The Pittsburgh Penguins are one of the most storied franchises in the NHL and have been one of the most successful teams this century, but they have now missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons after seeing a lot of their roster from their dynastic years depart.

The two biggest pillars of the Penguins' incredible run, which saw them win three Stanley Cups between 2009 and 2017, are still there. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are still skating in the black and yellow and are still incredibly productive, even at the end of their careers on a team that has not been competitive.

Naturally, both players have been involved in trade rumors over the years, with many hockey fans wanting to see them play out their twilight years on a contending team. Crosby especially has been at the center of a lot of those rumors, but the Penguins have not budged on the franchise legend.

On Friday, following the first round of the NHL Draft, Penguins GM Kyle Dubas stood firm on that stance once again. Amid more Crosby trade rumors, Dubas remains committed to building another contending team with Crosby leading the way, via Wes Crosby of NHL.com.

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“There's no change at all to anything from our perspective,” Dubas said. “Everything that we're doing is about bringing the team back to being a contending team and our hope is to sure do that while Sid is a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.”

The Penguins have already said that 2025-26 will be Malkin's final season with the team, so they have one last chance to build a contender with their two pillars playing together. The Russian superstar could retire from hockey at the end of the year or he could go somewhere else, but he won't be in Pittsburgh past next summer.

Crosby isn't quite what he was in his prime, but the 37-year old is still one of the most productive offensive players in hockey. He played in 80 games for the Penguins last season and recorded 91 points, so there is no question that he can still drive a line on the offensive end. Now, it is up to Dubas and company to put the talent around him to compete.