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Penguins’ Offseason Focus Is on Bolstering Their Depth for 2025-26
Philip Tomasino, Pittsburgh Penguins (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)

Kyle Dubas, general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, has been busy over the last couple months. He has hired a new head coach in Dan Muse, navigated through the draft, and he’s brought in some new players through free agency. Dubas has also re-signed a couple players including Philip Tomasino and Connor Dewar. One area where the Penguins desperately need to find consistency is their depth. What is the bottom-six shaping up to look like in 2025-26?

Penguins Projected Bottom Six 

Dubas knows his team will not be successful without a productive bottom-six. Tomasino showed promise last season and will more than likely be a depth player this season. He joined the Penguins in Nov. 2024 via trade with the Nashville Predators. He started out on the second line with Evgeni Malkin, scoring three goals in his first five games. Later in the season, he was moved down to the bottom-six, but he missed chunks of the season due to injury.

Tomasino played in 50 games with Pittsburgh and scored 11 goals and had 12 assists. He was strong on the forecheck and on the rush last season. He was not the fastest skater on the ice; however, he was a regular driver of offense. He was re-signed to a one-year contract, and the Penguins are hoping he can develop into a more consistent scorer. 

Tommy Novak has the potential to turn into a nice surprise for the Penguins this season. He joined the team in March right before the trade deadline via a trade with the Predators. He only played in two games with Pittsburgh before suffering a lower-body injury that ultimately ended his season. Before the move, he played in 52 games with the Predators and scored 13 goals. He will more than likely center the third line and at 28 years old he has the size and skating ability to turn into a weapon. 

Danton Heinen joined the Penguins in February for the second time after a trade with the Vancouver Canucks. He played in 28 games with Pittsburgh and scored three goals and had eight assists. Even though he did not score that many goals, his playmaking skills during 5-on-5 play were strong. At 30 years old, there are not going to be any surprises with him this season. As long as he can stay healthy, he will probably score between 13 and 17 goals and could possibly be traded in the middle of the season for possibly a third-round pick. 

Dewar joined the Penguins in March and played in 17 games scoring four goals and three assists. His defensive game is strong, which is essential for a bottom-six player. He was also very good on the penalty kill last season. His play is not extremely flashy, but he’s a hard worker who does all of the little things right. He is a solid fourth-line player, and Dubas will be looking to see what he can do with a full season. 

Blake Lizotte had a rocky start to last season, suffering two concussions that sidelined him for the first two months of the season. By Christmas break, he had played in 20 games and scored eight goals. When he was healthy, he brought speed and good defensive awareness to the ice. He’s a well-rounded player, and provided that he can stay healthy, he will make a perfect fourth-line center. 

Justin Brazeau signed a two-year contract with the Penguins on July 1. He started last season with the Boston Bruins but was traded to the Minnesota Wild in March. During his time with the Wild, he scored one goal and had one assist in 19 games. At 6-foot-6, 227 pounds, Brazeau definitely adds some size to the roster. His regular season in Minnesota was not overly impressive, however during the postseason he seemed to improve a bit assisting on a couple big goals. He is a physical player and at 27 years old he also brings youth to the lineup. Pittsburgh is hoping he can develop his game and turn into a valuable depth player. 

Penguins’ Depth Has To Be Better 

This season will paint a picture of where the Penguins are headed. They have struggled with their depth scoring for a while now, and it is time to correct that problem. Even if they don’t make the postseason, they need to improve in some key areas to show they are moving in the right direction.

This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

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