Recently, I’ve written about some of the changes to the Penguins’ roster that are likely to occur as we head into summer. I thought I’d delve a little deeper and define exactly what those changes are likely to be, and which of our kids have a legitimate shot to step up.
FORWARDS
I’ll begin my review of possible opportunities among the forwards with the assumption that our top line of Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust will remain intact, at least to open the season. (Of course, we all know the old adage about assuming.)
It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that Kyle Dubas will lock down RFA sniper Egor Chinakhov to a new deal while allowing pending UFAs Noel Acciari and Anthony Mantha to depart. On the surface, that would seem to create two openings up front, one on the third line and another on the fourth.
But hold the phone.
Hulking trade deadline acquisition Elmer Söderblom appears to have the inside track on one of those slots, paring the number of openings to one.
Of course, nothing is done in a vacuum. It’s quite possible Dubas will seek to move one or more veteran forwards who are currently under contract this summer, with Justin Brazeau and Tommy Novak the leading candidates.
Brazeau’s spot was pretty much usurped by Söderblom by the time the playoffs rolled around. While Novak certainly did a creditable job centering the second line, especially when bookended by Chinakhov and Evgeni Malkin, the Pens have rookie sensation Ben Kindel waiting in the wings, not to mention big-game Tristan Broz and hot commodity Bill Zonnon revving their engines at Wilkes-Barre.
Whether or not Kindel can handle the No. 2 center slot remains to be seen. Ditto Broz and Zonnon being NHL-ready. However, at some point in time, you need to find out.
As previously opined, Baby Pens point-per-gamers Rutger McGroarty and/or Ville Koivunen will likely be given every opportunity to fill Mantha’s sizeable skates. Whether they’re actually able to? A whole other matter.
I’d pretty much penciled feisty Avery Hayes into Acciari’s vacated spot on the fourth line. However, if Brazeau remains a Pen, that opportunity shrinks, with Söderblom likely filling the void, at least in the short run.
Of course, we all know injuries happen. I would expect all of the aforementioned youngsters to spend at least some time in a Pens jersey. If Dubas moves some veterans, perhaps Filip Hållander and Mikhail Ilyin as well.
DEFENSE
Our blue line corps figures to be a bit more up in the air, especially if we don’t re-sign UFA Ryan Shea. While filling mostly second- and third-pairing roles, Shea enjoyed a breakout season with 35 points to go with a plus-30.
If he signs elsewhere, it leaves a pretty sizeable hole on our already shaky left side. I say shaky, because Sam Girard was wildly erratic following his February acquisition, alternating good and bad stretches while trying to get acclimated to playing beside a declining Kris Letang.
Former first-round selection Owen Pickering would be the most obvious internal candidate to fill the void should Shea depart. However, I’ve never heard anyone in the organization come forward and declare outright that Owen’s ready for prime-time duty. To the contrary, everyone seems to tip-toe around the subject when describing the rangy rearguard.
While a lot can change over the course of a season, Pickering clearly wasn’t ready during a brief four-game cameo this season, although to be fair he skated primarily beside a shopworn Matt Dumba and mistake-prone Harrison Brunicke. Not exactly tandems made in hockey heaven.
Like my colleague, Other Rick, I think Dubas will make acquiring a viable portside defenseman a priority. A right-shot defenseman, too, especially if physical Connor Clifton departs via free agency, which seems likely.
However, thanks to the 19-year-old Brunicke’s apparent rapid maturation and emergence during the Calder Cup playoffs, that need seems a little less intense.
Perennial prospect Jack St. Ivany will likely serve as one of our depth defenders.
GOALTENDING
The writing on the wall suggests good-guy extraordinaire Stuart Skinner will be stopping pucks elsewhere (sunny Florida perhaps?) next season.
To hear Dubas tell it, both kid goalies presently guarding the twine at Wilkes-Barre, Russian chudo-malchik (miracle boy) Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist will have a crack at earning regular duty with the big boys this season. That would require him to re-up the latter, a pending RFA.
One wonders if Blomqvist, a former AHL All-Star who’s been forced to take a back seat to his more heralded tandem-mate, will opt to stick around, especially if Dubas re-signs incumbent 1A netminder Arturs Šilovs as anticipated.
No matter how the particulars shake out, it appears the Pens will be riding a young tandem between the pipes come the fall.
CONCLUSION
For now, I’d expect six kids to open the season with the Pens. Hayes, Koivunen and McGroarty up front, Brunicke and Pickering on defense, and Murashov in goal. More if Dubas sheds some veterans via trade.
Frustrated in his efforts to trade up in the first round of the 2026 Entry…
When I announced my semi-retirement from blogging a while back, I mentioned I’d probably still…
The Penguins kicked off their pre-draft activity with a minor swap involving a Metro Division…
One of my favorite movie lines was uttered by Bill Murray in Ghostbusters. While warning…
One of former GM Jim Rutherford’s notable strengths during his black-and-gold tenure was his ability…
News of established NHL players looking for a change of scenery is suddenly sprouting up…
View Comments
Rick,
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The last two preseasons Blomqvist won the starting job in preseason. The team had a legitimate excuse for not having him in the opening lineup last season as the kid was injured. However, the previous year there was no excuse, just Sullivan. The unconfirmed rumors I have heard is that Blomqvist is fed up with it. Not only didn't he get the starting role in Pgh but he was denied the net in WBS. He didn't even get a start in the payoffs, even after the games Murashov started to show he was tired. If the young goalie gives the air to Dubas and goes back to Europe until the Pens lose his rights, I wouldn't blame him one bit.
Don't get me wrong, I understand why the Pens are behind Murashov, Dubas hasn't a clue about what a great goalie looks like - he makes the hard save look easy. Like just a simple fan, he thinks the Goalie that makes the easy save look hard is better. Right now Murashov overreacts just like MAF used to do, and like MAF, Murashov has the athleticism to get back and make spectacular saves. If the team goes out and gets a great Goalie coach like they finally did for MAF, the young Russian could have an on-ice career that tracks like the "Flower". However, for now Blomqvist is the better of the two.
Like Blomqvist, Broz and Hayes earned opening night roster spots, but were denied them. Yes, Hayes, like Kindel, Koivunen, and McGroarty were given some opportunities, players before the Dubas regime were denied.
As for Koivunen, McGroarty, and Pickering, maybe someday they will legitimately make the roster, but it seems to me that there best value to the team is throw ins on trades to sweeten the pot, while they are still a relatively unknown quantity and considered a prospect. As much as I want to see Koivunen and to a lesser extent MecGroarty and Pickering eventually wear the black-and-gold, that probability is ever shrinking.
With Acciari looking like he might be gone, perhaps Hayes will make the roster but he is a bottom 6 and there aren't that many sports with Lizotte, DeWar, Soderblom, Brazeau, Kindel, Hallander, Broz, McGroarty, and Koivunen all fighting for a bottom 6 role. Throw in any UFAs Dubas tries to sign (you know he loves the scatter shot approach) and it could get hairy for Hayes.
Also, the three best forwards for WBS in the playoffs were Broz, Ilyin, and Zonnon.
The biggest problem facing our Penguins is a distinct lack of NHL level Defensemen in the system.