On Wednesday, we get to see the Pittsburgh Penguins back in action for the first time since their series-ending defeat to the Philadelphia Flyers in late April. They will be on the road against those same Flyers this evening, marking seven consecutive games the two teams will have faced each other.
Last year, the Penguins surprised the league and were highly competent and found their way into the playoffs. It was on the backs of Erik Karlsson, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin. That part was kind of predictable. The nice surprises during the season were Ben Kindel’s quick ascension, Egor Chinakhov’s arrival, and Anthony Mantha’s 30-goal campaign. This depth production was vital in pushing the team towards the playoffs.
To make the playoffs again, they are going to need some contributions from the same core and hopefully get some assistance from other areas. This, of course, assumes proper health for a team whose most important players have aged another year.
Heading into this season, I’m going to make some predictions. Not all of them are going to be bold, but sometimes obvious predictions are obvious. Some of them might even contradict each other, but what the hell. Here they are.
Sidney Crosby does it again
Here’s my layup. Sidney Crosby will be a point-per-game player, once again. It is his age 39 season, and basic logic would dictate that this task should be becoming increasingly more difficult with each passing year. However, this is the kind of prediction that I am absolutely not going to jump the gun and say he won’t do it. It’s Sid; he still looks good. Why can’t he do it?
Something that I believe will help the cause is Andrei Kuzmenko playing on the top power play across from Crosby on the left circle. Kuzmenko is a highly effective shooter and all it would take for Sid to pile up assists on the power play is either a direct pass through the seam or passing it up top to Karlsson, who then moves it over to Kuzmenko.
The team is trying out Nick Robertson on Sidney Crosby’s wing. Early returns have been positive this camp. Nick may not be the Robertson brother some Penguins fans were hoping to see on his line, but his profile suggests he may be able to finish Crosby’s setup attempts
He’s 92% in goals and 88% in finishing. What Robertson lacks overall are the kinds of things Sidney Crosby will likely take care of for him. This isn’t quite a Mark Donk situation, just the latest potential example of Crosby elevating another player who has certain skill sets to be mined
Also, how about another record for #87
Karlsson will not finish the season with the Penguins
This one is painful to write. I have gotten so much enjoyment watching Karlsson play on a nightly basis for the Penguins. His raw physical talent is still evident after all these years. What draws me to him even more is how assertive and sometimes bold he is with his choices in using that talent. Karlsson pushes the envelope. He goes for it. He is one of the smartest players on the ice at all times and has the raw skills to actually put these genius plans in motion.
And that is why, for all these reasons, I think he will be on the move. I really don’t think Dubas wants to keep running back an aging core. I just don’t see Dubas giving him term and money on a new deal. Karlsson’s contract is expiring. The Penguins can retain. They could potentially land quite a return for him if he runs back another year like he did in 2025-26.
Karlsson is still chasing a Stanley Cup and it is still his primary motivating factor. I just don’t see it happening in Pittsburgh, and at 37 years of age he can’t be using up the final years of his career on a mid-tier team.
When this trade goes down, the watchability of the Penguins will, too. He does so much heavy lifting to elevate the other players on the team. He gifts the forwards time and space to do things. There’s no next man up who can eat the kind of minutes he gives a team.
I’m going to do my best to enjoy the time we still have with him in the black and gold. It has been a treat to cover him. Even if the logic makes sense to move him I still kinda don’t want it to happen.
Chinkhov is going to keep it going
Egor Chinakhov dropped the Blue Jackets and the ‘Y’ from his first name and hasn’t looked back. He had an electric debut half-season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He scored 18 times in 43 games after the trade, which puts him at a 34-goal season in an 82-game season.
I think he is going to hit 30 goals for the first time ever this year. He has had a full offseason as a Penguin. He is familiar with how things are in Pittsburgh. For now, he is going to get a look on the Penguins top power play with some of the injuries and Kuzmenko’s absence from the team.
Chinakhov was a breath of fresh air last year and one of Dubas’ finer moves in trying to retool this team on the fly.
