The Pittsburgh Penguins have missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season, and while the results over that stretch have been the same this season still feels different and an important switch for the franchise. Of those three seasons, and even going back to the previous four playoff seasons where they were eliminated in the opening round, this is the first time everything they did from a team-building a roster standpoint was done so with an eye toward the future.
They were trying to win a year ago.
They were definitely trying to win the year before that.