The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to struggle, and things don't appear to be getting better any time soon.

It's unfamiliar territory for the famed trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, three franchise icons who helped bring three Stanley Cup wins to the Penguins in 2009, 2016 and 2017.

Their championship window closed years ago, but each player decided to stick around by signing contract extensions. While many wondered why they chose to go down with the ship essentially, they're still struggling to come to terms with the sad reality of their situation, via The New York Times.

<“It’s obviously something new,” a clearly frustrated Letang explained following Pittsburgh's practice Monday.

“We’re trying to support each other,” Letang said of Crosby and Malkin. “It’s tough right now because game in and game out, it’s just been the same thing, the same mistakes. And then it’s the third period, and you’re down 5-1. That would be tough for anybody to deal with.”

Owing to their struggles, there is widespread speculation that the Penguins could soon have a firesale from GM Kyle Dubas.

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With a record of 7-12-4, the Penguins are in last place in the Metropolitan Division, even behind the Columbus Blue Jackets. They have the chance to try and earn their eighth win when they bring in the Vancouver Canucks to PPG Paints Arena on Wednesday night.

Are the Penguins heading for another painful rebuild? 

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) and center Evgeni Malkin (71) and defenseman Kris Letang (58) celebrate a game winning goal in overtime by Letang to defeat the New York Rangers at PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins won 3-2 in overtime.
© Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Penguins enjoyed about as much success as any team could have hoped for with their three principal players Crosby, Malkin, and Letang. All three will have their sweater numbers retired by the franchise when their playing days end, while Crosby/Malkin are first-ballot Hall of Famers.

But all runs come to an end eventually, and the Penguins won't be realistically competing for a championship any time soon. While it's admirable that the aforementioned trio of players are showing loyalty to the team that's rare for most athletes these days, they're still for an extremely difficult last few years of their careers.