Bob Frid-Imagn Images

NHL Analyst Offers Solution for Penguins Amid Bleak Outlook

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Jul 20, 2025 9:30 AM ET

The Pittsburgh Penguins missed the playoffs for a third straight season, and NHL insider Frank Seravalli believes it's time for the franchise to stop clinging to the past.

Speaking on a Bleacher Report livestream, Seravalli didn’t mince words when assessing the team’s current state, urging the franchise to move their veterans and enter a proper rebuild as soon as possible.

“No one is sitting here thinking that the Penguins are going to be a playoff team or a cup contender,” Seravalli said. “If you told me that they all had lights-out seasons and (goalie) Tristan Jarry reverted to form … maybe you could build a case that they could sneak in as an eighth-place team, as a wild-card team.”

Jarry, who finished last season with a .893 save percentage and two AHL stints, remains an unreliable backbone in the Penguins' net.

NHL Insider Notebook with @frank_seravalli

Bo Byram avoids arbitration
️ Oilers land Isaac Howard
Silovs heading to Pittsburgh
️ Trade chatter from around the league

Tune in at 1:30 pm ET https://t.co/GcW4fbL8lC pic.twitter.com/G9sLSWEzGL
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) July 15, 2025

Seravalli said even that wild-card scenario is a long shot, implying missing the postseason might be better for the Penguins.

“The sooner that they can rip off the Band-Aid and begin to strip this down and rebuild this roster, the better,” Seravalli said.

Franchise icon Sidney Crosby, who will turn 38 before the upcoming season, led the Penguins with 91 points in 80 games, and his name is popping up in rumors more frequently than ever before.

Meanwhile, new Penguins head coach Dan Muse made it clear that he plans to lean on the team’s veterans — including Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson — next season, contrary to Seravalli's wishes.

“I’ve reached out to close to 95 percent of all players under contract,” Muse said. “We’re still finishing that part up. In regard to the veteran players, you’re always working with the leaders. Guys that have been in this organization for such a long time. You’re going to be leaning on them.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: