Penguins have to consider drastic changes after blowing yet another huge lead

The 2025-26 Pittsburgh Penguins season is all of a sudden circling the drain after a promising start made them the talk of the league through the first month-and-a-half. It has reached a point where the manner in which they are losing games has become so unacceptable that they might have to consider extraordinarily drastic changes.

Just consider the past week-and-a-half this team has experienced.

Penguins in middle of unbelievable run of blown leads

• They entered the third period of Sunday's game against the Utah Mammoth with a 3-0 lead. They lost 5-4 in overtime.
• That came just 24 hours after blowing a 5-1 third period lead to the San Jose Sharks with 14 minutes to play.
• That came just four days after they lost a 4-3 game to the Anaheim Ducks, which saw them allow a game-tying goal with 0.1 seconds to play in regulation during a shocking sequence of events.
• As if that is not enough, that game came two days after they allowed the Dallas Stars to tie the game with under three minutes to play in regulation. They lost that game as well.
• That game was preceded by a win against the Tampa Bay Lightning where they blew another 3-0 lead, only to win it late on an Evgeni Malkin goal ... which was followed another potential game-tying goal being wiped out on replay review with a minute to play in regulation.

For the season, the Penguins have now lost six games when leading after regulation. That includes a game earlier this season against the Toronto Maple Leafs where they blew a different 3-0 lead after two periods.

Literally no lead is safe with this team, and it is an indication of a fragile, broken team. It cannot be tolerated, and the time has come for them to consider something drastic.

Penguins need to consider dramatic changes

At this point, firing the head coach might not be a realistic option. Dan Muse is just 31 games into his coaching tenure and that might be a little too dramatic.

But it also would not be unheard of in the NHL where head coaches get changed with regularity. 

Call-ups and demotions from the minor leagues are certainly an option. Young forward Ville Koivunen has not produced as hoped and could be sent down without being exposed to waivers.

Healthy scratching veteran players might be an attention grabber for the locker room. Defenseman Kris Letang has been a staple in the organization for just as long as Malkin and Sidney Crosby and has put together a borderline Hall of Fame career. But his play has rapidly deteriorated to the point where he is now a liability on most nights.

The Penguins made one big trade earlier this week when they sent goalie Tristan Jarry to the Edmonton Oilers for goalie Stuart Skinner and defenseman Brett Kulak, but that is a lateral move. 

Has the time come to trade Bryan Rust or Rickard Rakell? Another trade? 

Honestly, nothing at this point should be left off the table. This is a staggering run of futility that is putting what started off as a promising season at risk of becoming an embarrassment. It might already be there. 

There is plenty of evidence to suggest this can be a good team this season. There is also plenty of evidence to suggest something needs to be changed.