PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins front office and ownership group are in a tough spot, so I understand what they are trying to do.

They are trying to have their cake and eat it, too. They are trying build for the future and win now. Kyle Dubas said as much Monday when he met with the media.

"We're not looking to simply squeak into the playoffs. It's to return the team to become a contender as soon as possible," Dubas said. "Can we do that this season? Can we do that next season? It's hard to put a timeframe on it. But this is obviously not a strip-it-down-to-the-studs situation here. The people in the room are too good for that. It's trying to use every method we can to acquire future assets."

I understand it perfectly and I think it is ridiculous that the Penguins are still in this wilderness somewhere between competing and tanking. They are the ultimate example of a team stuck in mediocrity that has no clear path out anytime soon, mostly because of the way they have handled the last few seasons.

This probably should be a season the new-look, rebuilt Penguins take a major step forward in the Eastern Conference. That, however, would be a team built around one star (not three) in Sidney Crosby, a bunch of young talent and perhaps a young goalie like Joel Blomqvist.

That would be a team that two years ago shed themselves of Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, didn't commit a bunch of money to Tristan Jarry and didn't trade for or sign some of the bad contracts they did.

It would be a team that maybe even saw the bottom fall out and, thanks to their willingness to strip it down, perhaps had a few first-round picks, more young prospects ready to burst onto the NHL scene and a bunch of cap space to sign some free agents to get the roster back to one that is ready to compete.

The problem is that would have meant they acknowledged that the window to win with the three-star model was likely over after 2020 and certainly after 2021. The three stars for the most part have not been the problem; the three-star model, however, has been a big problem.

Individually, the three stars have played well and been healthy and available, especially last season. And yet the Penguins have missed the playoffs for two seasons in a row because the front office has had to try to build a roster around their skill set, their preferred way to play and their contracts.

As a result, the front office has had to try to "rebuild" around the 800-pound elephant in the room, which is that they must continue to try to win to keep the stars happy. It is a model that has run its course but one that has led to a number of bad decisions in terms of signing older guys to try to "win now."

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