If one thing is for certain when the Pittsburgh Penguins open training camp a month from now, it’s that they have a whole lot of players in the mix for precious few spots on the roster.
And that is, perhaps, most evident when taking a look at the forward group.
Right now, the Penguins have 13 forwards on their active roster, which – if no trades are made prior to the start of the season – will include surefire top-six players in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, and Rickard Rakell. There is a lot of talk about who will occupy those other two top-six spots, but – realistically – anyone slotted there will certainly have to earn it.
Top forward prospects Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen come to mind, as they showed they belonged in a brief stint to end the season. But even they are not guaranteed to make the roster, as they are not even part of that group of 13.
Aside from those two, however, nine other players will compete for not even just top-six time, but roster spots in general. That includes free agent signings Anthony Mantha and Justin Brazeau as well as returnees in Philip Tomasino, Connor Dewar, Tommy Novak, Danton Heinen, Kevin Hayes, Blake Lizotte, and Noel Acciari.
So this begs the question: What will the Penguins’ bottom-six shape up to be in 2025-26?
It’s largely dependent on the team’s goals for this season
At the end of the day, we will see just how committed Penguins’ GM and POHO Kyle Dubas and new head coach Dan Muse are to shifting the focus to youth and development.
Should players like McGroarty, Koivunen, and Filip Hallander push for roster spots and make the NHL team, it’s safe to say they value prioritizing where their youth talent should be playing rather than where it’s most convenient.
But, if not, it says a lot about where the team is headed next season. Aside from committing to the tank, there’s no discernible reason to keep two or three young players who are certainly ready and capable of playing NHL minutes from, indeed, playing those minutes.
However, that would require some maneuvering on the current NHL roster. The Penguins could take a gander at the trade market to test the value of some of their bottom-six veterans or ultimately waive a few players by the end of camp in order to make room for the youth movement.
If a situation arises where all three of McGroarty, Koivunen, and Hallander make the NHL roster – and McGroarty and Koivunen are iced in the top-six – the bottom-six could end up looking something like this:
Hallander – Novak – Mantha
Dewar – Lizotte – Brazeau
Hayes, Tomasino
It is reasonable to suggest that Acciari could be dealt prior to training camp for the right price, and both he and Heinen are players that the Penguins could ultimately decide to waive at the end of training camp if they are not able to find suitors for them. It’s also possible that they waive or deal one more of Hayes or Tomasino in order to keep eight defensemen instead of 14 forwards.
And if they do commit to the tank…?
Well, then, we’re unlikely to see at least McGroarty and Koivunen make the roster out of training camp.
To be clear, Dubas has said that he wants the younger players to earn a roster spot instead of it being handed to them. He believes creating that competition will, hopefully, help separate them as opposed to block them.
“I think the key thing is that we want these guys to earn it,” Dubas said prior to free agency. “So, if we just start handing the guys spots, we’re going to very quickly lose what I think the Penguins have been about for a very long time and what’s made the Penguins a great team in the league since the early 90s.
“It’s right there for them. We’re not going to block them, but they’re going to have to go out and prove that they can be here, and they’re going to have to earn their way here… It’s trying to find that balance between not blocking players but making them earn it and also having enough depth to be competitive on a nightly basis.”
While Dubas seems very sincere in wanting this to be the case, it’s definitely worth considering – once again – that a roster spot is even open for them as of now. While it very well could be all about creating healthy competition, it could also be about not wanting to rush development if Dubas feels like the team will bottom out this season.
Sans McGroarty, Koivunen, and Hallander? Mantha and either Novak or Tomasino likely lands in the top-six, which leaves a potential bottom-six of:
Heinen – Hayes – Tomasino
Dewar – Lizotte – Brazeau
Acciari
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