Even without a playoff run in 2023, the Pittsburgh Penguins are still the NHL's top franchise.

The Pittsburgh Penguins missed the postseason for the first time since the 2005-06 season, but that doesn’t stop them from being a top franchise in the NHL.

A new study from the Athletic found that since the creation of the salary cap, the Penguins have been the best franchise in the NHL.

The Athletic put every team in the NHL through the same calculations to rank all 32 teams based on success since the 2005-06 season.

Through their rankings, the Athletic named the Penguins as the top team in the NHL with a score of 52 points, six ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning who finished second.

The Penguins were able to rack up points thanks to 16 consecutive postseason appearences with four trips to the Stanley Cup final and winning the jug three times.

Despite missing the playoffs in 2022-23, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang have helped lead the way for the Penguins since they broke into the NHL almost two decades ago.

It’s not easy to win in the NHL, let alone do it consistently and keep a successful team under the league’s salary cap.

Multiple regimes and a number of players have found success in Pittsburgh, but a lot of the success can be chalked up to the core of Crosby, Malkin, and Letang.

The Athletic scored 11 points for winning the Cup, five for losing in the Cup Final, three for losing in the conference final, and a single point just for reaching the postseason.

When they ran the same test in 2021, the Penguins were again the top team in the league.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more!

Projecting Jake Guentzel's Next Contract With the Penguins

Penguins Draft Profiles: Calum Ritchie

Penguins Must Draft the Best Player Available at 14th Overall

Penguins Announce Dates, Roster for 2023 Development Camp

Penguins Named Possible Landing Spot for Noah Hanifin

• undefined
• undefined