The Penguins hit the preseason ice tonight, and that means the real ramp-up is here. Pittsburgh opens its first of four exhibition games against the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena, with puck drop set for 7 p.m.
The biggest offseason storyline hanging over the group is still Evgeni Malkin. He’s back on a one-year contract and about to begin his 21st season with the Penguins, but he remains unsure whether this will be his final year in the NHL.
There’s also movement in goal throughout the organization. The Penguins have sent prospect Matvei Nikonovich to the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League. Pittsburgh took Nikonovich in the fifth round of the 2026 NHL draft, and he’s headed to the OHL after spending most of last season with Lada Togliatti in Russia’s MHL, the country’s top junior league.
That comes as the camp battle in net continues to take shape. Arturs Silovs, Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist are all fighting for position, with Silovs entering as the 25-year-old who already has a full season’s worth of NHL experience behind him. He played a career-high 39 games last year and finished strong in the playoffs, while Murashov and Blomqvist are still trying to prove they belong as NHL regulars.
Away from the ice, the Penguins kept one of their preseason traditions going in a way that clearly landed. Rickard Rakell surprised season-ticket holders the Crandens by showing up at their home with a special package.
The visit meant a lot to 13-year-old Tyler, a lifelong Penguins fan who had saved up to buy his own Penguins jersey - which happened to be Rakell’s. The two talked hockey, Rakell signed the jersey and even laughed about one of Tyler’s homemade signs.
Elsewhere in the hockey world, Marc-Andre Fleury got a big reception in Saint-Boniface, Quebec, during Kraft Hockeyville, with fans lining up for photos, autographs and a chance to see the longtime former Penguins goalie.
And before the Edmonton Oilers’ first home preseason game at Rogers Place, dozens of protesters gathered outside the arena to urge the team to reverse its signing of forward Alex Formenton.
In Other News...
Penguins Suddenly Have A Fourth-Line Battle Fans Didn't Expect
The Penguins depth chart took an immediate hit when Blake Lizotte was ruled week-to-week with an upper-body injury, removing one of their more familiar bottom-six options from practice. Lizotte, who has spent three seasons in Pittsburgh and recently signed an extension through 2029, had been part of the mix the team expected to lean on for energy and reliability in the lower part of the lineup.
Oliver Okuliars lower-body injury adds another wrinkle to the same area of the roster, leaving Pittsburgh with a little less certainty in a competition that was already built on earning trust shift by shift. For a club trying to sort out its fourth line, the timing matters, and the Penguins now have to keep adjusting while two forwards sit on the sideline without a clear return date. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Suddenly Have A Fourth-Line Opening Fans Didn't Expect
Blake Lizotte and Oliver Okuliar are both out week to week, and the timing leaves the Penguins with a hole they did not expect to be managing this close to the start of the regular season. Lizottes status for opening night is still uncertain, which puts a little extra weight on a fourth-line spot that was already going to be watched closely during camp.
The injuries could push Pittsburgh into some roster juggling, including the possibility of using injured reserve if needed. More immediately, it opens the door for other forwards to make a case for themselves, and the way the Penguins sort through that depth chart in the coming days may say plenty about how they plan to handle the bottom of the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Blue Line Faces One Defining Test After Summer Overhaul
The Penguins spent the offseason reshaping the back end, adding Kaedan Korczak in a trade and bringing in Declan Carlile and Trevor van Riemsdyk to give the blue line a different look. It was a clear effort to strengthen the defense around the clubs established pieces, with all three newcomers talking about how eager they are to join the mix and help push Pittsburgh back toward the playoffs.
Now comes the part that usually tells the real story. New faces can look good on paper in the summer, but the Penguins need these additions to settle quickly into meaningful roles and complement the defensemen already in place. How well that group gels will go a long way toward determining whether the overhaul becomes a real upgrade or just another offseason reset. [Read more 🡒]