The Pittsburgh Penguins have a healthy mix of veterans, youth and new faces to help push them forward during the 2026-27 season
Even if the relative course the Pittsburgh Penguins are charting isn't entirely clear to some, it doesn't change the fact that, after three years out, the team made the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season.
In some respects, the unexpected postseason berth put the Penguins in a tough spot organizationally. They want to get younger and allow some youth to start showing up at the NHL level, but they are also aware that they're good enough to stay relevant in the playoff race.
At the end of the day, the organization - as defenseman Erik Karlsson put it - is in a bit of a "weird" place right now, but the goal is and always will remain sustained contention. And the Penguins, from management on down to the players, believe they are progressing toward that.
"I think the group that we had here last year and the guys that are still here this year, I feel, have a lot more to give," Karlsson said. "I think that the young guys that we have coming in are taking the right steps forward. And, obviously, the guys that we've had here that have been around for a long time, we know what we're going to get from those guys, and they're going to keep contributing and be a big part of this team."
The thing with the Penguins' youth is that several of them should be good enough to help propel the team back to sustained contention, so their transition to the NHL roster shouldn't necessarily be as development-focused once they make the final jump. But the blend of that youth and the team's longtime veterans in Karlsson, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell is the somewhat tricky part to navigate.
Then, you have the new players coming in. The Penguins added forwards Nick Robertson, Hendrix Lapierre and David Gustafsson and defensemen Trevor van Riemsdyk, Declan Carlile and Kaedan Korczak in the offseason, all of whom figure to be either locks or solidly in the mix for roster spots.
As for the new guys coming in, they recognize both the talent that the Penguins have up-and-coming and the talent that has been in Pittsburgh for the better part of the last two decades.
"There's a lot of veterans but also a lot of younger guys that I've played against and known," Robertson said. "It's good to be in that mix. They've got a bit of excitement from the younger guys and, obviously, a lot of experience from the older guys. It's a unique team, and I'm very happy to be a part of it."
Korczak, who came over from the Vegas Golden Knights this summer in exchange for defenseman Parker Wotherspoon, has been part of a Stanley Cup-winning culture for the last several years. He recognizes a winning culture because he's been part of it.
In the Penguins and GM Kyle Dubas, he sees an organization that is working its way toward the Cup conversation again, and he wants to be part of the young crop of players who helps accomplish that. He is signed with Pittsburgh for four more seasons at $3.25 million.
"Just talking with Kyle and the coaches, it's exciting to be part of that group that's going to, hopefully, bring that next step to the organization," Korczak said. "You obviously have those guys that can lead you. You've got some Hall-of-Famers here that can show us the way.
"So, I'm really excited for the opportunity to be a part of this young group, and hopefully they lead us to a Stanley Cup here one day."
So, what is the plan for the 2026-27 season? Well, that was made pretty clear by Dubas at the end of last season, when he said that this team doesn't plan to take any steps back. They want to build on their playoff run from last season, and they believe they have at least some of the youth talent to help them keep progressing.
Whether they are Cup contenders again this season or a bit farther into the future remains to be seen, and there is still work to be done and talent that needs to be added in order for them to sustain winning ways.
Regardless, the most basic goal for the players and the organization remains the same as it always is each and every year.
"If everything goes according to plan, I think - hope - that we're going to be a step better than we were even last year," Karlsson said. "That's obviously the goal. That's what we're operating from right now, and we'll see what the future brings."
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