10 Bold Penguins' Predictions For 2026-27

It is the eve of Pittsburgh Penguins' regular season hockey, which means another year of excitement, intrigue, and uncertainty awaits.

And the start of the season also means it's time for my annual Bold Predictions piece.

No, this one is not our regular annual predictions piece, where each assertion is rooted in reality, reason, and calculated expectation. Although still rooted - at least, somewhat - in reality, these predictions are bold for a reason: they're fun, they're high-reaching, and they operate on the premise of expecting a lot from a team that wants to take another step toward Cup contention.

Who will have a big year? Will anyone be traded? Just how good will the Penguins be?

Here are 10 bold predictions for the 2026-27 season.

Ask anyone in the Penguins' locker room, and their face just lights up when talking about the 25-year-old Chinakhov.

After a change-of-scenery trade from Columbus to Pittsburgh midseason last year, Chinakhov recorded 18 goals and 36 points in 43 games, which amounts to a 35-goal, 71-point pace in an 84-game season. He put up that pace last season with little power play time, too, as just two goals and eight points came on the man advantage for him.

He's beginning the season on the first unit. If he gets top power play minutes, he's scoring 40, or, at least, flirting with 40. 

Speaking of goal-scoring, anyone who thinks Anthony Mantha was the key to the Penguins' playoff berth last season is probably overreaching a bit, even if he led the team in goals. The Penguins had a league-high 10 players with 15 or more goals.

Besides, instead of just one Anthony Mantha this season, how about two? Or, maybe, at least one and a half?

Andrei Kuzmenko scored 39 goals in his rookie season and 22 in his sophomore season before getting traded five thousand times and seeing a decline in production. He, like Mantha, is primed to break out again next to playmaking centers in Pittsburgh. Nick Robertson has increased his goal production by one each of the last three years, but he never played consistently with anyone the likes of Sidney Crosby.

Crosby, Kuzmenko, Chinakhov, and Rickard Rakell score 30. Robertson, Kindel, Rust, and Malkin score 20. I'll go even further and say they could have nine if Tommy Novak or Erik Karlsson are healthy all season long, but "healthy" is a lot to ask for these Penguins.

Speaking of Karlsson, his situation will be one of the most interesting stories to follow this season. 

Karlsson wants a Cup. That is not going to change. Even if the Penguins are good enough to be a playoff team - and I do think they make the playoffs again this season - he's 36 and will want to go to a more surefire contender, as Pittsburgh's best shot at a Cup in the next couple of years is by catching lightning in a bottle.

So, if he has no intention to re-sign, Kyle Dubas will pull the trigger to get value no matter the circumstance. He'll just make sure he's getting talent in return. 

More on that later.

To be clear, this is not necessarily a knock on Arturs Silovs. He has a proven track record of being a big-game goaltender and getting it done when it counts. The problem with him is finding that consistency. 

But while Silovs is finding that consistency, Murashov will slowly take over as the No. 1, and Blomqvist will play well in WBS to the point where it's difficult to justify keeping him down there. Whether pushed out by others' performances or performing well enough to be flipped for assets by the trade deadline, Silovs will find himself in a different uniform by the end of the season, and the other two will be in the NHL for good.

Oh, and, Taylor Gauthier gets a game this season. I don't know when. But he will.

Well, what's the next step after being a Jack Adams nominee? A Jack Adams winner, of course!

As I mentioned before - and as Dubas mentioned in his press conference - the Penguins have no plans to take a step back this season. Muse and the rest of his staff managed the get the most out of their roster last season, and after adding a few more defensive-minded defensemen and new forwards to the mix, the staff will, once again, have the opportunity to elevate and maximize each player's potential and make the team hard to play against.

This guy is a good coach. If the Penguins make the playoffs again and win a round or two, he'll be worthy.

Honestly, this might be the most bold prediction on this list. Will Brunicke be ready for top-pairing minutes? Most likely, not quite. But, if my other prediction of Karlsson leaving does come to pass, who else is going to do it? 39-going-on-40 Kris Letang? Defensive defenseman Kaedan Korczak with Sam Girard on the left side?

Unless the Penguins get another top-four right defenseman for Karlsson, it will be Brunicke's time to show what he is capable of at the NHL level, especially assuming he takes care of business in the AHL first.

And he will take care of business there, and in the NHL. Unlike his last NHL stint - where Brunicke sank - he will have his breakout and swim this time, helping the team make the playoffs.

Ok, things are starting to get a bit crazy here. But, hey, we said "bold," right?

As it happens, I'm not quite as down on Koivunen, 23, as others are. Even if the term confounded me, I understand the logic behind Koivunen's eight-year, $32 million contract, and with Dubas and the Penguins betting on a young player's talent and potential to help them in the future. 

So, for our purposes, why not jump on the train and take a bet on a young player? Koivunen has some work to do, but he showed well in the Penguins' final preseason game, and he did start his NHL career with seven points in eight games, an initial NHL stint that showcased his potential and that everyone seems to have forgotten about.

I expect to see more of that Koivunen this season. 

Hey, why not some random win streak proclamation? The Penguins had plenty of win streaks last season, even if they never reached double digits.

They also played their stretch run largely without their legends in Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and they still earned the points and dragged themselves to the postseason. With a healthy Crosby and Malkin, and with a deeper forward group? This team, like last year's, will go through stretches where they simply overwhelm and dominate opponents with their offensive attack.

The Penguins may be streaky this year, but their winning streaks will be longer. And that will extend into the Stanley Cup Playoffs because they'll get hot at just the right time, somehow advancing to the Eastern Conference Final.

Yes, Kindel (lower-body, week-to-week) is beginning the season on injured reserve, but he was supposed to start the season with Rust and Kuzmenko - both of whom won't begin the season with the team, either - on his wings. Rust has scored 30 goals. Kuzmenko has scored 30 goals. There are other options in the lineup, too, if those guys don't work out. 

Once Kindel is healthy - and if the other two are also healthy - this has the potential to be a legitimate scoring third line for the Penguins, and the biggest beneficiary will be Kindel, who can both produce on his own and have scoring wingers to distribute the puck to.

He'll be pretty darn close to point-per-game this season with those two at his side.

Again, people... BOLD.

The Penguins and the Dallas Stars were connected in rumors for most of the summer regarding Nick Robertson's older brother, Jason, and those rumors had some substance. The Penguins also desperately need high-end talent on their blue line, as Brunicke is the highest-upside defenseman they have but still needs a ton of polishing. 

Nikishin is an obvious candidate, but don't forget about Edvinsson's situation in Detroit, either. Dubas said they'll be looking at every young player available. All of these guys fit that mold. 

If Dubas is to finally get his wish and execute on a "big-game hunt," this is quite the deadline to consider it. And, by then, maybe a few of his NHL-ready prospects and NHL assets, like Bill Zonnon and Karlsson, will have marinated a bit more and could prove valuable enough to be part of a bigger splash.

After all, I said this would come at a cost. And it's going to cost a top prospect, the Penguins' star defenseman, and more - especially if we're talking about Jason Robertson.

I think one of these three names is wearing a Penguins uniform come the trade deadline this season. Maybe younger Robo will put in a good word for Pittsburgh to his big bro during his breakout campaign.

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