Yeah that's what Burke did to the Leafs too. He's going to cost them 5 years. I'll give him credit for refusing to tank but man are the Pens ever set for a complete rebuild. On the other hand you kinda just have to let Crosby and Malkin and Letang retire and then tank just like Chicago now. What a mess.
You make it sound like the Pens have bottomed out. They just missed the playoffs with a roster that was flawed in very obvious ways, while Crosby and Malkin played at a very high level for 35/36 (and managed to stay healthy).
By contrast, Chicago had several years of awful finishes between 2018-20 and THEN decided to give up a king's ransom and a massive deal to get Seth Jones in 2021. That was four years of clear decline, followed up by a UFA mega deal that hasnt restored their fortunes. It's not really a comparable situation yet.
People said the end would be at hand for the Pens when the core trio gave out. Well, multiple other facets of the team (coaching, depth, goaltending) gave out before they did. It stands to reason you should at least try to mix up the formula at least once before giving up. Then again, the Pens are keeping Sullivan and the same team "structure" in place, thinking that is going to solve things, then there probably
isnt any point in bothering. They need a complete organizational refresh in terms of leadership if they're going to make even a bit of noise in the remaining years.
edit: I think I misread what you were saying. You mean that when the Pens
do bottom out, they need to go the Chicago model and just get rid of everyone. I dont disagree, but I think we're a few seasons away from that. Next few years are going to be a nostalgia tour for the fans. Except as of 11:15 Burke was already canned lol, so maybe not.
