NHL : Pittsburgh Penguins – 2025/2026 Review
Pittsburgh turned plenty of heads with 98 points and a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2021-22, finally bringing an end to the rebuild. The run did not last, though. After falling behind 3-0 to Philadelphia, the Penguins clawed back to force a sixth game, only to lose in overtime.
Key data
2025-2026 record: 41-25-16 (293 goals for, 268 against)
2025-2026 NHL standing: 2nd in the Metropolitan Division
2025-2026 top goal scorer: Anthony Mantha (33)
2025-2026 top assist man: Erik Karlsson (51)
2025-2026 points leader: Sidney Crosby (74)
Average age of roster (2026-2027): 29.1 years
Available cap space (2026-2027): 10.90 M$
Recent moves (off-season)
Arrivals:
- Hendrix Lapierre (F)
- Kaedan Korczak (D)
- Declan Carlile (D)
- Trevor Van Riemsdyk (D)
- Andrei Kuzmenko (F)
- Nicholas Robertson (F)
Departures:
- Parker Wotherspoon (D)
- Connor Clifton (D)
- Noel Acciari (F)
- Ryan Shea (D)
- Anthony Mantha (F)
Franchise outlook
Pittsburgh Penguins – Future contracts and draft picks
Pittsburgh is heading into a defining season on several fronts. Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson and Evgeni Malkin are all entering the final year of their deals, which makes 2026-27 very likely the last chance to see that historic core together in Penguins colours. Kyle Dubas has opted to go all-in on one more push rather than tear it down this summer, giving Malkin another year despite his age-40 season and keeping Letang, who still has two years left on his contract.
The real patience test is Karlsson: his full no-move clause gives him total control of his future, and a strong year could either set up an extension or turn him into prime trade bait for a contender hunting help on the blue line. Around that aging core, the organisation is still bringing along younger pieces such as Egor Chinakhov, who is locked in through 2029-30, while the draft cupboard remains well stocked with a first-round pick in every year through 2029.
The message is plain enough: Pittsburgh wants one last serious shot with its captain still leading the charge, while keeping one eye on what comes next.
The last dance
There is something compelling about watching Sidney Crosby, at 39, keep producing as if time has no say in the matter. Even with a knee injury suffered at the Olympics, he still finished last season with 74 points in 68 games and a plus-five at five-on-five in tough minutes, another reminder of why he has remained the heartbeat of this team for two decades.
Around him, Evgeni Malkin is still refusing to age gracefully too, signing on for a 21st straight season with the organisation after a genuine bounce-back campaign last year. Erik Karlsson, meanwhile, rediscovered the form that once made him such a threat in San Jose, becoming a constant danger from the back end again.
That veteran group dragged Pittsburgh back into the playoffs against the odds, but the attack lost punch when Anthony Mantha departed, with short-term fixes like Nicholas Robertson and Trevor van Riemsdyk brought in to patch the gaps. The big question now is simple: can this generation of stars squeeze out one more season worthy of their legacy, or will time finally catch up with a group that has already beaten expectations one time too many?
Player to watch: Sergei Murashov (G)
Murashov enters the season carrying a heavy label: possible answer to a problem Pittsburgh has been trying to solve for years, stability in goal. After dominating the American Hockey League with a 2.20 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage, then helping his team reach the conference final in the playoffs, the 22-year-old is expected to split the workload with Arturs Silovs in Pittsburgh.
Kyle Dubas has already said Murashov earned his shot after years of patient development in the system. The real test is whether that minor-league dominance translates at NHL level, on a team that has spent far too long looking for a goalie who can carry the load over a full season.
If he hits the ground running, Pittsburgh may have finally found the missing piece for life after Crosby.
2026-2027 target
Pittsburgh Penguins projected lines 2026-2027
For Pittsburgh, the aim is no longer just getting back to the playoffs. It is about winning a round for the first time since 2018. Kyle Dubas made that clear after last year’s exit, saying he was pleased with some parts of the season but not at all happy with simply making up the numbers.
In practical terms, that means more scoring depth behind Crosby, a steadier situation in net than they have had in recent years, and a defence that has to keep leaning on a refreshed Karlsson. Nothing is guaranteed, but the organisation genuinely believes it has the tools to keep this veteran window open for at least one more year.
Winning a playoff round would prove last year was no fluke and would be a fitting way to close out this era. Fall short, or suffer another quick exit like the one Philadelphia handed them, and that could well be the end of the Crosby-Malkin-Karlsson chapter in Pittsburgh, whatever the summer after brings.
My prediction
Sadly for them, I am going with the flop. The core is too old to keep this up for a full season, and there are still question marks in goal. They had a strong year last season, but in a Metropolitan Division that looks a little weaker than the one coming up. Yes, Pittsburgh tried to improve, but did they really improve enough? I like Murashov a lot, but he probably needs a full season or two in the NHL before he is ready to truly deliver.
Photo credit: wallpapersafari.com | bgardner89
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