The Pittsburgh Penguins have a bigger core than just Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang.

PITTSBURGH – Everyone knows the Pittsburgh Penguins for their veteran core. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang have played 18 seasons together and are among the best trios in sports.

While those three are undoubtedly the Penguins' leaders, a couple of other names are also part of the organization's main “core.”

When asked early in the 2023-24 season, head coach Mike Sullivan suggested a guy like Jake Guentzel fits that mold. Guentzel has since been traded, but that doesn’t mean the Penguins' core stays at three members.

Kyle Dubas spoke with NHL.com at the Scouting Combine and mentioned two more veterans who are set to be mainstays in the Penguins organization: Erik Karlsson and Bryan Rust.

When discussing adding younger talent to the Penguins roster, Dubas listed Karlsson and Rust by name, just about cementing them as locks and part of the team's core.

"We really have to do everything we can as urgently as possible to infuse the organization with really high-quality younger players and give ourselves a chance to add that by adding draft picks, adding prospects in any chance we can get," Dubas said. "Because if we can do that, while those players are still playing, that standard [core of] Sid, 'Geno,' Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust set, that just helps young players come in and get up to speed quicker."

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Karlsson is new to the Penguins organization compared to the long-time runners, but he knows how to lead a team. Karlsson was captain of the Ottawa Senators for four seasons, leading them to the Eastern Conference Final in 2017.

With the San Jose Sharks, he wasn’t a captain, but he was undoubtedly one of the most prominent voices in that locker room. In 15 seasons in the NHL, Karlsson has earned a reputation as one of the best leaders in the game.

Aside from Crosby, Malkin, and Letang, Rust is the only other player who was part of the back-to-back Stanley Cup runs in 2016 and 2017. About to enter his 11^th NHL season, Rust has the longevity and qualities to be considered an integral piece of the Penguins’ core.

The Penguins want to revamp their team and get this core group one last crack at the Cup. Despite some changes, it is safe to say these five will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

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