In this series, Heavy Sports is looking at what every NHL team has done over the offseason. Next up is the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins performed better than expected last season as they posted a 41-25-16 record, which gave them 98 points in the standings. This was good enough for a berth in the postseason after most pundits had them projected to be among the worst teams in the league prior to the season getting underway. Their campaign came to an end in a round one defeat at the hands of their archrival Philadelphia Flyers.
Who are Pittsburgh’s Additions?
Key additions: Declan Carlile, David Gustafsson, Kaeden Korczak, Andrei Kuzmenko, Hendrix Lapierre, Oliver Okuliar, Nicholas Robertson, Trevor Van Riemsdyk
The Penguins have made a few notable depth additions. Andrei Kuzmenko could be an x-factor for this team. He had a tough season last year as he produced just 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points in 53 games with the Los Angeles Kings. Perhaps he can bounce back in Pittsburgh, especially if he gets the chance to play with the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the top-six. Nicholas Robertson, the brother of the Dallas Stars Jason Robertson, was also added to the forward mix. The Penguins were one of the teams most invested in his brother Jason before he wound up reaching a one year settlement in arbitration with Dallas. Yegor Chinakov extended with the club for three more years at $18.75 million after he gelled nicely with his new team this season.
Who are Pittsburgh’s Subtractions?
Key subtractions: Noel Acciari, Connor Clifton, Kevin Hayes, Bokondji Imama, Joona Koppanen, Anthony Mantha, Ryan Shea, Stuart Skinner, Parker Wotherspoon
The biggest loss of the summer for this Penguins team is forward Anthony Mantha, who heads off to the New Jersey Devils. Mantha was coming off a career year and entered this offseason as one of the top UFA’s in a dry market. Therefore, it is not shocking that he choose to move elsewhere. Defenseman Ryan Shea is also among those who will also play elsewhere, as he moves on to the Edmonton Oilers after having a solid season this past year.
Overall, this Penguins team is mostly unchanged heading into 2026-2027 as they look to maintain their position in the postseason next year. It will be difficult to do so in an eastern conference that looks to be more competitive this upcoming season. The key will be in net as Arturs Silovs projects to be the team’s starter. He will be backed up by the young Russian netminder, Sergei Murashov. Pittsburgh’s success will depend on their core players remaining in top form. Crosby and Malkin continue to age, but the results on the ice have still been strong. Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang are also not getting any younger on the blueline. The youth on this team will need to step up as the cast of aging veterans will inevitably decline at some point. For example, what can Ben Kindel do in his sophomore season after a superb rookie year?
All transactions are available via Puck Pedia.
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