The Pittsburgh Penguins have spent so long leaning on franchise-defining stars that the real question now is who comes next. For 40 years, Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have given this team its identity.
That kind of pipeline spoiled the fanbase. It also set the standard impossibly high.
Kyle Dubas clearly understands the problem. He has rebuilt the prospect pool into something respectable in just two years, but the hardest piece is still missing: the next great superstar to wear a Penguins sweater. Right now, there isn’t an obvious path to that player, and that’s the issue hanging over the franchise.
The Penguins’ best eras were built around those elite names. Lemieux saved the franchise more than once, Jagr and Francis helped carry the next wave, and the titles followed.
Crosby and Malkin then ushered in another championship stretch. But Pittsburgh has not been a true Cup contender in nearly a decade, and history says the next star has to arrive sooner rather than later.
That was supposed to be part of this year’s draft story. A bottom-five finish would have put the Penguins in position to chase a top talent, but instead they surprised enough to make the playoffs and slid all the way to the 22nd pick.
That shift matters because the stockpiling phase can only go so far. At some point, Dubas has to turn depth into difference-making talent.
That’s why so many fans and media voices have pushed the idea of a major swing for Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson. He checks a lot of boxes: mid-20s, offensive skill, and the kind of all-around production that makes him easy to picture in a top-line role.
But he would cost a fortune, and even then he may not be the perfect fit as the player to build around. As talented as Robertson is, he does not feel like the right superstar for Pittsburgh.
The most realistic route to that kind of player is still the draft. Dubas has done strong work through trades, but unless the Penguins sink lower in the standings and catch some lottery luck, that path may not even be available.
And while not every superstar is drafted, most of them are. Even with the run Dubas has been on, the Penguins still haven’t landed that centerpiece.
There are promising young names in the organization - Harrison Brunicke, Benjamin Kindel, Rutger McGroarty and Tanner Howe - but none of them project as superstars unless they blow past expectations. Egor Chinakhov, who was recently acquired and extended, looks like a gamer and has an incredible shot, but it is hard to see him becoming that kind of franchise-altering player.
That leaves one option that has long been treated like a third rail around the NHL: the offer sheet. The Penguins are in a position to offer sheet almost any player over the next year or two, but the price would be massive and the risk just as real.
Still, if the alternative is waiting for a star to appear, would four first-round picks for Connor Bedard be worth it? It sounds extreme, but it also sounds like the kind of gamble Pittsburgh may have to consider.
The math is part of the appeal. With Crosby and company still on the roster, the Penguins do not look like a lottery team any time soon, which limits their chances of drafting at the very top. And if they did send away four first-round picks for a superstar, those selections could end up being late first-rounders anyway.
There is also the uncomfortable truth about Pittsburgh’s recent first-round work with its own picks. The 2025 first-round pick was a strong one, and Kindel looks like he should be a terrific NHL player for a long time.
But the previous three first-round selections - Owen Pickering, Samuel Poulin and Brayden Yager - have not exactly forced their way into the NHL. Picks in the middle or late first round are still lottery tickets.
They are better tickets than most, but they are not guarantees. A player like Bedard, or an Adam Fantilli, changes that equation immediately.
Rebuilding is hard. Retooling is harder.
Dubas has done a lot of good work, but the biggest decision of his Pittsburgh run may still be ahead of him, and it could be the kind of move that reshapes the next 5-10 years. However it happens, the next era of Penguins hockey may not be built the same way the last ones were.
It may hinge on a superstar acquired by a different route, while Crosby and Malkin are still around to keep the team competitive.
In Other News...
Penguins Suddenly Linked To The Kind Of Star Fans Have Wanted
The Penguins search for a real difference-maker has not exactly been subtle, and that is why the latest chatter around their forward group has caught attention. Sportsnets Elliotte Friedman said Pittsburgh could be a team to watch in the market for a high-end center, while also noting the club has already been active in talks with Dallas about winger Jason Robertson. It is the kind of name-shopping that suggests the Penguins are still trying to thread the needle between staying competitive now and reshaping the roster for what comes next.
There is also a familiar Pittsburgh wrinkle to the conversation: the potential fit with Andrei Kuzmenko, who could make any offensive target easier to picture in black and gold. At the same time, the Penguins are keeping one eye on their own pipeline, with Owen Pickering coming off a strong playoff run in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Ville Koivunen facing an important summer as he tries to prove he belongs in the NHL. The front office has several moving parts in play, and the next step could say plenty about how aggressive it intends to be. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Trade Board Just Shifted As Dubas Faces A Murky Market
The NHL trade market is still waiting for the Leo Carlsson-Philadelphia Flyers situation to settle, but the ripple effects are already being felt in Pittsburgh. The Penguins have been adjusting their trade target list as the board changes around them, with names coming off and the broader market getting harder to read. Around the league, restricted free agent offer sheets are another variable to watch, with clubs such as the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings among the teams that could be forced to react if that route gets tested.
For Kyle Dubas, the challenge is less about finding interest than finding the right opening in a market that keeps shifting. ESPNs view of the Washington Capitals as one of the offseasons leading teams, thanks to their recent acquisitions and contract moves, only adds to the sense that the Eastern Conference landscape is moving quickly. Pittsburgh is still in the mix, but the path to a deal may depend on how many more dominoes fall before the Penguins can make their next move. [Read more 🡒]
Why Penguins Fans Should Be Excited About Hendrix Lapierre
Hendrix Lapierre arrives in Pittsburgh as one of those low-risk moves that can pay off if the fit is right. The Penguins added the 23-year-old forward from Washington and quickly gave him a two-year contract, signaling that they see more than a depth piece here. After a modest season with the Capitals, Lapierre still brings the kind of offensive pedigree that made him an intriguing young player in the first place, and the Penguins are banking on a change of scenery helping unlock more of it.
For a team looking to keep adding speed and skill without overcommitting, Lapierre is a worthwhile bet because he is expected to compete for a regular role right away. His earlier production showed he can contribute when given the chance, and Pittsburghs forward mix offers him a path to carve out meaningful minutes. If he settles in quickly, he could end up being more than just a reclamation project, which is exactly why his arrival is worth watching. [Read more 🡒]