So now that the dust has settled on the free-agent season, or at least the early going, what’s the Penguins’ 23-man roster likely to look like?
It’s pretty brutal, actually. No wonder Sportsnet Canada has us listed 29th out of 32 teams in their power rankings. A little more forgiving, JFresh predicts an 87-point, sixth in the Metro (non-playoff) season, with 10 teams stationed below us.
My personal opinion? I think he’s being generous.
Of particular concern is our age down the middle. Sidney Crosby (37), Evgeni Malkin (38), Kevin Hayes (32) and Lars Eller (35). Special though Sid and Geno are/were, not a set of young legs among them.
The third line with reclamation projects Anthony Beauvillier and Hayes hurts the eyes as well.
And the “d?” Undersized and lacking in physicality. Especially if Jack St. Ivany, listed as my third right-side defenseman, gets bumped aside by Sebastian Aho and doesn’t make the cut.
As it’s shaping up now, with the exceptions of Valtteri Puustinen and possibly St. Ivany staking claims to roster spots, there’s little room at the inn for kids. Indeed, despite the assertions of POHO/GM Kyle Dubas that we want to get younger and faster, perennial prospect Sam Poulin and trade deadline acquisitions Vasily Ponomarev and Ville Koivunen are all but a lock to start the season down on the farm.
Granted, there’s still time this summer to change the rope we’re on, to borrow from Led Zeppelin. Hayes/Lars Eller seem redundant, although it’s difficult to imagine there’s a market for the former. My guess is Beauvillier will follow in the footsteps of last season’s flame-out Andreas Johnsson (remember him?) and thereby create an opening, perhaps for former second-round pick Tristan Broz.
For now? At best the roster looks jumbled, haphazard and unbalanced.
And old.
| FORWARDS |
| First Line |
| O’Connor, LW, 26, 6’3″ 200 |
| Crosby, C, 37, 5’11” 200 |
| Rust, RW, 32, 5’11” 192 |
| Second Line |
| Bunting, LW, 29, 6’0″ 192 |
| Malkin, C, 38, 6’3″ 195 |
| Rakell, RW, 31, 6’1″ 195 |
| Third Line |
| Beauvillier, LW, 27, 5’11” 180 |
| Hayes, C, 32, 6’5″ 216 |
| Puustinen, RW, 25, 5’9″ 183 |
| Fourth Line |
| Lizotte, LW, 27, 5’9″ 170 |
| Eller, C, 35, 6’2″ 205 |
| Acciari, RW, 33, 5’10” 209 |
| Spare |
| Puljujärvi, RW, 26, 6’4″ 201 |
| Bemström, RW, 25, 6’0″ 195 |
| DEFENSE |
| First Pair |
| Pettersson, LD, 28, 6’3″ 177 |
| Karlsson, RD, 34, 6’0″ 190 |
| Second Pair |
| Graves, LD, 28, 6’5″ 220 |
| Letang, RD, 37, 6’0″ 201 |
| Third Pair |
| Grzelcyk, LD, 31, 5’10” 176 |
| St. Ivany, RD, 25, 6’3″ 201 |
| Spare |
| Shea, LD, 28, 6’2″ 200 |
| Aho, LD-RD, 29, 5’10” 186 |
| Goalie |
| Jarry, G, 29, 6’2″ 194 |
| Nedeljkovic, G, 29, 6’0″ 189 |
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I have 2 theories about the initial trades and free agent signings. First theory is Dubas knows the Pens are unlikely to make a playoff run. Sign guys to short term low value contracts that are easy to gain value. If they over perform you can trade them at the deadline for future assets. The other theory is he signed a lot of guys that Sully likes. Old, slow, not physical, presumably guys that Sully specifically asked for. When this team inevitably misses the playoffs he can report to ownership this is the exact team Sully wanted so that he gets the greenlight to can Sully. Neither one of my theories has the Pens making the playoffs, and I don't foresee a real playoff run while Crosby is a Penguin. Unfortunately only us fans have acknowledged we're in a rebuild. What a painful place to be.
Hey Nick,
Good to hear from you. I totally agree that Dubas took a hard look at the team and decided it was no longer prudent to try to prop it up just to compete for a wild-card spot.
Without saying so (the "r" word is potential poison for ticket sales) I think he, indeed, has begun a rebuild. If we're as bad as I think we're going to be (bottom 10) heading into this season's deadline, I think Dubas will try to move people out in earnest and go with a stripped-down lineup in 2025-26 in hopes of positioning us for a shot at drafting the next great one, Gavin McKenna, in the '26 draft.
I don't know if Mike Sullivan would be on board with such as a plan or not. As it stands now, the team really isn't suited to play his speed game.
Rick
Rick
Sorry for jumping in late with my comment. Things are a little hectic for me right now but I wanted
to make a quick point about the new additions to the Penguins team. Not to go to bat for Dubas,
but If I'm a Free Agent would Pittsburgh be a destination where I would consider playing and the
answer would be a big fat NO. The only way Dubas could get any type of legitimate player to sign
would be by either over paying or offering extended years to the contract, and that's not something
he's willing to do at this point in time. So I guess my point here is even if Dubas liked a player that
we felt he should sign the chances of that player having an interest in Pittsburgh was probably slim
to none. So basically he's signing players that have no other options. Hope you're well.
Hey Mike,
Great to hear from you. I think you cut through to the heart of the matter and make a great point. Where I've been framing our lack of viable free-agent signings as a conscious decision on Dubas' part (fueled to a degree by the Hayes trade) I'm sure it's as you say...that big-name free agents no longer see us as an attractive destination.
Given the choice of overpaying or committing to too much term, as you suggest I think he (rightfully) felt it was no longer prudent to do so given the team's fading fortunes. Before all is said and done, I think there's a good chance he's going to strip us down for a shot at Gavin McKenna in '26.
Hope your hectic isn't a bad hectic and that you are well... :)
Rick
Hey Mike,
Excellent point. Rick, Caleb, and I have talked a lot about that recently (I think we were specifically talking about Zadorov - at least Rick and I). However, I do think that Dubas is in part an accessory in the decline of Pittsburgh as an enviable signing point for UFAs after his first seasons fiasco of worthless retreads. Now, more than ever, the team needs a strong draft with multiple Number 1 picks delivering hope to the city to get UFA buy-in as a destination.
Hey Rick,
Capfriendly already lists Aho ahead of St. Ivany on their depth chart. They aren't buying any of the lip service coming from Dubas about youth. They know Sullivan's game. They aren't fold by the preseason lies.
You mention Broz. I have a couple of reports that he and Pickering packed on some weight this off season. In Pickering's case they are saying he is now over 200 lbs. I am all for muscling up, but with how quickly these 2 put on weight, I am wondering how that will affect their skating - and in Pickering's case, his turns were already slow.
Also, apparently Musharov grew a couple of inches from when he was drafted (according to reports).