The PIttsburgh Penguins have been eliminated from the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs after losing 2-1 in overtime to the Washington Capitals. The Capitals take the series 4-2 and move on to the third round for the first time in 20 years — the first time in the Ovechkin era.

There, it’s been said. No one wants to talk about it and for good reason: It’s the end of an era and of an incredible run for an incredible team.

When fans step back and look at what this management group and core of players was able to do in just two years, it’s nothing short of phenomenal. Two Stanley Cups in back-to-back years in the salary cap era isn’t an everyday occurrence.

However, living in the past has never improved anything, so it’s time to look to the future: —  the 2018-19 Penguins and how they could shape up.

Let’s start with this: The Pens should not trade Kris Letang.

Letang is still the best defenseman on the Pittsburgh Penguins and will be until proven otherwise.

How can fans want to oust someone who hand-wrapped a Stanley Cup championship for the city just two years ago? Remember that? When he had a career-high 67 points in 79 games and assisted on or scored the game winning goal of every game the Penguins won in the 2016 Cup finals for the Penguins.

One bad year is no reason to terminate a contract and that goes for every sport.

Elsewhere, contracts that will expire in the 2018 offseason include those of Riley Sheahan, Dominik Simon, Bryan Rust, Tom Kuhnhackl, Carter Rowney, and Jamie Oleksiak. When these contracts expire, the cap space the Penguins are left with will land around $5,881,744.

Sheahan could be re-signed to a lower-paying, short-term deal to lock up a reliable fourth line center. Rust will be re-signed, as will Kuhnhackl and Simon. All will likely receive something in the $1 million to $2 million dollar deals, if even that.

Jamie Oleksiak is a sound defenseman and should be returning on the back end. Carter Rowney can be replaced and will be.

As far as offseason trades go, don’t expect Derick Brassard to be going anywhere anytime soon.

The Pens have Brassard here on retained salary for another two years. Why not keep him and see how these next two years pan out? It would ludicrous to move him under the circumstances.

Letang, again, is staying and fans should be happy as a fanbase to hear that. Other teams would lick their lips at the sight of a solid, hard-skating, puck-moving defenseman with an offensive edge to his game. The Pens are lucky to have him for another four years.

The future is still bright; it may be fading, but it’s fading slowly. Nonetheless the legacy this group has left behind is something people will talk about for a long time.

Thank you Penguins for an unbelievable two and a half years. See you in October.