Rome was not built in a day ... and it didn't fall in a day, either.
Much the same can be said for the Penguins. Their championship run has been interrupted but that doesn't necessarily mean their days of contending for the Stanley Cup are over. They have qualified for postseason play the last dozen years -- a franchise record -- and should be in little danger of missing out in 2018-19.
Though the Lightning might be prohibitive favorites, especially if they somehow land Erik Karlsson, here are five reasons why the Penguins will be contenders next season:
1. Daniel Sprong.
After appearing in 18 games to start the 2015 season and an eight-game stint last season, the top prospect will be a regular in the lineup in 2018-19, and it won't come a moment too soon. Truth be told, the Penguins could have used the 21-year-old's scoring touch when their offense ran dry in the playoffs.
Sprong can certainly score goals and there are some who believe that the Dutchman with the lightning quick release can someday contend for the Rocket Richard Trophy. He scored 32 goals in just 65 games in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season to tie for second in the AHL.
Equally important, the organization seems confident that Sprong's all-around game is finally NHL-ready. There had been questions about his defensive play and in supporting the puck for his linemates, but those questions seemed to be put to rest over the final half of last season in Wilkes-Barre.
That's a huge development as Sprong should land a top-six role in the fall. A potential line that could have two natural goal scorers like Sprong and Jake Guentzel, centered by a playmaker extraordinaire like Sidney Crosby, is an intriguing possibility.
2. Kris Letang.
The last image of Letang's 2017-18 season is the veteran sliding on his knees and crashing helplessly into the end boards as Washington's Evgeny Kuznetsov ended the Penguins' threepeat bid in overtime of Game 6. A breakaway goal with Letang on the ice somehow seemed only fitting.
Coming off neck surgery which sidelined him during the 2017 playoffs and hindered his ability to train last summer, the 31-year-old's season was a mess from the start.
Letang is a proud player and though he might be a lightning rod for criticism to the outside world, he is beloved in the Penguins' tight-knit dressing room. Clearly he relishes another chance to set the record straight.
When healthy, Letang can still be one of the top 10 defensemen in the game and is a game-changer at 5-on-5, power play and penalty kill.
This much is certain: Letang will put himself in the best position to succeed. Few players are better conditioned than him and with a full off-season to get right both physically and mentally, Letang can't be worse than what he showed last season.
3. Older, but wiser.
The Penguins' core on offense -- a group which includes Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Patric Horqvist, Derick Brassard and Carl Hagelin -- are all in their early 30s. They are older, but by no means old.
In another era, having so many on the "wrong side" of 30 might be problematic, especially for a team built on speed. But think of 32 as the new 27. Today's athletes are far better conditioned than they were decades ago. With the benefit of a longer summer, expect that group to come back not only in great shape, but highly motivated after losing in the second round to an opponent they had historically dominated.
This is a team that knows how to win and the commitment that is required.
Crosby and Malkin went seven long years between Stanley Cup Final appearances from 2009 to 2016. That just can't happen this time around. They know that the clock is ticking and they don't have years to spare.
4. Matt Murray.
The law of averages suggests that the franchise goalie will bounce back next season. There's just no way Murray -- or anyone -- could have had much worse luck than he did, no?
Murray missed three significant stretches in 2017-18 due to injuries or circumstances largely beyond his control. For a goalie who says repeatedly that the only thing he can control is what he can control, it only compounded his frustrations. When he's on his game, which he wasn't consistently enough, Murray is one of the top five goalies in the league. He is clearly better than the sub-par .907 save percentage and 2.92 goals-against average he posted in 2017-18.
Murray has dealt with injuries before, but the difference this time was that the Penguins didn't have the luxury of an elite goalie backing him up. Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith played well enough at times, but neither is Marc-Andre Fleury and neither was a legitimate threat to supplant Murray as the No. 1 goalie.
No veteran backup was signed at the start of free agency as the Penguins seem to have confidence in both Jarry and DeSmith. Presumably, Jarry will be the long-term backup. But at 24, Murray is the guy and he will have to take ownership. As much as Crosby or Malkin, it's Matt Murray's team.
5. They're better. Period.
Jim Rutherford went into this offseason with two objectives: Improve the third defense pairing and add depth to the bottom six. With the free agent signings of Jack Johnson and Matt Cullen, Rutherford accomplished both.
The Johnson signing has been greeted with a mixed reaction but he is clearly an upgrade over Matt Hunwick, who Buffalo GM Jason Botterill graciously took off Rutherford's hands. Surely there are some flaws in Johnson's defensive game, but working with Sergei Gonchar could work wonders for the 31-year-old. When he's on his game and motivated, Johnson is still capable of being in the top third of all defensemen.
In Cullen, the Penguins are bringing back a reliable veteran. Yes, he's 42 but he also scored 11 goals last season on a Minnesota team that was 11th in goals per game. That's still six more goals than Carter Rowney's had in his career. The Penguins would have killed for that kind of production from their fourth-line center last season.
How well will Johnson and Cullen work? Ask me next spring but, at least on paper, the Penguins are improved in two areas of concern.