Penguins hope veteran core ushers in 2026 success with Crosby, Malkin in twilights

Yes, the Penguins are running it back with their biggest names, at least one more time.

There was some doubt whether GM Kyle Dubas would bring future Hockey Hall of Fame center Evgeni Malkin back for another year at age 40, despite a resurgent campaign in which he scored 19 goals and totaled 61 points in just 56 games in 2025-26.

Advertisement

The two sides agreed to a one-year deal in May, though, that will give Malkin one more chance alongside long-time teammates Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang, with whom he’s hoisted the Stanley Cup three times.

Required reading: Pittsburgh Penguins make big bet on Ville Koivunen despite lack of NHL production

Together, they’ll look to bounce back from a first-round playoff loss to the cross-state rival Philadelphia Flyers.

It was bitter in the sense that their most hated foe triumphed at their expense. It was sweet in the sense that no one knew whether the three stars would ever share a playoff stage again after bowing out in seven games against the New York Rangers at the end of the 2021-22 season.

Advertisement

Now that they have, Dubas will once again attempt the high wire act of building the franchise’s future while the soul Crosby, Malkin and Letang represent remains intact.

• Record last season: 41-25-16 (98 points)

• Coach: Dan Muse (second season)

• 2026-27 title odds: +8000, per BetMGM

• Projected point total: 90

Key roster additions

Key roster losses

Biggest question entering season

Did Kyle Dubas make the right moves with his blue line?

Only one Eastern Conference team – the reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes – scored more goals than the Penguins last season. On the flip side, only two Eastern Conference teams allowed more. GM Kyle Dubas responded by trading established veteran defenseman Wotherspoon (three goals, 27 assists) to Las Vegas and letting counterpart Shea (six goals, 29 assists) walk in free agency to Edmonton. Korczak, van Riemsdyk and Declan Carlile – signed to a two-year contract in free agency – step into that void with lesser track records.

Advertisement

One could argue it’s a nice blank slate to start over with after leaking so many goals in 2025-26. One could also argue it’s a risky strategy that flirts with disaster if these moves don’t work out.

Expect all three acquisitions to be in the mix for major minutes. Prospects Harrison Brunicke and Owen Pickering could make bids to ascend to the active roster after promising seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton minor league affiliate last season.

Letang will also be in the spotlight along the Penguins’ blue line. The three-time Stanley Cup champion scored just three goals in 74 games last season. It was his lowest total in a mostly healthy season since 2009-10.

Erik Karlsson, meanwhile, will look to keep his renaissance from 2025-26 going. He had 15 goals and 51 assists for a total of 66 points. That’s the kind of puck mover the Penguins hoped they were getting when they acquired the then-reigning Norris Trophy winner coming off a 101-point season in the summer of 2023. They’ll hope for more of the same as he enters the final year of his contract with Pittsburgh.

Advertisement

Projected forward lines (left to right)

• Andrei Kuzmenko – Ben Kindel – Nicholas Robertson

Projected defense pairings (left to right)

• Trevor van Riemsdyk – Erik Karlsson

• Declan Carlile – Kaedan Korczak

Projected goaltenders

Potential disruptors

Ville Koivunen signed a lucrative eight-year contract extension with the club in the offseason despite a resume that includes just 14 points at the NHL level. The team has every incentive to find a spot for him as quickly as possible in the event of injury or struggles from anyone on the third line down. Rutger McGroarty is also a name worth watching after nine points during the Baby Penguins’ Calder Cup playoff run this past spring. Defensively, Brunicke seems best positioned to push for NHL minutes.

Advertisement

What to expect in 2026-27 NHL season

Crosby and Letang are 39. Malkin is 40. Karlsson is the young gun member of the veteran core at … 36. Age could catch up to any of them at any time.

Until then, it’s reasonable to assume that this team will continue to score consistently. Rakell and Rust have proven to be capable running mates for Crosby for years. Chinakhov was a pleasant surprise with 18 goals in 43 games after he was acquired at midseason from Columbus. He seems to have found a home within Muse’s system. And Ben Kindel has upside after a rookie season in which he tallied 17 goals.

On the flip side, it’s unreasonable to assume much has been solved defensively until it is. Compounding that issue is uncertainty in net. Silovs is back after producing solidly alongside Skinner last season, but he’s still played less than a full season of NHL hockey with 56 career games. Murashov is the team’s top prospect, whom it’s been careful with on the development track. Blomqvist struggled when he got a cup of coffee with the big club two years ago but has kept the heat on Murashov in the minors.

Advertisement

There’s a chance everything works out and this team nips at Carolina’s heels in the Metropolitan Division. It seems more likely to find itself in a dogfight to make the playoffs again. We’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and project another first-round playoff loss, but one rough patch over the winter could easily have them on the outside looking in.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Penguins hope veteran core ushers in 2026 success with Crosby, Malkin in twilights