.
While the Athletic never said the Penguins were the most disappointing team in the NHL, they did peak at a 13.9% on their votes over the year.
The Penguins have a ton of work to do, and they need to find their game; they’ve already disappointed quite a bit this season and are running out of runway to turn it around.
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