Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2026-27 Lineup Projections: Forwards

With August just around the corner, the onset of NHL training camps is drawing nearer and nearer, which means time is beginning to dwindle for any kind of roster reshuffling prior to the 2026-27 season.

And, if general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins elect not to change anything up in the meantime, things will be quite interesting once the season gets underway.

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The Penguins have been a relatively active team since the end of the 2025-26 season, as they have added a few players via trade and free agency. But through that addition, a bit of a logjam has been created both in the forward unit and on the blue line, even if it gives the team a whole lot of options as far as lineups.

There is particular intrigue in the forward unit. There are a handful of prospects who should be pushing for NHL roster spots next season and a few more seasoned players like David Gustafsson and – depending on health – Filip Hallander, but there are also 14 more established NHL players in front of them to beat out.

For these purposes, we can’t assume that any trades will be made, however likely it may seem. So, barring there is no roster movement prior to training camp and the beginning of the season, what will the Penguins’ forward lineup look like?

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Projected forward lineup:

Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust

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Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin

Andrei Kuzmenko – Ben Kindel – Nicholas Robertson

Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Elmer Soderblom

Extras: Hendrix Lapierre, Justin Brazeau

Center or not?

Ultimately, the decision was made to place Rakell back on the first line with Crosby and Rust. Simply put, it’s a line that has mostly worked for the Penguins in the last several years, and it’s hard to remove Rust or Rakell from that line when they’re hovering around 30 goals every season.

However, the Penguins were very impressed with the work Rakell put in at center last season, so it would not be surprising to see him start the season centering the second line. He needs to put in some work in the faceoff dot to be truly effective there, but all other aspects of his game improved pretty substantially playing the position down last season’s home stretch without Crosby and Malkin – and he also registered 14 goals and 24 points in a 20-game stretch during that time.

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Rakell’s versatility gives the Penguins options for their top-nine configuration, and it opens the door for some others like Kuzmenko and Robertson to get looks alongside Crosby. It would also help bolster his trade value if that’s a road the Penguins are still interested in.

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Breakout candidates

Well, the obvious answers here are Kindel and Robertson, as both are young players with potentially higher ceilings to reach, especially in Kindel’s case.

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As an 18-year-old, Kindel put up 17 goals and 35 points in 77 games, and that was with him largely being deployed as the team’s third-line center with a rotating cast of characters on either wing. One thing he should benefit from this season right off the bat is the potential for more consistency on his wings, as Robertson brings speed and scoring ability and Kuzmenko – while not the most fleet of foot – can also put the puck in the back of the net and has some creativity to boot.

There is also room for him to work his way up the ladder to second-line center by the end of the season, which should increase his production ceiling even more.

Robertson, 24, had a similar line to Kindel last season with 16 goals and 32 points in 78 games, which were largely played in Toronto’s bottom-six. There is certainly a higher goal-scoring ceiling to reach, and if he can develop some chemistry with Kindel or earn a spot in the top-six – depending on how the Penguins decide to deploy Rakell – it stands to reason that he should find some offensive momentum in Pittsburgh.

Kuzmenko could also be considered a bit of a breakout candidate, as the 30-year-old has not been able to replicate his 39-goal, 74-point rookie campaign with the Vancouver Canucks. The talent is there, the execution just needs to show up again – and he needs to stay healthy.

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Finally, don’t forget about Soderblom: He may not be scoring 20, but he showed legitimate signs of offensive upside with his ability on the forecheck and soft hands last season, and both Dewar and Lizotte have enough offensive upside to help elevate Soderblom’s production.

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How high for Chinakhov?

Chinakhov – who signed a three-year extension earlier this month – is, without a doubt, arguably going to be the most fascinating player to watch for the Penguins next season.

As was well-documented last season, Chinakhov had just three goals and six points in 29 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets prior to his late-December arrival in Pittsburgh. Then, a switch flipped, and he closed out the season with 18 goals and 36 points in 43 games with Pittsburgh.

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Was his half-season sample in Pittsburgh a sign of things to come? If so, the Penguins are looking at having another 35-goal, 70-point player on their hands, and there is some belief in the organization that his ceiling is even higher than that, bordering on star potential.

But, if not, it would be a massive blow to their top-six. He also has to stay healthy, too, which has been a challenge throughout his career.

Chinakhov has immense goal-scoring talent. If he can find a way to continue replicating the success he had with the Penguins last season, that will be a huge deal for a team that is looking to take steps toward sustainable contention next season and beyond.

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Pushy pushy prospects

Unfortunately, the Penguins’ prospects on the brink of regular NHL minutes – as well as Gustafsson and Hallander – are likely to be the ones to lose out if the team goes into training camp with its roster as constructed.

But that doesn’t mean they can’t earn a spot.

Take Kindel last season, who was not remotely supposed to be in the conversation for a full-time NHL roster spot prior to camp. His, along with defensive prospect Harrison Brunicke’s, camp was so impressive that Pittsburgh had no choice but to keep him around for at least a nine-game trial. Then, when Kindel took that and exceeded expectations even further, he earned a permanent spot.

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That’s probably what it is going to take for guys like Rutger McGroarty, Avery Hayes, Tristan Broz, and Ville Koivunen to earn NHL roster spots out of camp, especially since all will be waivers-exempt except Koivunen, who is still an RFA without a contract. They will have to beat out the likes of Lapierre, Brazeau, and Soderblom in order to make the cut, and they probably won’t make the cut if they figure to be spending time in the press box.

Realistically, there may be one NHL roster spot for the taking. No one in the projected top-nine will come out of the lineup, and neither will Dewar and Lizotte – and that’s likely to be the case regardless of how impressive a camp any of the prospects have.

So, it’s an uphilll climb for all of them, but it’s not an impossible one. Tanner Howe, Mikhail Ilyin, and Bill Zonnon will probably be part of the mix as well, but given what each player has shown at the AHL level, the other four are probably closer on paper.

But, never say never. At the very least, the forward battle at training camp this season figures to be one of the most competitive in recent memory.

Opinion: If Penguins Are To Let Youth Shine, They Need To Make Some Room If the Penguins walk into the season with their roster as currenty constructed, it leaves no room for some of their NHL-ready youth to have a chance at establishing themselves in the NHL.

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