Is the 2025-26 Penguins roster too good for its own good?

Sports

add

The Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t fond of the word “rebuild,” even though an uneducated eye could see what’s happening with their roster.

But there’s one word they’re likely avoiding even more — one of the dirtiest words in professional sports. Fans might quietly prefer that their team resorts to it, but under no circumstances do teams utter the word “tank.”

Right now, no one would accuse Kyle Dubas and the Penguins of tanking.

But why shouldn’t they tank?

The Penguins have been on a downward trajectory for many years now and haven’t made the playoffs for three straight seasons. No one is expecting them to end that streak this season.

While Dubas has done well to add badly needed prospects and draft picks, he’s missing one vital piece of a rebuild: young star power. He does have the look of good NHL players in Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen, Harrison Brunicke and three first-round picks from June. But what about greatness?

A true, potential star is the one thing the Penguins’ system is missing, and without it, you can’t really win. And without a top-five pick in the draft, it becomes that much more difficult to find.

So, in short, the Penguins have a problem.

The NHL regular season begins in 35 days, when the Penguins will be on national television at Madison Square Garden — coincidentally, the same building where they last played a Stanley Cup playoff game. We have some questions to ask about the Penguins. The answer won’t be a resounding yes to all of them, but it could be to some, which is the point.

Could you imagine Sidney Crosby putting up his customary 90 to 100 points, even at 38 years old? Sure. In fact, it would be something of a surprise if he didn’t.

Could you imagine Evgeni Malkin having some special moments and even an increase in performance in his likely final NHL season? I can. Great ones don’t like embarrassing themselves in the end. Malkin is very clearly not what he was, but it would be a mistake to disregard his ability, even now.

What if Malkin is a little bit better this season and Crosby remains at his current level?

There is absolutely nothing Dubas can do about it. He is committed to Crosby as his captain for as long as he wants to be, which is proper. Crosby is the Penguins — the rare sports figure who is larger than the logo. Dubas is also committed to Malkin playing out his contract while getting the fanfare a Hall of Famer deserves on his way out.

Other situations, however, are very much within Dubas’ control.

I could imagine Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell having excellent seasons again. I could also foresee Anthony Mantha fitting in quite well, while Koivunen and McGroarty exceed expectations a bit. I could see Tristan Jarry duplicating his March and April form from last season, even though he’s wildly inconsistent. It’s very much in play. If all of those things happen, the Penguins will be better than you think. No, not good. But better. And better is a problem.

Rust, Rakell and Karlsson are still on the roster, which qualifies as a resounding surprise.

Dubas has been free to trade Rust for more than two months. He’s been free to trade Rakell for much longer than that. Karlsson, from my understanding, is willing to waive his no-movement clause for certain teams.

There are two specific reasons why trading these three makes sense:

• Especially in the cases of Rust and Rakell, they’d produce a significant return of prospects, draft picks or young NHL players.

• Their respective departures would make the 2025-26 Penguins considerably worse.

Two of those three players need to be traded soon, even if Dubas doesn’t get the massive return he wants. At some point, getting worse and freeing up money might be more important than the return.

This isn’t just about no-doubt No. 1 draft pick Gavin McKenna sitting at the end of the rainbow in Happy Valley, though make no mistake, that would be the preference. In 1984, along came Mario Lemieux. Then, Crosby came to Pittsburgh 21 years later. If McKenna arrives 21 years after Crosby, then, well, we’d have to acknowledge that the hockey gods — or NHL commissioner Gary Bettman — really do love the flightless birds.

Aside from that, the 2026 NHL Draft is, by most accounts, the best we’ve seen in a while. There is serious talent in the top five of this draft. And there’s even more to the idea that the Penguins should be something less than invested in the 2025-26 season.

Let’s look at money.

The Penguins are $13 million under the salary cap, which is enough to illustrate that winning isn’t the priority this season. Look ahead a few months, however, and you’ll note that the Penguins are projected to have approximately $53 million in cap space next summer. Do the math, and imagine how much that figure will rise if either Rust or Rakell is dealt. Imagine the number if Karlsson is dealt, even if the Penguins do retain a chunk of his $10 million cap hit.

The 2025-26 season was always going to be the clunker for Dubas and the Penguins. Kevin Hayes, Noel Acciari and Danton Heinen remain on the books for one more season. That’s almost $8 million in cap space on three players no one else wants, but in less than a year, they’re off the books. Other financial issues remain — see Graves, Ryan; or Jarry, Tristan; or Letang, Kris — but the fact remains that the Penguins will have an enormous amount of money to spend starting next summer.

Championships aren’t won on July 1, but they are won with good decision-making and financial flexibility. The former appears evident in Dubas’ job performance over the past 18 months, while the latter is very much on the way.

However, there’s no way around the elephant in the room. The Penguins should tank this season, and not just for a shot at McKenna. They should tank to get away from the middle. They should tank to hit rock bottom. No, it’s not fun, and no, it won’t be an enjoyable season for Crosby or for fans. But given the Penguins’ situation, the longer they put off hitting rock bottom, the longer they put off their springboard back to the top.

The Penguins should enjoy Malkin’s farewell tour. They should continue to marvel at Crosby.

Otherwise, they should be focused on the summer of 2026. That’s the draft that truly matters. That’s the free-agency window that could instantly see the Penguins improve. Rebuilds don’t need to take long, but they need the rock-bottom moment that resets everything, frees money and locates true star power.

It’s time.

(Photo of Gavin McKenna: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

Share on

email

Previous

trending_flat

US Open: Jessica Pegula moves on to semifinals for second straight year after knocking off Barbora Krejčíková

Sports

Next

Kluby z Premier League v létě rekordně utrácely. Za posily daly 3,19 miliardy liber

Sports