Three keys to a successful Penguins season

The Pittsburgh Penguins enter the 2026-27 season with plenty of uncertainty after an offseason in which the roster saw few meaningful improvements. Pittsburgh still has enough talent to compete, but there are clear weaknesses throughout the roster. The Penguins will need several things to go right if they want to remain competitive in the Metropolitan Division.

Sergei Murashov's development, Andrei Kuzmenko replacing lost scoring and the veteran core avoiding a significant decline are three keys to a successful Penguins season.

Sergei Murashov must be ready

One of the biggest questions surrounding Pittsburgh is in net. Top prospect Sergei Murashov is viewed as the Penguins goalie of the future, but the 22-year-old could be asked to play an important role immediately.

Murashov will likely split the net with Arturs Silovs to begin the season, giving Pittsburgh two young options in goal. However, if Murashov shines immediately, the starting job could quickly become his. He has the higher long-term ceiling and could establish himself as Pittsburgh's clear No. 1 sooner than expected.

The defense in front of him could make that transition more difficult. The left side could feature Trevor van Riemsdyk, Samuel Girard and Declan Carlile. Van Riemsdyk is naturally a right-shot defenseman, meaning Pittsburgh could ask him to regularly play on his offside. The right side features Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang and Kaedan Korczak. Karlsson and Letang are still talented players who can move the puck and generate offense from the blue line, but neither is known for being great defensively.

There will likely be growing pains, especially behind an uncertain defensive group. However, if Murashov immediately proves he can handle the NHL workload, it should not take long for the Penguins to make the net his.

Andrei Kuzmenko needs to replace lost scoring

Anthony Mantha became one of Pittsburgh's most important offensive players last season, scoring 33 goals before leaving for the New Jersey Devils in free agency. The Penguins did not make a major splash to replace him, instead betting on Andrei Kuzmenko on a one year deal.

Kuzmenko is coming off a disappointing season with the Los Angeles Kings, where injuries contributed to him scoring only 13 goals. However, the 30-year-old has already shown he can be a dangerous NHL scorer, including a 39-goal rookie season.

This could be another opportunity for head coach Dan Muse to help a player rediscover his potential. Mantha entered last season with plenty of questions surrounding him after being written off by many, but he responded with the best season of his career. If Kuzmenko can regain his scoring touch and provide consistent secondary offense, it would go a long way toward replacing the production Pittsburgh lost when Mantha departed.

The Penguins core cannot decline

The final key to a successful Penguins season is the most obvious. Pittsburgh's veteran core must continue producing at a high level.

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson and Bryan Rust remain some of the most important players on the roster. Pittsburgh is still heavily dependent on them despite each getting another year older.

If Crosby or Malkin experiences a significant offensive decline, Pittsburgh's top six immediately becomes weaker. The same problem exists on defense with Letang and Karlsson.

Ben Kindel and Egor Chinakhov provide some much-needed young talent, but Pittsburgh still lacks enough proven young star power to compensate for a major decline or injuries from its veterans.

The margin for error is small. If Murashov takes control of the net, Kuzmenko replaces Mantha's scoring and the veteran core continues producing, the Penguins should have an opportunity to put together another successful season.