Trying to map out the Penguins in 2028-29 feels a little like drawing a skyline before the foundation is poured. Pittsburgh has only six players under contract for that season right now, and even that number comes with asterisks. Ryan Graves and Ville Koivunen could still be bought out or otherwise removed from the roster despite their current deals.
That’s the reality of the plan Kyle Dubas and the front office have built. The current Penguins are set up to carry the Crosby/Malkin era to its finish, and once that chapter closes, the organization could pivot hard into a full reset.
Dubas has said he wants to build for both the short term and the long term, but the pipeline still doesn’t look loaded with elite, top-end talent. If that changes, the 2028-29 club could be the place where it starts to show.
The biggest variable, of course, is Sidney Crosby. By 2028-29, he’ll be 41 and entering what would be a 24th season if he keeps going.
He still looks driven and fully invested right now, but eventually age is going to have the final word. Whether he has three or more seasons left is anyone’s guess.
There’s a real chance he’s still out there in 2028-29, and there’s also a real chance he’s already walked away. His next contract extension may give the first real clue, especially if it’s two years.
A one-year deal sounds more likely.
For now, though, Crosby stays in the projection, because the roster is thin enough that leaving him out would be more theoretical than useful.
Up front, the top-six picture includes Sidney Crosby, Yegor Chinakhov, Ben Kindel and Tommy Novak, with two spots still open. Koivunen would be the obvious name to slot in there if things break right, but he hasn’t shown it yet at the NHL level.
If the Penguins did move on from him, the 2028-29 cap hit would only be $479k. The hope, naturally, is that the bet on him pays off.
If not, he becomes a footnote.
That forward group does show some progress, but it also underlines how much more work remains. Dubas has at least found two pieces in the last 12 to 15 months: Kindel through the draft and Chinakhov in a trade.
That’s encouraging. It’s not enough.
He still needs more impact players, and preferably more young ones. Maybe that means hoping for growth from Mikhail Ilyin or a jump from Will Horcoff or Bill Zonnon.
More likely, the next wave will have to come from outside the organization.
The bottom six looks more crowded and more familiar to the way Pittsburgh tends to operate. Blake Lizotte, Elmer Soderblom, Rutger McGroarty and Bill Zonnon are in the mix, with two more openings still to be filled.
The Penguins have long been willing to cycle through a lot of options in those spots, and that figure to keep happening. There will almost certainly be new names added through trades and free agency.
If the organization wants the best possible outcome, it needs more internal wins too, including players not projected here like Tanner Howe, Atley Calvert and Avery Hayes, all of whom have some realistic chance of being part of the NHL conversation within two years.
The blue line is where the projection gets really rough, especially on the left side. Right now, there isn’t much to hang onto there.
It feels too early to bet on someone like Tomas Galvas making the jump from the Czech league to the NHL in just two seasons while still in his early 20s. Jake Livanavage could be part of the picture.
Owen Pickering might somehow be in there too. But the likeliest outcome is that Pittsburgh will need brand-new answers on the left.
The right side is easier to squint at, though still far from certain. A younger option like Chase Pietila or Finn Harding could rise into that group and help fill it out, but that’s hard to call from this distance. For now, it remains too murky to project with confidence.
In goal, the hope is that Murashov develops into a long-term answer. What sits beside him in a couple of years is much less clear. Dubas has shown a willingness to shuffle goaltenders fairly often, so it would not be a surprise if a different face is working with Murashov by 2028-29.
In Other News...
Mario Lemieux's Penguins Era Just Reached A Stunning Turning Point
Mario Lemieuxs long formal run with the Penguins has come to an end after he and Ron Burkle sold their minority ownership stakes, closing the book on nearly 40 years of direct association with the franchise. It is a significant shift for a team that has long carried Lemieuxs influence not just from his Hall of Fame playing days, but through years of stewardship behind the scenes.
The Penguins recent purchase by the Hoffmann Family of Companies adds another layer to the transition, especially with the new ownership group signaling it would be open to Lemieux remaining involved in some capacity. Even without an ownership stake, Lemieuxs presence still matters in Pittsburgh, and the next chapter will hinge on how that relationship is defined under new control. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Fans Just Got A Reminder Of One Frustrating September Trend
The Penguins have spent enough Septembers reminding their fans that the calendar can be its own source of anxiety, especially when the conversation turns to roster moves and front-office decisions. Now the team is drawing a different kind of attention, with a new rinkside reporter in place as the season edges closer and the hockey news cycle starts to tilt from summer speculation toward real business.
Around the league, the broader landscape is shifting too, from uncertainty around Hockey Night in Canada personnel to the Dallas Stars preparing to move local broadcasts to Amazon. For Pittsburgh, though, the familiar concern is less about the television side and more about how this month has historically gone when the Penguins have tried to make their biggest trade calls, a track record that has left fans waiting for the next shoe to drop. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins May Have A Goalie Prospect Worth Watching Very Closely
The Penguins are part of a small but intriguing group of teams that could be leaning on a rookie goaltender in 2026-27, and Sergei Murashov keeps showing up in that conversation. Around the league, the discussion is centered on a handful of young netminders expected to have meaningful roles, with the Boston Bruins Michael DiPietro, the Montreal Canadiens Jacob Fowler and the Toronto Maple Leafs Dennis Hildeby also drawing attention for where they sit in their development.
For Pittsburgh, Murashov is the name worth filing away because the outlook is about more than just who gets a camp look. The broader read on this crop of rookies is that some carry past NHL experience that rules them out of Calder consideration, but the real point for the Penguins is simpler than awards talk: if Murashov takes the next step, he could become a very relevant part of their goaltending picture before long, even if no roster decision is settled yet. [Read more 🡒]