The Penguins are opening the 2026-27 season with a clear message from Kyle Dubas: the goal is improvement, not slogans. The general manager said he’s not chasing a neatly packaged target like a playoff berth or a Stanley Cup title. Instead, Pittsburgh is staying focused on finding young impact players, developing the prospects already in the system and getting better defensively.
That approach comes as the club prepares for a milestone year. The Penguins will spend the 2026-27 season celebrating their 60th anniversary with special events, giveaways and ticket packages. The festivities start Oct. 3 with a pregame ceremony before the home opener against the Montreal Canadiens, and the team has also rolled out a retro-style 60th anniversary logo.
On the ice, Egor Chinakhov is earning a bigger look. With Bryan Rust on injured reserve, Chinakhov is set to move onto Pittsburgh’s top power-play group. He’s expected to work with Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson, Rickard Rakell and Tommy Novak after putting up 18 goals and 36 points in 43 games with the Penguins last season.
Crosby also recently addressed where things stand with new linemate Nick Robertson. In an appearance on Mark Madden’s radio show on 105.9 The X, the Penguins captain said the shortened preseason has limited their chance to build chemistry, though he added that he has been encouraged by the progress they’ve made. Crosby also said he hopes to play for several more years, while noting that his retirement timeline will depend on how he feels physically and mentally.
Around the league, Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber is out indefinitely after surgery for a skull fracture. The injury happened when he was hit by a puck during Friday’s preseason game against Dallas. Faber, 24, posted 51 points in 80 games last season, and the Wild have not set a timetable for his return.
In Other News...
Penguins End Preseason With An Encouraging Defensive Statement
Joel Blomqvist and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins closed out preseason play with a crisp 3-0 win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and the result offered a tidy reminder of what matters most this time of year. Blomqvist stopped 17 shots for the shutout, while the Penguins got two power-play goals and kept the penalty kill perfect, a combination that usually travels well once the games start counting.
With the 2026-27 season set to open against the Springfield Thunderbirds on Oct. 3, the performance gives Pittsburghs organization a clean defensive benchmark to carry into the final stretch before the schedule turns real. Preseason results can be tricky to read, but a shutout built on special teams and structure is the kind of outing that tends to stick in a coachs mind a little longer. [Read more 🡒]
Sidney Crosby Still Looks Driven By Something Penguins Fans Need To See
Sidney Crosby is heading into his 22nd NHL season, and the details around Penguins practice still sound like the same player who has defined the franchise for years. Coach Dan Muse has seen Crosby bring the same relentless work ethic to the ice, alongside the longtime teammates who have grown up in this era with him. The routine may be familiar by now, but the standard Crosby sets has not changed.
Crosby has talked about how much he still loves the game and how much winning continues to matter, even after a long career and recent international play. For the Penguins, that matters as much as anything else this fall. The organization is trying to sort out what comes next, and the captains daily drive offers a reminder that the competitive fire is still there, even if the bigger question is how far it can carry them. [Read more 🡒]
McGing Gets An Emotional First Test In Penguins Home Opener
Hugh McGings first game for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton comes with a little extra weight to it, and the setting could hardly be better for the Penguins AHL opener. The forward, who signed with the organization during the offseason, will skate in the teams 2026-27 home opener on Oct. 3 against the Springfield Thunderbirds, the club he just left behind, with opening-night festivities set to give the evening a bigger stage than the usual first whistle.
The Penguins will lean into the occasion with a pregame outdoor festival and rally towels for fans, then keep the weekend rolling a day later against Hartford as the home slate gets underway. For McGing, it is a familiar opponent in a new sweater, and for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton it is the kind of early-season matchup that can turn a routine opener into something a little more personal. [Read more 🡒]