Joe Starkey

I don't think the day they drafted Kendall they were thinking, yeah, he'll be in the lineup this year making a big impact.

I could be wrong about that.

And maybe the most surprising one of all and the one that doesn't get talked about

Did anybody have that Tristan Jari would become viable and even good again?

Because that's what he was early in the year.

The only guy around here with a save percentage over 900, which is what he had when they traded him, that he would be good enough to where the Edmonton Oilers would find him desirable enough to trade for.

So Tristan Jari, A, really helped stabilize the Penguins in the early going.

He really did.

And then he turned into a deal that helped him before he disintegrated in Edmonton.

And then a goaltending tandem of Artur Shilovs and Stuart Skinner, who was like 65th or something in save percentage when they got him, just crumbling in Edmonton, that that tandem would be good enough to lead them to the playoffs?

Yeah, me neither.

Me neither.

I don't think I would have predicted one of those things that I just mentioned to happen, let alone all of them.

So while the I told you so's are absolutely on the table and the Penguins deserve to have their moment and tell everybody you had no idea what the blank you were talking about with this team.

Let's actually take a look at that.

So, yes, Josh gets off.

Everybody had this team as a lottery team for a really good reason.

They were a lottery team waiting to happen.

They were.

I don't care what anybody says.