The Penguins probably don’t view waivers as a place to go shopping very often, not with the depth they already carry. But the picture changed a bit after four players were placed on IR yesterday, and with Bryan Rust dealing with an injury and Andrei Kuzmenko still away for personal reasons, the start of the season suddenly has a little more uncertainty built into it.
That makes today’s waiver dump worth a closer look. There are 71 players on waivers and claims are set to be announced at 2 p.m.
Eastern. For teams in Pittsburgh’s spot, waiver pickups usually function as stopgaps - short-term help to bridge a few games or a few days until the roster thins out again.
The Penguins also have room to act if they want to, with 48 of their 50 pro contracts already spoken for.
One name that fits the situation cleanly is Colin Blackwell of the Dallas Stars. He’s a quick, irritating fourth-line type who brings real value without the puck.
At 5-foot-8, he plays with plenty of edge, and his game is built around grit, pace and penalty-killing work. The offense is a different story - he scored only four goals in 70 games and the underlying numbers were rough - but he averaged more than two minutes a night on Dallas’ 13th-ranked penalty kill last season.
If Pittsburgh wants a temporary center who can help on the PK and give the bottom six some speed, Blackwell makes sense.
That said, Blake Lizotte was already back at practice yesterday, and that matters. If the Penguins think his absence is almost over, then adding a player in the same lane may not be worth the trouble.
But the current center group at practice included Sidney Crosby, Tommy Novak and Hendrix Lapierre, none of them traditional penalty killers, with Lizotte still injured. In that scenario, Blackwell becomes a very believable short-term answer, even if Pittsburgh would likely have to turn around and place him back on waivers later.
Sam Lafferty of the Florida Panthers is another option, though he offers a different package. He’s a former Penguin, but that connection is mostly background noise at this point because the coaching staff and front office are entirely different now.
The more relevant tie is Kyle Dubas acquiring Lafferty for Toronto in 2023. Lafferty brings a strong 6-foot-2 frame and real speed, and he can handle fourth-line wing duty in an uptempo, north-south game.
He can also play center if needed. The downside is that his offense is almost nonexistent, and unlike Blackwell, he doesn’t bring much on the penalty kill.
John Beecher, also with the Florida Panthers, is another depth center who could be considered. He won’t be mistaken for a scorer, but he is a big, fast forward who earns his keep through speed and compete.
His puck skills are the concern. Pittsburgh also appears to like some of its own internal options in that mold - specifically Elmer Soderblom and Fillip Hallander - more than Beecher.
Still, if the Penguins wanted a 6-foot-3, 220-pound center who can skate and maybe help on the PK as a temporary fix, he fits that description.
There’s also a goalie name in the mix: Dylan Garand of the New York Rangers. He had a strong junior career, but his pro run has been uneven so far.
The tools are there - quickness, technique and solid reads - though he’s on the smaller side and doesn’t quite look like a true top-end athlete for a goalie who’s just under 6 feet. He feels more like a No. 3 option than a long-term solution.
Pittsburgh seems comfortable giving Sergei Murashov a chance in the NHL, but Garand is only 24 and available for free right now. He has only three NHL games to his name, which is fewer than Murashov, yet there’s enough upside there that another team might be tempted to take a shot.
Given the state of the Penguins’ goaltending, it’s at least the kind of option that deserves a conversation.
Even so, the most likely outcome may be nothing at all. Lizotte getting back on the practice ice helps a lot, and it gives the Penguins reason to believe they may not need to spend a claim on a stopgap. With all the injuries piling up, though, this is still the sort of moment that forces a team to think hard about how it wants to survive the opening stretch before some of its depth players come back.
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 🡒]
Dubas Just Framed Malkins Future As A Bigger Penguins Decision
With the Penguins already planning beyond the immediate season, Kyle Dubas made clear that Evgeni Malkin remains part of the picture for now. The veteran center has signed a one-year, $5.5 million extension to stay in Pittsburgh for the upcoming season, keeping him alongside Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang as the franchise continues to lean on the core that has defined so much of its recent history.
Malkins strong 2025-26 season only reinforced why the Penguins were willing to keep him in the fold, especially after his role in driving the offense. But Dubas framing the move as part of a larger organizational picture suggests the real discussion is not just about one more year for Malkin, but how Pittsburgh handles the next step in a season-by-season balancing act with its aging stars. [Read more 🡒]