In this series from TheHockeyNews.com, we're rating the off-seasons of each NHL team – and in this file in the series, we're focusing on team No. 11 – the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins have a great core of old stars, but do they have enough young talent to remain a Stanley Cup playoff team?
Since taking the job as general manager with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Kyle Dubas has had a major challenge on his hands.
The 40-year-old has been tasked with making the most of the Penguins' competitive window with their aging superstars, while slowly-but-surely developing youngsters to form the foundation for the next era of the franchise.
To that end, Dubas has been one of the NHL’s busiest GMs this summer, acquiring a slew of players via trades and free-agency.
The Penguins sit in 11th place in TheHockeyNews.com’s series ranking each team’s off-season. Criteria for these rankings include roster arrivals and departures, GM and/or coach changes, promotions, and contract extensions.
Let’s analyze the Penguins' additions and subtractions from this summer and discuss where their competitive future stands.
Arrivals:
Andrei Kuzmenko (RW), Nick Robertson (LW), Hendrix Lapierre (LW), Trevor van Riemsdyk (D), David Gustafsson (LW), Kaedan Korczak (D)
There were two areas in particular that Dubas addressed this summer: Pittsburgh’s defense corps, and their quality of depth on the wings. The gambles he made in those areas give the Penguins flexibility regardless of the way things work out.
They signed veteran winger Andrei Kuzmenko, but he's a bit of a distressed asset at this stage in his career. Fortunately for Dubas, Kuzmenko is only signed for one year at $5 million with limited trade protection, giving him the potential to be flipped at next year's trade deadline if the Penguins don't find regular-season success.
Otherwise, Dubas made low-risk moves that could end up providing decent value. That includes trades for former Toronto Maple Leafs winger Nick Robertson, former Washington Capitals winger Hendrix Lapierre, and former Vegas Golden Knights blueliner Kaeden Korczak.
None of them are home-run moves on the surface, but all of Dubas’ additions have the potential to help the Penguins as long-term pieces of the puzzle, or as in-season trade bait to help the organization over the long haul.
Departures:
Stuart Skinner (G), Anthony Mantha (RW), Noel Acciari (C), Kevin Hayes (RW), Ryan Shea (D), Parker Wotherspoon (D), Connor Clifton (D), Jack St.Ivany (D)
Just as there’s been a massive number of additions in Pittsburgh, there have been many exits. That starts with goalie Stuart Skinner, who signed with the Winnipeg Jets, along with veteran winger Anthony Mantha, who came off career highs in goals with 33 and points with 64.
Additionally, center Noel Acciari and greybeard winger Kevin Hayes add to a long list of free-agent departures at forward for the Penguins. That list continues with a major exodus of defensemen as well, including Ryan Shea, Connor Clifton and Parker Wotherspoon.
The league's salary cap increase gave a lot of teams the opportunity to keep players that they would not be able to afford otherwise, but Dubas currently has $10.9-million in cap space, deciding to keep a healthy amount of room while seeing a ton of UFAs walk out the door.
Dubas is relying on some defensemen that aren’t going to be in the league for much longer. Half of Pittsburgh’s blueliners are at least 35, including Trevor van Riemsdyk, who they just signed this summer.
It’s extremely difficult acquiring and developing defensemen, but with youngsters Harrison Brunicke and Owen Pickering in the system, the Penguins have the beginnings of a great defense corps. They had to flush out some mid-to-lower-tier players to open up opportunities, and that’s what Dubas did with his changes this summer.
The Bottom Line:
Pittsburgh does have some promise in the team's pipeline, including winger Rutger McGroarty, center Ben Kindel and twin brothers Markus and Liam Ruck. However, it still feels like the organization is caught between the Crosby/Malkin era and a new age for the franchise.
That said, the reason the Penguins are just outside of the top-10 teams on this list is because Dubas has done an above-average job of addressing his team’s issues while bringing in young players who have the chance to grow as NHLers.
The Penguins are unquestionably a work-in-progress, but they’re on their way. Considering everything Dubas has done in the weak Metropolitan Division, they should have a window to surge up the standings and challenge for home-ice advantage in the playoffs in 2026-27.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.
See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
