The Pittsburgh Penguins have been among the best teams in the NHL for the past 15 years, and they still are.

But with the Pens struggling with several issues, and teams like Tampa Bay and Vegas on the rise, Pittsburgh will not hoist the Cup this year.

One reason is goaltending.

The Penguins had two great goaltenders last season in Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray. But with the NHL expansion draft they could only protect one of their elite goalies to stay in Pittsburgh, and they chose Murray.

Even though they have found a decent backup in Casey DeSmith, they will just not have the same goaltending that won them games like they did last year.

The next reason is defense.

The Penguins defense is struggling this season. Besides Kris Letang and Justin Schultz, the Penguins’ defense is very lacking due to losing Ian Cole and Trevor Daley.

Cole was traded because management did not think he was living up to his full potential. Daley left via free agency. Although he enjoyed his time in Pittsburgh, when the Red Wings expressed their interest in him, he said it was an easy decision.

The final reason the Penguins won’t win the Cup this year is because of the opposing NHL teams.

Although the Penguins have a stellar team with plenty of superstars, they will face more well rounded teams in the playoffs.

For example, the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have been the favorite to win the Cup all season, are stacked. This team is no joke.

Between Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos, the Lightning have been able to produce an  arguably better offense than the Penguins.

The Lightning’s defense is pretty good considering that they have three very established defensemen in Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, and Dan Girardi. In net is the one place the Penguins can beat the Lightning, as Murray strives in the playoffs.

Fans will hope for the best, but they should not expect the Penguins to win another Cup this year.