Who Will Win Penguins' Final Forward Spots?

The Pittsburgh Penguins' positional battles are in full swing, and with two pre-season games remaining, things are getting down to the wire.

For Thursday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the lineup is largely prospect-heavy, with the forward unit, especially, comprised of players in heavy competition for precious NHL roster spots. 

It hasn't been an easy camp for anyone, as players, coaches, and management alike are navigating the challenges of a shortened camp. But the Penguins' staff has continuously reminded the players that their window is shorter this year to make an impression.

"The coaches are making sure we know that, when you blink, camp's going to be over," Hayes said after Monday's 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres to open the pre-season. "You don't want to regret anything, you kind of want to attack every day with the mindset that you don't know what's coming tomorrow. So, you just gotta attack every day with 100 percent."

And, given some new updates to the team's injury situaion, there may be even more opportunity for some guys to crack the NHL roster out of camp.

It was already announced earlier this week that center Blake Lizotte and forward Oliver Okuliar are out week-to-week with upper- and lower-body injuries, respectively, and forward Justin Brazeau skated with the team Thursday but is day-to-day. But to add to the mayhem, the Penguins also updated Ben Kindel's status.

Previously day-to-day with a lower-body injury sustained during the first period of Monday's game, Kindel was downgraded to week-to-week on Thursday and is still undergoing testing and evaluation to determine the extent of the injury. 

So, with Lizotte and Kindel - both centers - unlikely to be ready for the season-opener on Sept. 30 against the Philadelphia Flyers, that opens up some space for a few younger centers to make an impression.

The likely frontrunners? Filip Hallander, Hendrix Lapierre, and Tristan Broz.

Lapierre, 24, was acquired from the Washington Capitals for a third- and a fifth-round pick this summer and has not yet lived up to his offensive ceiling in his short NHL career. He has 13 goals and 47 points in 158 career NHL games, but the Penguins believe there is more to untap, and he has looked good in the early days of camp. 

Broz - turning 24 on Oct. 10 - is a responsible two-way center who can also put the puck in the back of the net. Injuries have limited him to playing in just one NHL game in the last season-plus, but his effectiveness in all three zones, his hockey smarts, and his ability to impact five-on-five play as well as both special teams units puts him in a nice position to, perhaps, take on third- or fourth-line duties for the Penguins momentarily.

Then, there's Hallander, who has been the standout among the fringe players in camp. His 2025-26 season was cut short just 14 games in because of a blood clot, but he looks the part and, like Broz, offers a valuable two-way skillset that can benefit the Penguins with two bottom-six centers out. He plays the wing more than he plays center nowadays, but the Penguins have options - as well as a solid, reliable player - in Hallander. 

Those three players probably have the inside track to NHL minutes and spots on the roster when combining performance and positional need. However, don't discount a few others from making a big enough impression during Thursday's tilt that they could force the Penguins' hand. 

The guy next in line very well could be Hayes, who scored five goals in 16 games for the NHL club last season. He scored an impressive goal in the pre-season opener when, with only a few ticks left on the second-period clock, he forced a turnover behind the Buffalo goal, circled just above the goal line, and sniped one over the right shoulder of goaltender Alex Lyon to give Pittsburgh back the momentum and its two-goal advantage. 

"Momentum" is a term that comes to mind with Hayes's game, and that extra effort is noticed by teammates and coaches, too. 

"It's the goal, but it was the time of the goal, too," head coach Dan Muse said. "Obviously, when you can get a massive momentum swing like that right before you go into the locker room. Even within that sequence, though, you saw him getting in on the hunt, getting in on the forecheck, that's a big part of his game.

"That kind of tenacious, puck-pressure, never-quit player - that's when he's at his best."

And there's also Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen. McGroarty has put together a solid camp, has improved his skating a bit, and is determined to stick at the NHL level, which has been evident in his work ethic at practices and in games. He scored a late goal in Pittsburgh's 7-4 loss against the Detroit Red Wings Tuesday and will get another opportunity to make an impression Thursday.

So, too, will Koivunen, who missed his first scheduled pre-season tilt after he sustained a facial injury during practice earlier this week. Koivunen is set to be in the lineup Thursday as well, and given his eight-year contract extension and the work he put in during the summer, he will also have a pretty good shot.

"He's shown that he's put in the work in the summer," Muse said. "He looks stronger, but he's also showing that. I think he's stronger on pucks. The work that he put in over the summer has been noticeable, so I'm excited to see it here in a game."

Of course, guys like Elmer Soderblom - who has had an excellent camp - and Brazeau cannot be left out of the equation, either, even if they might seem to be locks more so than the others. At least, in Soderblom's case. But among young forwards scratching and clawing their way to the NHL, these six seems to be best-positioned to potentially crack the roster for opening night.

Thursday's game against Columbus - which will feature each player mentioned aside from Lapierre, who is limited to two pre-season games because of his "veteran" status of 100 or more games played - can be streamed on the Blue Jackets' website and listened to on the Penguins' flagship station, 105.9 The X.

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