He is on a team that values him as a player, and no longer is he toiling around as a fourth-line player not getting proper quality of teammates. He will be put in a position to be on a scoring line with the expectation that he scores. I believe he will, 30 times or more.
Malkin will earn another season
I think Evgeni Malkin was great last year all things considered. He is certainly aging and not what he once was. Even his power play prowess looks like it has taken a hit. He is no longer a mainstay on the top unit.
That being said, I think the move to wing has rejuvenated him overall, and it led to him being over a point per game for the first time since the 2022-23 season. He has very good chemistry with Chinakhov, and since I predicted him to score 30 goals in the passage above, that kind of assumes that Malkin is still pulling his weight to make that happen.
Just look at the bounce back he experienced last year
His skating looks good in training camp and in-game action. I think he knows the end is near, and he is trying to make the most of these final seasons.
Kyle Dubas recently made some terse statements about not addressing Malkin’s contract situation during the year. It was a common topic brought up, and he isn’t interested in entertaining it during the 2026-27 year. Some have interpreted this as Malkin’s potential to return for another year as being over. I share Wes’ opinion on the matter
He’s just not going to provide regular updates on that front. I believe if Malkin shows out again, he can find himself playing another year with the black and gold. This isn’t a Karlsson situation. Malkin is a lifer with a full no-movement clause and absolutely no interest in entertaining a trade.
What’s another one-year deal with a low cap hit if he can still be functional?
Dubas will be trying to swing a meaningful trade mid-season
I’m not counting a potential Erik Karlsson trade in this prediction. There will be a separate trade of substance at some point. I don’t think the offseason went quite the way Dubas was hoping. With the cap significantly rising it helped a lot of other teams keep their players around. Players I think Dubas was going to try and target while weaponizing the Penguins cap space.
I don’t think the Penguins have the assets to go big fish hunting, but they do have a lot of draft picks and future cap space. They can continue to target those underappreciated RFA’s.
I think someone like Pavel Mintyukov was on Dubas’ radar before the Ducks went above and beyond with their contract offer to keep him around. This is his wheelhouse, targeting RFA-aged players in situations where their role could be elevated on a new team. Players who might not be in a situation conducive to performing at their best.
I would imagine Dubas is keeping tabs on the situation with the Detroit Red Wings and Simon Edvinsson. The Swedish defender just packed his bags and returned to Sweden as a result of the contract talks not going in a direction he deemed acceptable. Detroit is a mess and the Penguins have quite a bit of cap space to give a better contract.
Edvinsson is just an example of the archetype I think Dubas is looking for; it does not necessarily have to be him. But let’s face it, the Penguins left side of their defense is grim and there’s no doubt it will be a focal point moving forward. Also, how about this spicy coincidence…
On the forwards side of things, a player like Kent Johnson comes to mind. Much like Chinakhov, he isn’t exactly finding success in Columbus’ ecosystem and might be a candidate to target. Although Columbus may not have an appetite to trade with Dubas after the Chinakhov trade
Danila Yurov in Minnesota is a guy who may grow into a top six player, but given Minnesota’s predicament with their Quinn Hughes window, they may not have time to wait on it. Would they rather have a Bryan Rust or Rickard Rakell to help right now?
Will a significant trade come in the form of a veteran to replace Karlsson if he is indeed moved? Dougie Hamilton is probably a player the Devils wouldn’t mind moving with his 9M cap hit in advance of making room for a potential Quinn Hughes cap hit. He only has two years left on the deal, and the Penguins could easily absorb the money. They would also get someone to very functional to eat the minutes Karlsson left behind.
Murashov is here to stay
I’m not going out on a limb here by saying that Sergei Murashov will be an NHL goaltender. His numbers in the lower levels speak to a player on that trajectory. When I watch him play, his movements are incredibly fluid and in control. He has great angles and very good reaction times.
