The Hockey News - Pittsburgh site editors Kelsey Surmacz and Ryan Gagne discuss where they think the Penguins will end up in the standings and whether or not they'll make the playoffs
With a new season just around the corner, the Pittsburgh Penguins are gearing up for yet another training camp.
But this time around - unlike in seasons past - 2024-25 could be full of surprises.
As such, we will break down some storylines to expect this season and provide you with some bold - and some not-so-bold - predictions for the 2024-25 campaign.
Our final prediction piece: Where will the Penguins stand at the end of the 2024-25 season?
Kelsey's Prediction
How the Penguins will finish: Lose in first round of NHL playoffs to New Jersey Devils
Why the Penguins will make the playoffs: Simply put, I think there are three main differences with the Penguins this season that already set them apart from the team that missed the playoffs over the last two seasons:
- Depth
- Youth on the roster
- The power play
As far as depth and youth, Pittsburgh actually has a younger, more promising bottom-six. Rutger McGroarty made the club out of camp and is poised to begin the season on a third line with Jesse Puljujarvi, another younger player who had a massively impressive pre-season, and Lars Eller, a veteran with some offensive upside and a high hockey IQ.
They have energy guys in Blake Lizotte in Michael Bunting, which are the types of players that this team has sorely been missing over the past several years. They also added speed and offensive upside potential with Cody Glass and Anthony Beauvillier, two guys who may benefit from a change of scenery.
Also, the Penguins' prospect pool actually has a few guys on the brink of making an impact - notably forwards Vasily Ponomarev and Tristan Broz as well as defensemen Owen Pickering and Harrison Brunicke - and who may see NHL playing time at some point this season.
And even their more veteran guys in the bottom-six - Eller, Kevin Hayes, and Noel Acciari - are being deployed in positions that should help them succeed. Eller is sandwiched between two young, promising forwards. Hayes and Acciari will start the year on Glass's wings on the fourth line, and both players have more offensive potential playing the wing than they do at center.
All in all, the forward depth, in particular, on this team is better - and younger - than it has been the last two seasons.
This brings us to the power play. This is one of those "I'll believe it when I see it" things, and rightfully so. But there may be some degree of cautious optimism on that front.
Throughout training camp and the pre-season, puck movement and player movement seemed to be a lot faster. They are rolling with two defensemen - Erik Karlsson on the half-wall and Kris Letang at the point - while keeping Sidney Crosby in his office down low, Evgeni Malkin on the other half-wall, and Rickard Rakell as the net-front/bumper.
As dicussed a few days ago, the power play operated at a 28.6 percent clip in the pre-season in comparison to the abysmal 14 percent it did last season.
The power play has cost them the playoffs the past two seasons. If it can operate anywhere near the numbers it did in the pre-season, it might push them over the line.
A lot has to go right this season, and the core has to remain healthy. But I think the Penguins get it done this season and win a round or two.
Ryan's Prediction
Predictions here
How the Penguins will finish: Miss the playoffs for a third straight season
Why the Penguins won't make the playoffs: The devil's advocate would say the Penguins do the impossible during the Crosby era and miss the postseason for the third consecutive season. The last time this happened was from 2001 to 2004, and then the first season of the salary cap era in 2005.
At 37, the Pittsburgh fan base doesn't want to see their captain play on some weaker teams in the twilight of his career. Although they are getting some youth injected into the lineup, especially with McGroarty making the opening night roster, there's no hiding the fact the Penguins still maintain their status as one of the oldest teams in the NHL.
While the Penguins made some adjustments in the offseason, several teams around them also got better, whether it's Ottawa bringing in former Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark or Washington restructuring their offense to ensure that Alex Ovechkin gets closer to breaking the all-time goal record.
Still, Pittsburgh didn't make that big splash to separate itself from the New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, and Detroit Red Wings, all teams just on the cusp of being wild card teams but not good enough to be a top team in the division.
As great as it would be to see the Penguins and Crosby back in the playoffs, they haven't won a series in six seasons and just one since hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2017.
Of course, the season would be considered a success with a playoff berth, but to end up as a wildcard team bowing out to a dominant top conference team is not a good feeling. Even though anything can happen in the playoffs, especially in the wildcard era, no one can claim they gave the Capitals and Islanders a chance in their first-round matchups last season.
Overall, there is optimism in the air, and Crosby believes in the team's direction for the next three seasons, but can this rag-tag group of veterans keep it together for a couple of more seasons for the last one shot at a championship before this era ends?
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