The Penguins’ center depth is still the offseason question hanging over the roster, but it doesn’t look like a full-blown emergency.
That’s the tension for Kyle Dubas. He’s trying to keep an aging core in the fight while also nudging the team toward a younger next wave, and he’s already shown a willingness to chase players in that early-to-mid-20s range.
Yegor Chinakhov was the clearest example last season. The front office will keep hunting for more of those types, and it’s also fair to expect them to keep exploring bigger swings.
They were in conversations with Dallas about Jason Robertson, after all.
Still, the most obvious roster area to circle is down the middle. Evgeni Malkin is a winger now, and Ben Kindel’s rookie-year surprise doesn’t erase the fact that the Penguins could use another productive veteran center to soak up top-six minutes. That’s where the offseason chatter has started to drift toward Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson, a player with age, upside and a value that appears to have dipped.
“Look he’s got to play better in that $11.6 million everyone’s been talking about, but again, the ground has shifted here in a huge way,” Friedman said of Pettersson. “I’ve sat there and I’ve said ‘where could he go that could be good for him?’ I wonder if the Penguins with Crosby and Malkin might be good for him.”
It’s an intriguing thought, and not a crazy one on the surface. Pettersson fits the kind of age bracket Dubas has been targeting, and he’s at least someone a team could theoretically pry loose if the conditions lined up.
But there are plenty of obstacles. There’s no sign Pettersson wants to move to an Eastern team, much less Pittsburgh.
His $11.6 million cap hit is also a major issue, especially given that he’s not playing up to it. And Vancouver is not in the business of handing over one of its best players for free.
A deal like that would have to clear a lot of hurdles for everyone involved.
The bigger point is that the Penguins are no longer built the way they used to be. For two decades, they were the team with Crosby and Malkin at the top of the center hierarchy, backed by names like Jordan Staal, Nick Bonino and Matt Cullen. That kind of depth made the position a real weapon.
Those days are gone, or at least fading. But that doesn’t mean Pittsburgh is staring at a desperate need either.
Crosby and Blake Lizotte give the team stability at the top and bottom of the lineup, with Lizotte handling a heavier workload than your typical fourth-liner. Kindel is in the mix, and the rest can be pieced together with a rotation that includes Tommy Novak, Rickard Rakell and, at times, Malkin.
Hendrix Lapierre has NHL center experience, too, even if his long-term fit there is uncertain. And if injuries force the issue, Connor Dewar has already shown he can handle fourth-line center duty.
So yes, the Penguins could still add a center. But this doesn’t feel like a roster that’s begging for one.
In Other News...
Penguins Pulled Into Another Big Name Twist Dubas Can't Ignore
The goalie market has been busy enough to keep rival front offices guessing, and the latest swirl has only added another layer for Kyle Dubas to monitor. Around the league, there is widespread speculation that Winnipeg could be moving on from Connor Hellebuyck, while Vancouvers Elias Pettersson is being treated as a player who is not going anywhere after reportedly not wanting to leave and not waiving his no-trade clause.
For the Penguins, the bigger takeaway may be how quickly the big-name rumor mill can distort the picture. Anthony Mantha remains one of the more notable free agents still available, even as false chatter about him and Montreal has already been knocked down, and that kind of noise is exactly why Dubas has to sort through what is real, what is leverage and what is just another round of speculation before making any move that changes Pittsburghs direction. [Read more 🡒]
Jason Robertson Situation Just Became More Serious For The Stars
Jason Robertsons contract standoff with Dallas has turned into one of the more closely watched situations of the offseason, and the ripple effect has reached Pittsburgh. The Penguins have reportedly shown serious interest in the winger, whose value as a restricted free agent has only sharpened the leverage he holds in talks. With teams across the league watching how this plays out, the Stars are dealing with a negotiation that has become bigger than a simple extension discussion.
For Pittsburgh, the intrigue goes beyond the player himself. Robertsons younger brother, Nick, is already in the organization, which only adds to the speculation around a possible fit. Even with that connection, the path ahead is still unsettled, and Robertson could just as easily remain in Dallas or end up elsewhere if the talks continue to drag. [Read more 🡒]
Ben Kindel Just Entered A Massive Penguins Lineup Question
Ben Kindel spent the offseason in Vancouver getting ready for the 2026-27 season, and the early signs from his rookie year give the Penguins a reason to keep him in the conversation. Pittsburghs center picture is murkier than it has been in years, and with Evgeni Malkin no longer looking like a full-time answer down the middle, the team has a real opening for a younger option to step into a meaningful role.
Kindel is one of the players who could benefit most from that reshuffling, with his eventual usage likely to be sorted out in September at training camp. The Penguins still have to decide where he fits best and how much responsibility he can handle, and those choices will shape whether he lands in a second-line or third-line center role when the season begins. [Read more 🡒]