Fans submitted their questions regarding the Pittsburgh Penguins, their offseason plans, some predictions, and more, and I did my best to answer them.
Well, folks, season two of my Pittsburgh Penguins coverage for The Hockey News is in the books.
But that doesn't mean there's a shortage of things to discuss as far as the team is concerned.
You all asked your questions - from talk of contention to the potential goaltending tandem next season - and I did my best to answer as many of you as I could.
So, without further ado, here is my first Monday Mailbox of the 2026 offseason.
What do you expect an Evgeni Malkin extension to look like?
@katwhetstone_ on X
Isn't that the big question?
But, despite all the noise, I do believe a Malkin extension gets done. There is, quite literally, not a single reason good enough I can think of for the Penguins not to bring him back.
He's willing to play wing, he said he wants "one more year," he won't ask for a high payday, he's not blocking a young player in the top-six, he was point-per-game this season, and he wants to come back.
Malkin is also going to be 40. But, so what? One more year isn't going to be a hindrance to anything Dubas is trying to accomplish, which I'll get to in a bit. There is no harm in bringing him back for that "one more year." Not only is a franchise legend owed that to an extent, it's also just not worth the internal fallout if Dubas decides to force him away to another team.
One year, $5 million. Get it done.
What’s the goalie tandem you see in Pittsburgh next year? I think Murashov and Skinner with Silovs getting traded.
@JimStripsky on X
What do you think our goaltending situation will look like next season?
@bun_sprout on X
What do you think the goalie situation looks like next year?
@1lya_rozzy on X
Clearly, many are wondering what the goaltending situation may look like next season.
Earlier on Monday, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that Stuart Skinner is not expected to return to the Penguins next season. To be honest, I am not entirely surprised by this, as Skinner was replaced by Silovs for the must-win games in the playoffs (even if the losses weren't on him) and the Penguins have a lot of young goaltenders knocking on the door, which probably means he has a better shot at a multi-year deal and a starting job elsewhere.
I do think the Penguins will bring back Arturs Silovs. He put up a .939 save percentage in his three playoff games, which only builds on his prior success in high-stakes hockey. Finding goaltenders with a track record of thriving in those environments is rare, and even if Silovs had an up-and-down first full NHL regular season, his playoff prowess along is reason enough to take a chance on him.
And then, there's the Penguins' farm system. Sergei Murashov is the best the Penguins' system has to offer right now, and he'll probably be ready to make the jump to the NHL in 2026-27. Taylor Gauthier - who has put together an unreal campaign for the Wheeling Nailers in the ECHL - should be at the AHL level, but injuries during training camp and the existence of Murashov and Joel Blomqvist have blocked him from that opportunity.
I think Silovs and Murashov will be the NHL tandem next season, and I think it will be Blomqvist and Gauthier in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS). There comes a point when development is being stunted if guys aren't progressing upward, and I think the Penguins have reached that point with Murashov, Blomqvist, and Gauthier.
All that said, I would not be surprised, either, to see someone like Blomqvist or Gauthier leveraged as part of a trade package for a young NHL player. If that happens, it might change a few things.
Who’s more likely to be a permanent member on the roster next year, Koivunen, Avery Hayes or McGroarty?
@Ozzyhen on X
It's pretty crazy how one calendar year can change perceptions entirely.
At the end of the 2024-25 season, Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty were called up to the NHL and gave what fans thought would be a preview for 2025-26, with Koivunen registering seven points in eight games and McGroarty putting up a goal and three points in five. Avery Hayes had not even made his NHL debut at that point, even if he was on people's radar.
Fast forward to now, and Koivunen was a disappointment this season with two goals and seven points in 39 NHL games and has not yet appeared to process things at NHL speed, while McGroarty began the season on injured reserve and struggled to find consistency with three goals and six points in 24 NHL games. Hayes debuted Feb. 5, scored two goals, and showed a bit more consistency down the stretch than the other two. He was also favored late in the season as an injury call-up for the NHL club.
