The Pittsburgh Penguins are about 48 hours from opening the 2026-27 regular season, and the familiar core is still front and center. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are all in line to play major roles again in their 21st season together, though only Letang is signed beyond this year.
That contract situation was part of the discussion when general manager Kyle Dubas met with the media before the season began. Asked where things stood with Malkin and his camp regarding a possible future with the Penguins, Dubas made his stance clear.
“I’m not going to do this day-to-day, year-by-year thing with Geno again this year,” Dubas answered.
There was a real sense entering last season that it could be Malkin’s final run in Pittsburgh. Josh Yohe of The Athletic reported it that way, too. But Malkin’s play changed the conversation fast.
After two straight seasons below a point-per-game pace, he bounced back in 2025-26 with 61 points - 19 goals and 42 assists - in 56 regular-season games. That production helped lift Pittsburgh from the middle of the pack to third in the NHL in goals for.
The Penguins’ season ended in the first round against their rival Philadelphia Flyers, but Malkin still made it known afterward that he wanted to keep playing in the NHL, whether that was in Pittsburgh or elsewhere. On May 26, Dubas and Malkin agreed to a one-year, $5.5 million deal that kept him with the Penguins for this season and kept him from reaching unrestricted free agency.
In Other News...
Penguins Final Roster Squeeze Just Got More Complicated
The Penguins have started tightening things up as final roster decisions loom, trimming the camp group and moving a few players to injured reserve while the organization gets closer to opening night. It is the kind of housekeeping that always brings a little clarity, even if it also reminds everyone how much still has to be sorted out.
Kyle Dubas is scheduled to address reporters soon, and it will be the first real chance for questions since the NHL draft. Beyond the roster churn, there is still plenty of league-wide noise around trade interest in players such as Connor Hellebuyck and Dylan Larkin, while a recent wave of 71 players on waivers has only added to the sense that teams everywhere are trying to squeeze the last bit of order out of a crowded preseason. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Injuries Just Created A Roster Test Dubas Cant Avoid
Preseason injuries have already forced the Penguins into an uneasy spot, and the ripple effect has opened the door a little wider for some of the younger players trying to stick. Pittsburgh has been careful about fast-tracking prospects under general manager Kyle Dubas, preferring to supplement around the edges with veterans, but the current camp situation has created more urgency than planned and more chances than expected for players trying to earn a longer look.
Rutger McGroarty is among the names that suddenly matter more in that equation, because every extra absence changes the balance between development and immediate help. The Penguins are still trying to manage a transition without rushing it, but injuries have a way of making those decisions less theoretical, and Dubas may have to sort out which young players can really hold up now rather than later. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Could Be Forced Into A Short Term Roster Fix
The Penguins are already juggling a tight roster, and the recent wave of injuries has only made the math harder. With several players on injured reserve and Bryan Rust plus Andrei Kuzmenko still in uncertain territory, Pittsburgh is staring at a situation where it may need a short-term fix just to keep the lineup functional.
One possible route is the waiver wire, where the front office could look for a player who can slide in quickly and handle a temporary role without forcing a bigger structural change. Colin Blackwell and Sam Lafferty have come up as names that fit that kind of need, though there has been no confirmation that the Penguins are actually making a move yet. [Read more 🡒]