The Penguins are heading into the 2026-27 season with no shortage of pressure points, and preseason should start sorting out which questions are real and which ones linger all year.
At the top of the list is Sidney Crosby, who is now in the final season of his contract with Pittsburgh. He has spent his entire NHL career with the Penguins since going No. 1 overall in the 2005 NHL Draft, and at 39, he remains the captain and one of the franchise’s defining figures.
His contract situation will hang over the season, even after he spoke recently about it while taking part in the Penguins’ annual tradition of delivering season tickets to fans. He offered some perspective on how he’s handling the last year of the deal, but he did not give a firm answer on what comes next.
Evgeni Malkin is in a similar spotlight, only his milestone is even bigger. The 40-year-old is preparing for his 20th NHL season, all of it in Pittsburgh after the Penguins took him No. 2 overall in the 2004 NHL Draft. He remains a key veteran presence as the team continues working younger players into the mix, and preseason should give an early read on how he looks and where he fits in the plan.
There’s also the matter of the schedule itself. The NHL is stretching the regular season from 82 games to 84, and those extra two games add another layer of strain for every team. For Pittsburgh, with Crosby and Malkin still front and center, handling the workload of an older core while keeping the younger players developing will be part of the season-long balancing act.
That youth movement is the other big preseason storyline. Goaltender Sergei Murashov stands out as one of the most intriguing prospects in camp, and the same goes for defensemen Harrison Brunicke, Owen Pickering and Tomas Galvas.
Forward Rutger McGroarty is another young player who could push for a bigger role. With the Penguins trying to transition toward the next wave, preseason will be a key test for how much responsibility those players can handle alongside the veterans.
Pittsburgh’s preseason slate begins Sept. 30 at the Flyers at 7:30 p.m. and continues through Oct. 31 at the Canadiens at 7 p.m. The schedule also includes home dates against the Canadiens, Jets, Stars, Panthers, Predators, Mammoth, Golden Knights, Bruins, Senators and others, giving the Penguins a full look at what this team might become before the real games start.
In Other News...
Penguins Are Watching An NHL Standoff That Could Shift The Market
Connor Hellebuycks holdout has become the kind of early-season standoff that can ripple well beyond one roster, and the Penguins are among the clubs watching it with interest. If a goalie of that stature is unavailable while a potential trade hangs in the balance, it can alter the way front offices think about urgency, leverage and timing, especially with training camps already underway around the league.
Pittsburgh has its own roster questions to sort through after not inviting seven prospects to camp, while the organization also sifted through a mixed showing from its young players in a recent tournament. Around the NHL, teams have been busy locking up younger talent on long-term deals, from Anaheims new pact with Cutter Gauthier to recent signings in Washington, New Jersey, Carolina, Ottawa and Montreal, and that backdrop only adds to the sense that one unresolved goalie situation could still reshape the market. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Just Doubled Down On A Very Pittsburgh Identity
The Penguins are leaning even harder into a familiar Pittsburgh theme. United States Steel Corporation will become the clubs official helmet sponsor for the 2026-27 NHL season, with the U.S. Steel logo set to appear on every Penguins helmet, from home and road lids to alternates and practice gear. It is the latest step in a partnership that dates back to 2021, and one that feels especially on-brand for a team that has long embraced the citys industrial identity.
The sponsorship will not be seen in public right away, either. The logo is scheduled to debut when the Penguins take the ice for their preseason game on September 21, 2026, giving the organization a little runway before the change becomes part of the everyday look. For a franchise that has always been tightly tied to its city, the move is another reminder that some team partnerships go well beyond branding and land squarely in the civic DNA of Pittsburgh. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Are Giving A Familiar Defenseman One More Chance To Matter
Training camp season is bringing the usual flurry of low-risk auditions, and for the Penguins, one of the more notable name to land in that mix is goaltender Collin Delia on a professional tryout. PTOs rarely generate much noise on their own, but they can matter for a team sorting through depth, insurance and competition before the preseason settles into a clearer picture. Around the league, the Lightning brought in veteran forward Luke Glendening on the same kind of deal, while Ottawa added goalie Vadim Zherenko.
The most interesting wrinkle for Pittsburghs perspective is how these tryout agreements can open a door without guaranteeing anything beyond a chance to be seen. Delia will get that opportunity in camp and preseason, and Dallas is offering the same sort of shot to defenseman Ben Gleason, a familiar face trying to carve out a place in a crowded field. For teams and players alike, the appeal is simple enough: one more chance to matter, and one more round of evaluation before the roster decisions start to harden. [Read more 🡒]