I think he will be the best Penguins goaltender they’ve had since Matt Murray was playing at a quality level. If the Penguins are going to make the playoffs, he is going to have to be one of the main catalysts. He is going to have to be up to the task of playing a starter’s workload. I don’t have a ton of faith in Arturs Silovs splitting the starts evenly and the Penguins coming out the other side OK. This needs to be Sergei’s crease.
I think he ‘s up for it. I don’t think the organization has rushed him. Murashov has a good head on his shoulders and I think he has a locker room full of quality veterans to provide him the proper environment to grow in.
Not to put too much pressure on the guy, but if he shows out and gives the team league average or better on a regular basis it is the kind of variable that might put off that Karlsson trade I am predicting above.
The Penguins goaltending has been so erratic for so long. Some stability would go a long way in buying the team some wiggle room for mistakes and errors along the way.
Hell, they might even win some shootouts!
Kindel has that dog in him
Once Ben Kindel gets through the unfortunate lower body injury he’s been saddled with to start the season, I believe we are going to see an even better version of him this season than last. He’s added much-needed muscle over the offseason and while his brain got him through an impressive rookie campaign, his improved skating power is going to elevate him to earning even more time and space for those hands and decisions.
He is going to be pushing towards being a point-per-game player.
He will get more help at even strength this season. His two most common linemates were Justin Brazeau and Anthony Mantha last year. Two guys who skate like they are in cement. An improved quality of teammate in combination with his physical growth is a great recipe for Kindel to not only pick back up where he left off, but take it to another level.
If Kindel were to play himself onto the top power play on the left circle, the points would flow even more.
I love this kid, and I think the world of him moving forward. Very excited to watch his career play out.
Koivunen will step up
Here’s one of my predictions that has the potential to age poorly, but I’m still going to do it. I think Koivunen finds a spot on the Penguins third line this year and plays alongside Kindel. Koivunen is a smart player with decent hands. He can facilitate when he has time and space. And therein lies the problem he’s had in the NHL.
He hasn’t been able to create the separation needed for him to excel and show off his vision. I don’t think he was physically or mentally quick enough for regular NHL action last year, even if I thought he would be.
What gives me hope are those two blue boxes below
Koivunen is functional. He isn’t completely lost out there. The Finnish forward also has an offensive pulse at the AHL level. The next step for him is obviously generating tangible offense. If it is true that he recommitted himself to getting in better shape and improving his first three strides, then I think there is potential for him to get there. Playing with other smart players (like Kindel) and being able to move better out there is a recipe to see those red boxes finally turn blue.
I like the bet Dubas made, even if the contract was unorthodox. This is a big year to see how it will play out. The way the contract is structured this is a two-year tryout. Koivunen can be bought out.
Given his contract situation, he is going to be given a look before the likes of Rutger McGroarty, Avery Hayes, Bill Zonnon etc.
He’s 23 years old and the time is now for him to show some growth. I predict it will happen.
The Penguins will make the playoffs
Hey why not? I had a ton of fun watching them be in the hunt last year. There are certainly a lot of question marks. The biggest and most obvious being can the elder statesmen continue to not only produce, but stay healthy enough to do so in a now 84-game season.
There’s a lot of forward depth to navigate some injuries to the bottom six. There aren’t a lot of options to replace the top six players. So the prediction is really leaning into good health for the old guys.
Carolina is the only true heavyweight in the division. All the other teams have their own flaws to navigate. I see it as a coin flip.
Tonight’s opener
It appears the Penguins will be giving Arturs Silovs the start against the Flyers. It will be a raucous Philadelphia crowd, and perhaps Dan Muse would rather Silovs navigate that scenario while giving him a chance to get back at the team that eliminated them. Hopefully, we see Murashov sooner rather than later; we likely will.
Some promising sights on the injury front
For Kindel, it is very good to see him on his skates given he has a lower body injury. We will likely get some more information about him and I look forward to hearing some more specifics about what has cost him the start of the year.
As far as lines go, the morning skate seemed optional so we are going to have to see how things shake out tonight
This is from practice yesterday
Here’s to another season of Penguins hockey with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang still together.
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