The Penguins have spent the offseason piling up bodies, and that has pushed a few familiar names into the background. Some of them are injury cases, some are contract complications, and some are simply getting squeezed by the numbers. Even so, with Pittsburgh having used 40 different skaters last season, there’s still a real chance that one or more of these players ends up back in the picture before long.
Caleb Jones is one of the strangest cases on the board. He opened last season in Pittsburgh, dressing in seven of the first eight games, then lost most of the year after breaking an ankle in October.
While rehabbing in the AHL in January, he picked up a shoulder injury, then was suspended for 20 games for a performance enhancing violation that he said stemmed from being involved in that shoulder rehab. After the suspension ended in April, the team announced he would need shoulder surgery anyway.
It was a bizarre, stop-start season from beginning to end.
Now the question is whether he even gets a clean runway to compete. The Penguins are thin on the left side, but they also have a lot of options, and Jones was said to have a 4-6 month recovery from the April surgery.
That puts his availability for training camp in doubt, and coming off a normal offseason of training is hardly a given. Last season he played seven NHL games and had one assist, and that may be the best guide for what comes next.
He could surface for a midseason stretch, or he could end up as a non-factor. Zero games or 15-20 games both feel like live outcomes.
Filip Hallander’s path was messy in a different way. He was another fringe signing who cracked the opening night lineup, even skating on Sidney Crosby’s line out of camp, only to get bumped after two games because his play wasn’t good enough.
He still hung around on a lower line early in the season before a puck hit his leg and led to a clot in November. Hallander went through treatment, even got into some AHL rehab games, and then was shut down for the rest of the year with very little public explanation.
There hasn’t been much reporting out of Sweden on where Hallander stands now, which only adds to the uncertainty. His 2025-26 line - 13 games, one goal and four points - gives him a modest benchmark, but it’s hard to see him clearing those numbers in 2026-27 unless everything breaks right.
The hope is simpler than that: that he’s healthy and able to play a full season somewhere. Whether that ends up being in Pittsburgh or in the NHL at all is another matter.
Ryan Graves is in a different category entirely. This is year four with the Penguins, and there’s no real suspense about a rebound narrative here.
He’s not being set up for a fresh start, and there’s no new coach or other change to point to as a possible reset. Last season was the worst of his Pittsburgh tenure, with Graves waived twice and appearing in just 22 games.
Only three of those came after Dec. 15, aside from the two games at the end of the season once the playoff berth had already been clinched.
He still has three seasons left on his contract, which makes him a tricky piece to move and an awkward one to carry. The Penguins may have to keep living with the salary even if the role shrinks. It’s hard to imagine him topping last season’s 22 games, but injuries elsewhere could still drag him back into the lineup at some point.
Then there’s Joel Blomqvist, who may be the clearest example of how uncertain the goalie picture can get. He played five NHL games last season as the organization’s third-string option, and the obvious question is whether he goes over or under 5.5 games this year.
Most people expect Sergei Murashov to be the next goalie in line, but Murashov is also a 22-year-old who still has to prove he can handle the NHL. Development isn’t always linear, and the examples around the league show that clearly.
Blomqvist and Murashov can both be assigned to the AHL without waivers in 2026-27, and the Penguins won’t want to bounce goalies between Wilkes and Pittsburgh unless they have to. Still, injuries or uneven play could force the issue.
Blomqvist himself has dealt with injuries in recent years, so even his path to NHL time would depend on things breaking his way. It wouldn’t be ideal if he’s back in the NHL because Murashov or Arturs Silovs is hurt or struggling, but that possibility is very much in play.
In Other News...
Penguins Fans Finally Got A Signal The Team Heard Their Frustration
The Penguins have spent much of the 2020s trying to balance a slide in on-ice results with a business operation that has still found ways to grow, and last seasons attendance offered a sign that the fan base has not disappeared. NHL crowds were up across the league, and Pittsburgh was part of that rebound, filling its arena to 94% capacity after sitting at 91.5% the year before.
Now the team is signaling it heard the frustration around value, with most season ticket prices reportedly coming down for the upcoming season. It is a notable move for a franchise that has leaned on premium seating and other revenue streams under Fenway Sports ownership, and it suggests the Penguins are trying to make the building feel more accessible again while also keeping the business side moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Kyle Dubas May Be Running Out Of Time For His Big Swing
The Penguins are still circling the same kind of summer swing that could change the feel of their roster before the season starts, and Jason Robertson has emerged as the name worth watching. Dallas is weighing its options with the winger ahead of his arbitration hearing on July 25, a date that gives the Stars a natural checkpoint as they decide whether to push toward a contract extension or start listening more seriously on trade possibilities.
For Pittsburgh, the appeal is obvious: Robertson would be the sort of addition that signals a real attempt to raise the ceiling, even if the path to getting him is far from clean. A deal is still viewed as a long shot, with Dallas inclined to keep him and the Penguins still trying to land a major piece, but the unresolved contract picture leaves just enough room for Kyle Dubas to keep pressing as the calendar moves toward a decision point. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Suddenly Hover Over A Penguins Rebuild Pressure Point
Kyle Dubas has spent the Penguins rebuild trying to do two things at once: stockpile draft picks and keep looking for a trade that actually moves the needle. The challenge, as always, is the market. Pittsburgh has to work within limits, and that makes every decision feel a little heavier, especially when the front office is trying to balance the long view with the reality of a roster that still has pieces other teams would want.
Detroits situation only adds another layer to that pressure point. The Red Wings are now being run by new management, and Pittsburghs roster has players who could fit what they need as they keep reshaping their own path. Bryan Rust has been part of the chatter, and names like Rickard Rakell and Erik Karlsson also sit in the background as possible future movement, which is exactly the kind of overlap that can turn a patient rebuild into a very active winter. [Read more 🡒]