The Pittsburgh Penguins are going to give it at least one more try with their core players Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang at the head of the operation. New team president Kyle Dubas is making changes with the supporting cast, but the belief is that the trio of teammates can get the Penguins back into the playoff mix.

The optimism is admirable, but the Penguins failed to make the playoffs last year as they struggled down the stretch and were unable to come up with many winning efforts. Prior to last year, the Penguins had suffered a series of first-round playoff defeats. Since winning back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and '17, the Penguins have only won one playoff series.

Aging core is an issue for Penguins

So, one has to wonder if the optimism to get back to playoff form is misplaced. At this point, the trio are clearly NHL senior citizens, as Crosby and Letang are 36, while Malkin is 37. While all three are capable of some spectacular performances from time-to-time, it does not seem likely that any of them can dominate for long stretches.

Of course, it's hard for management to lose faith in veteran players who have been at the top of the league for many years.

If the Penguins are going to bounce back, it appears they are going to need to get more from their defense and show significant improvement from their goaltenders.

The Penguins could make a substantial effort to acquire high-scoring defenseman Erik Karlsson of the San Jose Sharks.

Penguins believe in their forward combinations

Despite Crosby's age, he is still one of the game's best offensive players. In addition to his ability to put the puck in the net and make pinpoint passes, the key to his success over the years as been his ability to read the plays and set up opposing defenders with his understanding of what will happen next.

Crosby (33-60-93 last year)has been an elite superstar throughout his career, but it's not like he had the dominating physical skills of former Penguin all-time greats Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. He has been a great talent, but his understanding of the game has been the key to his success.

Crosby, Jake Guentzel (36 goals) and Bryan Rust (20 goals) make up Pittsburgh's top line, and that unit can be very effective. Guentzel has a sensational and accurate shot, while Rust goes hard to the net and can take advantage of any opposing defensive mistakes.

Malkin will be joined on the second line by newcomer Reilly Smith and Richard Rakell. Malkin was one of the most physically dominant players in the league during his prime, and he is still capable of making impressive plays. Smith (26 goals) was a key player with the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, and he is a sharp offensive player who can make those around him better. Rakell has impressive skills and he was able to find the back of the net 28 times last year..

Third-line center Jeff Carter is a huge question mark at this point in his career. He was a clutch scorer during his prime years with the Los Angeles Kings, but those days are in the past.

The addition of hard-edged Noel Acciari on the fourth line could make that unit that includes Lars Eller and Drew O'Connor much tougher to play against.

Penguins must shore up defense

The blue line was not an area of strength for head coach Mike Sullivan last year, and that area does not appear to be much better as the 2023-24 season approaches.

The top defensive pairing of Letang and Ryan Graves appear to be stronger on the offensive side than they are at shutting opponents down. Letang has battled serious illness problems in recent years but he plays with remarkable effort. He scored 12 goals and 29 assists last year.

Marcus Petterson and Jeff Petry form the No. 2 duo, and both are decent defensively but neither one is a major offensive factor. The No. 3 defensive pairing of P.O. Joseph and Jan Rutta appears to be quite vulnerable.

Penguins goaltending has struggled

No team is going to have a dominating season without excellent goaltending, and the combination of Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith have lacked the consistency to give the Penguins real confidence that they can win games when the rest of the team is not at its best.

Jarry comes into the season as the team's No. 1 goalie and he had a 24-13 record last year with 2.90 goals against average and .910 save percentage.

DeSmith seems to be an up-and-down performer, and his overall lack of confidence could be an issue going forward. He was 15-16 a year ago with a 3.17 GAA and a .905 save percentage.