THN Penguins Predictions: Which Players Will Lead Team Awards Categories?

With a new season just around the corner, the Pittsburgh Penguins are gearing up for yet another training camp.

But this time around – unlike in seasons past – 2024-25 could be full of surprises.

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As such, we will break down some storylines to expect this season and provide you with some bold – and some not-so-bold – predictions for the 2024-25 campaign.

Next up: Which Penguins’ players will lead each major Penguins’ awards category?

Kelsey’s Predictions

Penguins Vezina Trophy: Joel Blomqvist

With Alex Nedeljkovic on injured reserve to start 2024-25 – and 12 games in 18 days to begin the season – Blomqvist will certainly get an opportunity from the get-go to prove himself at the NHL level.

He was an AHL All-Star last season, and he posted a 2.16 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. His preseason started out rough in Buffalo, but he gained momentum as it bore on and was spectacular for the rest of it.

Related: Penguins’ Goaltending Prospects Making Their Mark on Training Camp

I’ve said this in a couple of different places, but my bold prediction for the season is that he’s the starting goaltender by the end of it. And it’ll be because he’s the team’s best goaltender.

Penguins Lady Byng Trophy: Rickard Rakell

The guy has never had more than 27 penalty minutes across his 12-year career, and he’s only hit 20 twice. He’s also poised to play on the Penguins’ first power play unit and be on the ice in more favorable offensive situations, which should help his plus-minus as well.

I’m predicting a total of 10 penalty minutes over a full-length season.

Penguins Maurice “Rocket” Richard: Rickard Rakell and Sidney Crosby (Tie)

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Rakell is going to bounce back in a big way this season. Injuries and a slow start derailed his season last year, but after his initial IR stint, he finished the season on a 23-goal, 53-point pace – all while dealing with a shoulder injury that probably affected his shooting ability.

Rakell has been zipping the puck in training camp. He is being deployed as a shoot-first bumper on the Penguins’ first power play unit. I’m going bold here and saying he sets a career high with 37 goals this season.

And on that same note, Crosby is going to continue doing what he does. Without his primary trigger man in Jake Guentzel, he’s probably going to shoot the puck a lot more as opposed to deferring like he did with Guentzel.

There will be a slight drop in goal production from last season’s 42, only because the talent around him isn’t quite as elite as Guentzel is. So he’ll also register 37.

Penguins Calder Trophy: Rutger McGroarty

This is likely a two-horse race between McGroarty and Blomqvist. And as good as I think Blomqvist will be, McGroarty’s offensive upside is hard to ignore.

In the final pre-season game against Columbus, he was lighting it up with Lars Eller and Jesse Puljujarvi. Their line combined for four goals and 10 points in that game, and they were dominant out there against a NHL lineup.

Related: Penguins’ Top Prospect McGroarty Carving Out New Role

And this is the Penguins’ third line. With injuries almost inevitable and instability in the top-six, there’s a good chance McGroarty sees time with Crosby or Evgeni Malkin as long as he stays on the roster this season. And, therefore, there is even greater potential for offensive production.

His hockey smarts are evident. His training camp showed strong growth from start to finish. This guy is going to make a pretty immediate impact for the Penguins.

Penguins Frank J. Selke Trophy: Bryan Rust

The obvious choice here would be Crosby, who has received Selke votes for years at this point for his 200-ft. game. But Crosby’s defensive numbers have dipped in recent seasons, likely due to aging and him needing to take more offensive risks to offset the team’s poor production and finishing numbers.

So, I’m going to go with Rust this season. Not only is Rust a conscientious defensive player, he’s also capable of point-per-game numbers, he’s had five straight 20-plus goal seasons, and he plays on both special teams units well.

He’s the literal definition of a 200-ft. player as a Swiss army knife who can be deployed in every situation and see success.

Penguins Norris Trophy: Erik Karlsson

Many were disappointed with Karlsson’s season in 2023-24. I was not one of them.

However, that doesn’t mean he was without his shortcomings. There is room for improvement offensively, as he put up 11 goals and 56 points in 82 games following his 101-point campaign with the San Jose Sharks a year earlier. He wasn’t able to revive a dead Penguins’ power play last season, which is something that has already looked better in the pre-season games they played.

With a full season within the Penguins’ system under his belt – and, hopefully, a full season alongside stay-at-home defensive partner Marcus Pettersson – Karlsson should have his breakout with the Penguins.

Penguins Hart Trophy: Sidney Crosby

This is really the only answer for this one. As always, Sid will lead the way in points, and he’ll break Gretzky’s point-per-game seasons record by registering his 20th.

Before training camp, I predicted Crosby would only come away with 83 points. After witnessing training camp and seeing some of the youthful energy on the roster, I’d like to amend that total to 87. He’s going to register 87 points this season.

And, along the way, he’s going to once again prove why he’s arguably the greatest captain in sports. Crosby is the heartbeat of the Penguins, and he will be their most valuable player until the day he hangs up the skates.

