Inside the Penguins 2023-24 Season Predictions

The Pittsburgh Penguins are ready to start the 2023-24 season and the whole crew has given their predictions.

With a new year ready to kick off, the Inside the Penguins writing crew has come together and given their predictions for the Pittsburgh Penguins 2023-24 season.

The Penguins have some high expectations and are looking to exceed whatever is placed on them.

Nick Horwat: Jake Guentzel (45): He has sniffed around 50 goals on a few occasions and should do just the same as he enters the final year of his contract. The Penguins have a ton to play for and Guentzel will be a huge piece in finding the back of the net on a consistent basis.

Nicholas Brlansky: Jake Guentzel (43): Guentzel led the Penguins in goals last season with 36 despite struggling with consistency for the first time in his career. With the Penguins running back much of the same top-six in 2023, expect Guentzel to lead the Penguins for the third straight year.

Jacob Punturi: Jake Guentzel (36): Despite off-season surgery, Guentzel is healthy and ready for the first game of the year. Plus he is playing for a contract extension. Pencil him in for 30+.

NH: Sideny Crosby (99): Hitting 100 points in the NHL isn’t as easy as some players may make it look, but Sidney Crosby has a great chance to hit the milestone one last time, or fall just shy while still being extremely productive.

NB: Sidney Crosby (105): Crosby has set the standard for the Penguins for 18 seasons, and there's no reason to believe that stops in year 19. Crosby hasn't reached 100 points since the 2018-19 season but was on pace to surpass that mark for most of last season. Surrounded by a better supporting cast, Crosby reaches the century mark one final time.

JP: Sidney Crosby (97): Crosby has spoken repeatedly about how frustrating last season's finish was. A motivated and angered captain could spell trouble for the league and Crosby should sniff 100 points again.

NH: Drew O’Connor: With a new contract signed and in an elevated role, Drew O’Connor is comfortable and ready to take the depth forwards by storm.

NB: Sam Poulin: After missing four months last season to focus on his mental health, Poulin showed no signs of rust at training camp and was one of the bright spots of the Penguins' preseason. Expect him to continue to build on his impressive start and be a mid-season call-up candidate.

JP: Drew O'Connor: He has the speed and offensive awareness to be a 15-20 goal scorer and his preseason performance has put him on the cusp of breaking out.

NH: Erik Karlsson: Who else could even be an option? Alex Nedeljkovic will surely impress as the new back up and Lars Eller is a new threat to the bottom six, but Karlsson brings so much offense, talent, and overall excitement to the team.

NB: Erik Karlsson: It's hard not to choose the reigning Norris Trophy winner. Karlsson adds several new dimensions to this Penguins team and should be one of the highest-scoring defensemen in the league once again.

JP: Erik Karlsson: Is there any other choice? No other newcomer will impact the team more than Karlsson this season, even if he doesn't put up another 100+ point season.

NH: Bryan Rust: A number of Penguins struggled last year, and Bryan Rust was right in that pack. He’ll be hungry to rebound and get back to the player that earned him a six-year contract extension.

NB: Tristan Jarry: Jarry is coming off his worst season as a professional. A nagging hip injury forced him to miss seven weeks and continued to affect him throughout the season. With a clean bill of health and a new contract, expect Jarry to regain his form from 2021-22, where he finished in the top ten in all major goaltending categories.

JP: Alex Nedeljkovic: After a disappointing few seasons, Ned will re-find his game backing up Tristan Jarry this season.

NH: 37: No one has doubted Jarry’s ability as a goalie, much of the discussion always surrounds his health. If Jarry is able to stay healthy, he should be able to flirt with 40 wins and put up career-high numbers.

NB: 32: While I expect Jarry will bounce back this season, I think he'll finish just shy of his career-high 34 wins. New backup goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic has looked impressive during the preseason and should take some of the workload off Jarry.

JP: 30: A new contract and a summer of recovery is hopefully exactly what Jarry needs to help guide this team to a playoff spot and Stanley Cup run. He should win at least 30 games.

NH: 82: We’ll see if Karlsson can play in all 82 games, but the Penguins power play has a chance to be lethal and much of that will flow through the future Hall of Famer. Notching at least a point per game should be no problem.

NB: 72: Karlsson proved last season that he still has a lot in the tank, but those who believe he'll score over a point per game might be a bit too generous. While it is a significant drop-off, 72 points would still be Karlsson's fourth highest-scoring season

JP: 78: He probably won't get close to 100 or more points with the Pens, but he should still be a top 10 scoring defender this year.

NH: 50: Going for 50 might be a stretch, but the Penguins are a much improved team all over the lineup. If Karlsson can mesh well on the back end and the core stays healthy, there isn’t a single team they can’t out-score.

NB: 47: Last season, the Penguins won 40 games. They could've won more if they had figured out how to hold a third-period lead. Kyle Dubas addressed that issue this offseason by rebuilding the bottom six with proven defense-first veterans.

JP: 44: They don't have a division winning roster in a loaded Metropolitan Division, but this team should play themselves into the postseason.

NH: Yes, second round exit
NB: Yes, second round exit
JP: Yes, second round exit

NH: Sidney Crosby is entering an interesting season as captain of the Penguins. Sure, he’s past his prime, but if he gets the right help from his teammates, he could easily keep pace for one last Hart Trophy as league MVP.

NB: While Karlsson and Letang took home hardware at last year's NHL Awards, I don't see anybody on the Penguins being nominated for awards this season.

JP: Sidney Crosby, despite a roster revamp, will be the focal point of the Penguins and if he can put up an exceeded pace from last year, he could easily push for a Hart Trophy.

NH: Jake Guentzel
NB: Rickard Rakell
JP: Reilly Smith

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