This is nothing that Pens fans haven't also thought about for years.
I've gotten over the failures that the core had. Back to back cups will do that.
Look at this way: If the Pens are a well managed team from 2010-2014, maybe they win a cup or two then. But they probably don't then have everything click at exactly the right time to win the back to back cups in the Sullivan/JR era. So maybe they're more successful earlier in Sid and Geno's careers but maybe they don't win those other cups.
At the end of the day, three cups is an exceptional legacy for this core. No Pens fan or anybody should be disappointed with that.
This is a good way to look at it. Similarly, I view Bobrovsky's terrible first two years in Florida as a blessing that was necessary to ensure Dale Tallon was fired, which allowed Mike Zito to step in at exactly the right time.
However, the bolded text should be revised. It wasn't the core's failure. Bylsma, Shero, Johnston, Hextall, and Burke are the biggest culprits.
For comparison, the Thornton era Sharks never won a cup because of the players' shortcomings--not poor coaching or poor roster construction. Ovechkin/Backstrom only got past the second round once because they and their teammates couldn't finish the job--not because they were held back by the coach or front office.
