Why Penguins could be one of NHL's worst teams this season

Less than 10 years ago, at the end of the 2016-17 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins were sitting on top of the hockey world with their fifth Stanley Cup title. 

Looking ahead to the upcoming season, the Penguins appear to be far from contending for a title given the lack of overall progression since the offseason.

The Penguins finished last season ranked seventh in the Metropolitan Division, only ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers. After several seasons of deciding whether to rebuild or go all-in, it is now too nearly too late for the Penguins to rebuild into an immediate playoff contender, as they could be looking at becoming one of the worst teams in the league.

Pittsburgh knew it was adding a lot of aged veterans to the roster via free agency or trade within the past few seasons. Now, the Penguins have a conditioning problem. Eight of the team's top scorers from last year are returning, but seven of them were at least 31 years old.

Forward Michael Bunting (29), forward Anthony Beauvillier (28), defender Marcus Pettersson (29), center Drew O’Connor (27) and center Cody Glass (26) were some of the more active younger players. They are now going into the 2025-2026 season with different teams. 

A portion of the starting unit or key reserves, like forward Rickard Rakell, forward Bryan Rust and defenseman Erik Karlsson, are likely to be traded, even if they are traded a season too late.

The problem with keeping an aging locker room and veterans is that they take up roster spots and salary-cap space. The Penguins lost a good portion of their young core players to free agency.

Among the most active young players last season was 24-year-old center Philip Tomasino. In 50 games for the Penguins last season, he accounted for 11 goals and 12 assists. There is also 27-year-old Blake Lizotte, who accounted for 11 goals and nine assists in 59 games played.

The remainder of the offseason will need to be used for the Penguins to develop their young stars like Tomasino and Lizotte and any more of their prospects.

While the aged roster was a huge part of the Penguins’ last-season downfall, the big reason was Pittsburgh's defensive liability. The Penguins allowed an average of 3.5 goals per game, tied for 29th out of the 32 teams in the league. 

A lot of that can be placed on the pacing and speed of the roster that allows them to get beaten in fast transitions. Defensemen like Matt Grzelcyk and Pettersson have been serviceable at times, but longtime star and 37-year-old Kris Letang has shown his age. 

The goaltending situation is shaky, too. Veteran Tristan Jarry easily had his worst season for the Penguins since the 2018-2019 season. Alex Nedeljkovic finished with a better save percentage, but only by .001 at .894. Nedeljkovic is now with the San Jose Sharks after a trade for a 2028 NHL Draft third-round pick. 

The Penguins also didn’t improve their team by trading for Vancouver Canucks goalie Arturs Silovs, who has played 19 games in the last three seasons. Although Mathew Dumba and Clinton Clifton are good defensemen additions, they don’t move the needle.

With a poorly balanced roster and subpar defense, it's more likely than not the Penguins will remain a non-contender through at least the 2025-26 season.