The Pittsburgh Penguins had two options after missing the playoffs for the first time in 16 years. First, the team could blow it up and begin a rebuild. This would mean trading two franchise icons in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Their second option, however, was to put their faith in Crosby and Malkin to lead Pittsburgh back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Pittsburgh's new-look front office, led by Kyle Dubas, chose the second option. The Penguins brought in a number of players to support Crosby and Malkin this upcoming season. And the team has a renewed energy about them as a result.

The Penguins are an incredibly fascinating team for hockey fans in general to follow this winter. Ahead of the 2023-24 season, let's take a stab at making some bold predictions for this Pittsburgh Penguins team.

Crosby, Malkin remain high-level stars

The biggest drawback of going all in on Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin is their age. Both Crosby and Malkin are in their late 30s, which means their Stanley Cup window is inherently rather short. These two icons did play well last season despite missing the playoffs, but how long can they keep that up?

The answer to that question is hard to answer. But in the short term, both Crosby and Malkin should remain high-level point producing stars this upcoming season. In fact, they should once again lead the Penguins in terms of point production in 2023-24.

Crosby scored 33 goals and 93 points last year. Meanwhile, Malkin scored 27 goals and 83 points. It's hard to imagine either player greatly surpassing these marks. That said, they don't need to. Crosby and Malkin will maintain these totals for the upcoming season and ensure the Penguins remain in contention for the playoffs.

Erik Karlsson returns to Earth, but…

Erik Karlsson posted 101 points with the San Jose Sharks last season. Now, let's get the obvious out of the way. The reigning Norris Trophy winner will not post 100 points this upcoming season. In fact, he likely won't come within 15 points of his 2022-23 point total.

That said, Karlsson should still remain an elite point-producing defenseman. He can put up 70-80 points this upcoming season and remain among the highest-scoring blueliners in the league. Karlsson showed he can thrive as a number one option, and he should be that guy in Pittsburgh even with Kris Letang still in the fold.

Karlsson enjoyed one of the most historic seasons by a defenseman in recent NHL history. It's unreasonable to ask him to continue producing 100 points a year, especially at this stage. But the future Hall of Famer certainly has the ability to produce at a high level, and he'll continue doing that in Pittsburgh.

Penguins' playoff return

The Penguins made one thing crystal clear this summer: they do not want to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season. Last year was an embarrassment, especially given how they missed the playoffs. 2023-24 has to be different because the standards in Pittsburgh are simply too high.

This season, the Penguins will return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Crosby-Malkin-Karlsson trio will lead the way, but the team will receive major contributions elsewhere. Tristan Jarry is back and has enjoyed a solid stint as the team's starter. His solid play should continue in 2023-24.

Elsewhere, Reilly Smith comes to the Penguins after winning the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights. He should be a valuable member of the team's top six in the year ahead. Ryan Graves is also one to watch on Pittsburgh's blueline.

How the Penguins make the playoffs is up for debate. That said, the team should find themselves playing hockey next spring and competing for the Stanley Cup. Any other result would be a remarkable failure.