The Pittsburgh Penguins are once again missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and fans aren't happy. Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas understands that frustration. He also wants them to know that there's a dawn coming through the darkness.

“When I look today, maybe we had less points than we had last year, but I feel like we're slightly better positioned as we move ahead because of the younger players here,” Dubas said in part in a statement. The statement was shared on the Penguins' X account.

The Penguins struggled on defense in the 2024-25 campaign. Pittsburgh ultimately ended the season with a 34-36-12 record. It was a total disappointment, especially since Sidney Crosby had a historic year.

“The results are going to be what they're going to be, but I feel we're closer to where we want to get back to now than last year,” Dubas added.

Penguins fans hope that the general manager is right. Pittsburgh hasn't made the playoffs since the 2021-2022 campaign. They won their last division championship in the 2021 season.

The Penguins couldn't find the victories this year

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Pittsburgh had such an incredible run in the last 16 years. The Penguins won three Stanley Cup championships in that period, with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin skating for them. The team's last title was in 2017.

Since that season, the Pens have had trouble treading water. Pittsburgh has struggled to find a reliable goal tender since the team lost Marc-Andre Fleury years ago.

This past season, the struggles continued. The Penguins had issues at the position, and ended up once again missing the postseason. Pittsburgh allowed 293 goals and had a miserable -50 in goal differential.

Time is running out on Crosby's career, and Penguins fans want to celebrate another championship with him on the roster. If the ship isn't turned around next season, Dubas may be out the door.