Ryan’s Predictions

Penguins Vezina Trophy: Joel Blomqvist

Tristan Jarry’s best season came in 2021-22, and since then, his GAA numbers have gone up, and his SV% has gone down. Things got so out of hand last season that he wasn’t even the team’s go-to guy during the run for a wild card spot. The lease is short this season, and with each goal against, it grows even shorter.

Related: Goalie Week: Celebrating Longest Shutout Streaks in Penguins History

Of course, Alex Nedeljkovic could come back from LTIR and attempt to save the season again, but Joel Blomqvist will be the difference maker for the goalie platoon this year. If he continues to be strong between the pipes, there’s a chance he will get more than a few starts and could set up the Penguins for long-term success with a breakout campaign.

Penguins Lady Byng Trophy: Drew O’Connor

Drew O’Connor played a career-high 79 games in 2023-24, collecting 33 points with 16 goals and 20 penalty minutes. He was also plus-14, the second-best total of any player on the team.

Out of all the players who played more than 50 games last season, O’Connor had the least penalty minutes, now that both Reilly Smith and Jeff Carter are gone. Thus far in his career, O’Connor has collected only 38 penalty minutes in 157 games, making him an excellent candidate to win the award if a minimum amount of games, say 50, is played.

However, if there is no limit and someone like Jonathan Gruden comes up for 12 games and gets one penalty, he’d be the obvious winner, but the Lady Byng never goes to the guy with the fewest games played.

Penguins Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy: Sidney Crosby

Is it even fair to have so many awards options when most of the fanbase knows that the front-runner for all the hardware is one of the game’s greatest players? In 2023-24, Crosby collected his third 40-goal season of his career, and like a fine wine, he continues to get better with age.

Related: Crazy Statistic That Defines Crosby’s Longevity

Now on the cusp of 600 goals, the Penguins captain will be gunning for those eight goals out of the gate, and with another healthy season, he could easily get back 40 goals, inching him closer to 650.

Only eight players have scored 700 goals in their careers, and with three seasons left on his contract, even three 30-goal seasons would bring him close to that total. Still, as one of his generation’s most motivated and gifted hockey players, he’s only 108 goals away, meaning he could be the team’s Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy winner until 2027.

Penguins Calder Trophy: Rutger McGroarty

This particular award won’t have many contenders, meaning it’s Rutger McGroarty’s to lose. At 20 years old, he’ll be one of the youngest players to make their debut in the Crosby era, which dates back to 2005-06.

No longer a one-dimensional player, recently adding penalty killing to his skillset, McGroarty could end up scoring 15 goals and give Jordan Staal’s rookie record of seven shorthanded goals a run for its money.

Penguins Frank J. Selke Trophy: Sidney Crosby

Although Crosby is now 37 years old, the savvy veteran understands the importance of playing a 200-foot game. Last year, he led all Penguins centers with a plus-7 rating, which was good enough for seventh overall. He finished ninth in Selke Trophy voting, the highest since his fourth-place finish in 2018-19.

As mentioned, Pittsburgh will challenge for a playoff spot if Crosby continues to produce at a point-per-game pace and contributes on both sides of the ice. Considering he’s the best skater in the lineup, his performances every night go much deeper than his ability to score goals and set up teammates.

Penguins Norris Trophy: Marcus Pettersson

Marcus Pettersson could be a free agent in July 2025 and is coming off his best season as an NHLer with 30 points in 82 games, with a plus-28 rating to lead the team. He also led the team in blocks (159) and was second in hits (121).

Often, the best defenseman award goes to the skater with the most points, which is an accurate way to hand out the award. However, in the case of the Penguins, Pettersson will be this season’s front-runner because of his overall performance.

Of course, the argument will be that Karlsson is the best defenseman on the team, but he’s not always willing to sacrifice his body for a blocked shot or to lay out an opponent who crosses into the zone. On the other hand, Letang does both of those and usually ranks among the top skaters in each category.

Pettersson is getting the nod here because he’s playing for a big payday next summer. As the player with the third most minutes out of anyone, he’ll go above and beyond this year to improve his chances of cashing in as a free agent, whether it’s in Pittsburgh or somewhere else.

Penguins Hart Trophy: Sidney Crosby

Crosby will most likely win the team’s Art Ross trophy for the 14th time in his career, but he will also be the team’s most valuable player. As has been the case for his 20-year career, the Penguins will only go as far as he can carry them.

Related: 7 Fascinating Statistics About Sidney Crosby’s Career

Of course, other stars, including Malkin, Letang, and Karlsson, are on the team, but the Penguins win and lose with their captain, and Crosby is chasing several personal milestones in 2024-25, including 600 goals and 1,600 points.

Now that the contract extensions talk is behind him, Crosby will do everything he can to remain healthy and help the Penguins snap their two-year playoff drought, the longest of his distinguished career.