2026-27 Season Preview: Will the Penguins Be Any Good?

A month ago, I wrote an article pondering the Penguins playoff worthiness. With the start of the NHL regular season fast approaching, I thought I’d revisit the issue while attempting to answer a burning question.

Will the Penguins be any good?

Sure wish I knew. Truth be told, I could anticipate a wide range of outcomes for this group. If everything—and I mean everything—goes right, I could see us duplicating last season’s success and snagging a wild-card berth in the highly competitive Eastern Conference.

On the flip side, if our venerable core fades, the injury bug bites and/or the kids fail to pick up the slack, a bottom-ten finish might be in the cards. To say nothing of a sell-off at the trade deadline.

Most likely, the Pens will wind up somewhere between the extremes. I can easily envision us regressing by a dozen points or so. Not good enough to make the playoffs but not bad enough to qualify for a lottery pick. In other words, smack dab in the dreaded mushy middle.

Reasons for Optimism

If the Pens stay reasonably healthy (already proving to be a challenge) and the core continues to produce, we have the potential to score a lot of goals. I love the addition of Nicholas Robertson and think he could prove to be another Kyle Dubas steal. I like the fact that coach Dan Muse has slotted the kid on the top line next to Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell.

The third line of Ben Kindel centering for Bryan Rust and newcomer Andrei Kuzmenko showed great promise in training camp and the preseason—until it was systematically decimated by injuries and personal tragedy. If there’s a silver lining, it opens the door for prime prospects Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty and newcomer Hendrix Lapierre to prove themselves.

Our success (or failure) may very well hinge on the play of our second line, featuring Tommy Novak centering for Evgeni Malkin and countryman/sniper Egor Chinakhov. Last season, the trio displayed terrific chemistry, not to mention impressive production. Can they repeat their success? Not to put too much stock in it, but Chinakhov had a rather quiet camp and preseason. Hopefully not a portent of things to come.

Our new defensive tandems each feature a puck-mover paired with a stay-at-homer. On paper, they look balanced and capable. I’d feel more comfortable if Trevor van Riemsdyk, partnered with Kris Letang, wasn’t playing on his off side. Given how Tanger tends to use the entire ice surface, perhaps not a big deal. Hopefully, TvR will do his best Brian Dumoulin/Brett Kulak imitation and serve as a stabilizer for No. 58.

Reasons for Concern

Eventually, our venerated core is going to fade. Perhaps the decline has already begun. Most notably, we’ve seen a drop-off in the defensive play of Crosby and Rust the past few seasons. Letang’s struggles have been well-documented. Will Malkin be able to continue his surprising resurgence at age 40 while staying at least reasonably healthy?

A lack of grit and physicality worries me, too. Especially with teams like the Capitals, Flyers and Panthers muscling up. Although Declan Carlile, Kaedan Korczak and Connor Dewar will get involved and hulking Elmer Söderblom has the physical tools to be a force, when push comes to shove the Pens don’t quite stack up.

Team spirit may be an issue as well. Last season’s bunch oozed a palpable, all-for-one vibe. Wholly reminscent of the original Vegas Misfits. Maybe I’m reading too much into things, but I couldn’t help but notice our goal celebrations during the preseason were comparatively subdued. The last thing we need is to return to the blah, Milquetoast-ish ways that marked the late Mike Sullivan era.

Last, but certainly not the least of my concerns?

Goaltending.

Will Arturs Šilovs shed his Jekyll-and-Hyde tendencies—on full display during the preseason—and emerge as a bona fide No. 1, or at the very least a 1A? How will wunderkind Sergei Murashov fare in his first sustained tour of NHL duty?

I anticipate growing pains aplenty. Perhaps to the extent that Joel Blomqvist may be recalled by Thanksgiving.

My Prediction

Eight-five points and a non-playoff season.