Things appear to be trending up for Hayes, and I imagine he's most likely to stick on the roster out of the three next season - especially since he can effectively be plugged into a fourth-line role without any kind of detriment to his development. That said, I still believe McGroarty has the highest ceiling of the three. It might just take him a bit longer to get there.
Will the tandem of Alexeyev/Brunicke make the Pens next year.
@TheAud25 on X
I have a hard time seeing Alexander Alexeyev crack the NHL roster, assuming the Penguins tender him an RFA offer. Parker Wotherspoon and Sam Girard are under contract for another year, it remains to be seen what happens with Ryan Shea, and Owen Pickering will also be in the mix on the left side. And that's not even accounting for the possibility of the Penguins looking to upgrade their blue line.
Harrison Brunicke, on the other hand, probably cracks the roster with a good training camp - again, barring no upgrade on the right side. He's already playing top-pair minutes for WBS in the playoffs over guys who have been there the whole season and helped them earn a playoff berth, and he's made tangible progress physically and in the defensive details of his game.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Brunicke start in WBS next season, as he will (finally) be AHL-eligible. But, even if he does, I think folks will see plenty of him at the NHL level in 2026-27. The Penguins are very much invested in Brunicke's potential as an impact NHL player, so they're not going to rush him if he's not ready.
Was there any word on the injuries the players were dealing with? Sid definitely didn't seem to be fully recovered from his injury at the Olympics.
@samsdrunkdog.bsky.social on Bluesky
Crosby said his knee is fine and that it does not require offseason surgery, but he didn't want to elaborate further - even if he cheekily addressed that a certain star Canadian forward and Vegas Golden Knights player blurted it out already.
Other than that and Silovs playing the last 3-4 weeks with a knee injury - which makes his playoff performance even more impressive - no other updates were provided.
Do you think dubas will re-sign dewar and acciari to keep the 4th line together? or just re-sign one and fill the empty spot with a player from wbs?
@chinny_crosby on X
I actually just wrote a piece on this Sunday, too, but I think the Penguins will re-sign Connor Dewar and let Noel Acciari walk.
Dewar, 27, had 14 goals and 30 points last season and is good enough and young enough to be a key depth contributor for the next few years. There is little risk in signing him to a deal as long as it's not an overpay.
But, as for Acciari, he's 34. He had a great season for the Penguins and is an important player for them, as he hits, wins faceoffs, forechecks well, penalty kills well, blocks a lot of shots, and elevated his game offensively.
Most of those are things that a guy like Hayes excels at, too, and he's 23. Hayes also has speed and a bit more offensive upside, so he's a good candidate to, essentially, replace Acciari on that line. A line of Dewar, Blake Lizotte, and Hayes could give the opposition headaches with their speed, energy, and forechecking ability.
What is the best plan to replace Anthony Mantha's 30 goal production?
@AdamMihara on X
I'll go over this in the next question, but I think it will, somewhat, be by committee. I think the Penguins are going to target a good young player in the trade market, and add that to some of the young guys hopefully beginning to assert themselves and the Penguins having a full season of Egor Chinakhov and a better offensive version of Ben Kindel - and there's your answer.
Do you think the Pens take a step backwards next year? They overachieved this season and Mantha and few others probably won’t be here.
What are the odds that Dubas makes a big/huge move this summer to bring in a young superstar?
@brian_andrews on X
Will the Penguins have a directive to try and land an Auston Matthews or Jason Robertson in a trade to ensure playoff revenue?
@joshuacarns.bsky.social on Bluesky
could u see the penguins trade for a bigger younger player like a robertson, wright, nemec
@jansen_aid97343 on X
Brian asked two questions - and Joshua and Jansen asked a similar question - and I think they kind of both tandem with my answer.
Contrary to what some others are saying around these parts, I do not believe the Penguins will be taking a step back next season, and I will have a long piece detailing why in the coming days. Yes, they overachieved this season, but I've long-believed that the summer of 2026 was always going to be a target of sorts for them to start making bigger moves toward contention.
Older players may have been large contributors to their success this past season, but I think one young player has pretty handily altered the short-term outlook of this team.
