New Additions: D Connor Clifton (from BUF), D Matt Dumba (from DAL), G Arturs Silovs (from VAN), D Parker Wotherspoon (2yr x $1M AAV), F Justin Brazeau (2yr x $1.5M AAV), D Caleb Jones (2yr x $900k AAV), F Anthony Mantha (1yr x $2.5M), F Rafael Harvey-Pinard (1yr x $775k), D Alex Alexeyev (1yr x $775k), F Robby Fabbri (PTO), G Marc-Andre Fleury (PTO), HC Dan Muse

Subtractions: D Conor Timmins (to BUF), G Alex Nedjelkovic (to SJS), D Matt Grzelcyk (to CHI), F Matt Nieto (FA), F Emil Bemstrom (FA), F Vasily Ponomarev (KHL), D Pierre-Olivier Joseph (to VAN), HC Mike Sullivan

Retentions/Extensions: F Connor Dewar (1yr x $1.1M), F Philip Tomasino (1yr x $1.75M)

The Pittsburgh Penguins had the longest playoff streak across the four major sports leagues in North America with 16 years in a row. There is a bit of an asterisk as the team lost in the qualifying round in the 2020 bubble, after being upset by the Montreal Canadiens. Nonetheless, for a decade and a half, this team was a playoff calibre team. In 2023, the team missed the postseason outright for the first time since Crosby’s rookie season. They brought in Kyle Dubas to try and build a team around Sid for one last run, and that began with the Erik Karlsson trade, which brought the Norris Trophy winner from that season to Pittsburgh. While there was some excitement of what Crosby and Karlsson could achieve together, there was also some hesitancy, as both players were in their mid to late thirties. The aggressive move did not work, as Pittsburgh was further from the playoffs as they were the year before, and in 2024-25, the downward trend continued.

When do you throw in the towel and accept that your team is in desperate need of a rebuild? Unfortunately for Dubas, Crosby does not want to go anywhere, and as long as he is in town the team will never be bad enough to get a top five pick, but with the makeup of the rest of the roster, also not good enough to compete. Last year they were sellers at the deadline, and managed to trade their way into having three first round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft, certainly a start for the rebuild that is set to take place when Sid calls it a career. Him and EK65 both have two more years on their current contracts. Crosby will be 40 and Karlsson will be 37, so it seems likely the two will play out their contracts, and then in 2027 the team will be able to officially mark the beginning of a new era.

Evgeni Malkin, another Penguins legend, is on the final year of his contract and both sides seem to be trending towards parting ways after the year. Malkin is third in franchise history with 1346 points (which would be better than third all time for a lot of teams; he just happens to be behind Crosby and Lemieux). He has won three Stanley Cups with the Penguins, and racked up some individual hardware as well: Calder Trophy, 2x Art Ross Trophy, 1x Hart Trophy, 1x Ted Lindsay, and was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner in 2009. Now it looks like Malkin will not be in Pittsburgh this time next year, but it is not clear where he will be. Could he finish his professional career back in Russia? Does he try to win another Cup with a new team? Again, it is not clear what his intentions are, but there is a chance that the longtime Pen could be traded this season as many contending teams would love to add someone with his experience and pedigree.

Kris Letang is 38 years old, and still has three years left on his contract. I find it hard to believe he will finish that contract, and I expect him to retire before it is up. I can imagine him and Crosby playing alongside each other in their final game. Getting the same treatment that Marc-Andre Fleury got in the preseason this year, as he was brought in on a PTO to finish his playing career in a Penguins uniform.

To say this team is in need of a rebuild is an understatement, but I guess that is what happens when you try to compete for 20 years. They do not even have a young and up and coming player to point at as a piece for the future and someone to take over when the veterans retire. Their next two best forwards are both over thirty, in Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust, who both had solid statistical years, playing on the top line with Crosby. Rakell had 35 goals and 70 points, and Rust had 31 goals and 65 points. Luckily for Dubas, they are not franchise legends, and are two very likely trade candidates this season.

To fill out the roster, the team added a ton of depth pieces this offseason. The most notable of them being Anthony Mantha, Matt Dumba, Connor Clifton, and Arturs Silovs. Silovs is most known for being forced into the starter role during the Canucks 2024 playoff run, where he had the task of stopping McDavid and Draisaitl from scoring. He was solid and his performance put him on the radar for many. Last year, he won the Calder Cup in Abbotsford, winning the Playoff MVP award with a .931 SV%, 2.01 GAA, and 5 shutouts en route to being crowned an AHL champion. At age 24, he appears to be the backup to start the season, but could take over as the team’s starter and future goaltender should Tristan Jarry fail to bounce back after a 2024-25 season that saw him placed on waivers.

Sidney Crosby is on a milestone watch this season. He is 13 points away from 1700 career points, and would become just the ninth player to ever do that. Additionally, he is 36 points behind Mario Lemieux all time, and 37 more points would make him the franchise’s all time leading scorer. Sid the (no longer a) Kid has been the face of the NHL basically since he was drafted in 2005. Saying he is the face of the league is not as true as it was in the 2010s, as players like Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews have become household names and superstars in this league. But Crosby is still one of the best players in the league, even as he enters his 21st season in the NHL. It will be a sad day when he retires, so make an effort to watch him while you still can.

The Penguins are in for another season that ends in April, I am not going to sugarcoat it. Five years ago, Crosby and Malkin was enough to get them into the playoffs, but those days are over, the rest of the league is just better. I could understand if fans did not want to break up the legendary duo and trade away Malkin, but if there is a trade on the table that is too good to pass up, if I am Dubas, I take it. The Penguins had a top 5 pick in the draft for five years in a row (Ryan Whitney, Pick 5, 2002; Marc-Andre Fleury, Pick 1, 2003; Evgeni Malkin, Pick 2, 2004; Sidney Crosby, Pick 1, 2005; Jordan Staal, Pick 2, 2006). But it culminated in the team becoming a legit team, with 16 straight playoff appearances, and three Stanley Cups. All I am saying to Pens fans, is that it might take a while, more than a couple seasons before you get back to being a contender, let alone a playoff team. Buckle up, the inevitable rebuild is coming.