The issues that led to the untimely demise of the 2014-2015 Pittsburgh Penguins were numerous and disheartening for any fan of the franchise. Despite the management overhaul that had occurred before the season, it seemed to many that the team had fallen even further, replacing stagnation with regression.
In the minds of many, it would seem that the team’s predilection for trading away draft picks in the hopes of “winning now” had been the main reason, aside from injury, that the Penguins failed. The problem had originated with former general manager Ray Shero, who developed a reputation for being an exceptional trader, but at the cost of draft potential.