I expect Kindel to take a step next season, potentially easing into the 2C role. He already has all the details sorted out in his game - even if he needs to and will add a little bit more weight in the offseason - which is rare for a player as young as he is. He plays and thinks the game like a veteran, and the production will eventually follow.
And, when you couple Kindel with the possibility of guys like Brunicke, Murashov, and Hayes populating the roster - in addition to Koivunen, McGroarty, Tristan Broz, Tanner Howe, and possibly Bill Zonnon, who will likely play in the AHL next season - there's already more youth talent that should be in the mix.
Plus, the Penguins can sell and buy, which is something I think they're going to do. Sure, shipping off someone like Rickard Rakell or Bryan Rust alone isn't going to net them a young star player, but packaging one of the two with their 2026 first-round pick - which will already be in the 20s, anyway - and perhaps another few picks and a shiny prospect or two not named Murashov (or Kindel, even if he's techincally not a prospect anymore)?
Then, they might be able to pull off a pretty big move for a very good younger player, which helps them in both the short- and the long-term.
Do I think they're Cup contenders next season? No. But I expect them to push for the playoffs again, and I expect them to be making tangible progress with the development of some of their more promising young players. Even if a bona fide "superstar" isn't available, I also expect them to execute a trade for either a solid young blueliner with higher upside or a young top-six forward.
If a superstar does become available, I'm not sure the Penguins would have the shiniest assets to be able to outbid for someone like Jason Robertson or Auston Matthews. But they will certainly be in on those players, as will most other teams. And they might be able to build enough of a package with all of the assets they've collected up to this point quantity-wise.
Either way, I think this is a team that tries to get better. Adding peripheral young talent to the roster - and, potentially, having three core pieces in Murashov, Kindel, and Brunicke already in the organization and in the NHL - not only helps the now, but it should also minimize the amount of time the Penguins need to "tank" after Crosby retires.
And that, I believe, would be the goal for the rebuild: Have two windows of contention. One with Crosby, and one a few years after Crosby, with much of the young peripheral talent intact to bridge that gap. Again, the purpose of adding all this young talent now, via trade or through the system, would be to have those lottery-zone picks for a few years after Sid, but not for more than that. Minimizing the turnover time is key.
What do you think is the Penguins biggest need to contend for next year? @BalmalcolmArab on X
In general, to get younger by both selling and buying. Positionally? They still need to upgrade their blue line. I think they will try to land a young, top-four left-side defenseman in the trade market this summer. The Penguins are playing better systemically on defense, but they could simply use more talent there, too.
What does EDM do with McJesus?
@TomParr14916922 on X
Haha. Well, they'll keep him for now, but they're certainly running out of time - for both McDavid and Draisaitl.
If we're talking about these same things next summer? Yeah, they may have to change course and consider the market, if that's what either or both players want.
What are your summer plans? :)
@meowlkin on X
I would love to say "relax and take some time off," but, unfortunately, the grind never stops. The draft is in June, and development camp and free agency is in July, so I'll be covering those closely.
I'm also a barista, so I'll be working. A lot. But, that said, I'm going on a nice beach vacation in July and, possibly, a Disney vacation with my baby nephew and the family just before training camp. I would also like to bike a lot more this summer - while jamming to my mixed playlist that includes the likes of Eric Church, The Black Keys, KONGOS, Jake Bugg, Daughtry, The Vaccines, Jack Johnson, THE BAND CAMINO, Miley Cyrus, and others (mostly in the alternative/indie rock realm), which was a question requested by @reallyafairy on X - and take a Yoga in the Park class. I spend a whole lot of time inside at my desk writing, so I want to make an effort to get a whole lot more fresh air this summer.
Getting some things done around my apartment that I've been putting off would be nice, too. Also a big amusement park enthusiast, so I'll be making my rounds at those.
But the big thing for me is spending time with family and my dog. I mentioned my nephew, but I have a newborn little niece now, too, and spending time with them is my new favorite thing to do. No amount of time with them is ever enough, and not having to be at the rink most days - as much as I love my job - makes way for that time.
Hope you enjoy whatever plans you have this summer as well.
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