Pittsburgh Penguins: 5 Reasons the Pens Will Win the Stanley Cup in 2016

Apr 18, 2015; New York, NY, USA; The Pittsburgh Penguins celebrate their victory after defeating the New York Rangers during game 2 of the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 at Madison Square Garden. The Penguins defeated the Rangers 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

Okay, before you get all fired up and call me crazy for predicting that the Pittsburgh Penguins will be Stanley Cup Champions next June, let me explain that this is a two-part series. I’ll also visit five reasons why the Pens will not win the cup next season in the near future.

When you suffer an early playoff elimination there are always a ton of questions, as well as multiple variables in what could happen over the next few months. Combined with the slide that the Pittsburgh Penguins faithful had to suffer through from January to May, there’s obviously a lot of gray area and uncertainty about next season’s roster.

But, there are also pieces of this team that aren’t going anywhere, and for good reason. There are reasons to believe that the Pittsburgh Penguins can truly be contenders when the 2015-16 season rolls around. That’s what I’d like to visit over the next few slides.