The Penguins’ early injury picture is already starting to take shape, and Blake Lizotte is the name that jumps out first. After practicing on Sunday, Lizotte and Oliver Okuliar were both listed as week to week, leaving Lizotte’s status for the start of the regular season, now just nine days away, up in the air.
That kind of timeline can shift quickly this time of year. Bryan Rust is the clearest reminder of that after being tagged as out a “ minimum of two weeks ” in preseason on October 2nd before returning to a regular season game on October 11th. But that sort of fast turnaround is the exception more often than not, and Lizotte’s situation now puts his opening-night availability in doubt.
If he can’t go, the Penguins will have some real lineup decisions to make, especially on the fourth line. Tristan Broz and Hendrix Lapierre are the two names that stand out most because both have been getting work at center in camp. Connor Dewar has also spent time there recently, so Pittsburgh could still choose a different path depending on how it wants to handle the roster after the Lizotte news.
There’s also a roster wrinkle attached to the injury. If Lizotte lands on injured reserve, the Penguins would be able to carry one extra forward who otherwise wouldn’t fit on the healthy 23-player roster. That could help the cases of Justin Brazeau, Ville Koivunen and the Broz-Lapierre group if the bubble has shifted at all.
Still, this is not a month-to-month situation, so any breathing room may not last long. And for Lizotte, it’s another frustrating turn in a career that has already featured plenty of time on the shelf.
He played 55 games in 2025-26 and 59 the season before with Pittsburgh, and his track record in camp hasn’t exactly been smooth either. He missed the first 11 regular season games of his Penguins career after being struck by a puck while sitting on the bench during a preseason game in the fall of 2024.
Unless this latest injury clears up quickly, Lizotte is headed toward a 1-for-3 start as a healthy player in regular season openers with Pittsburgh. That’s bad news for him, and a clear opening for the forwards trying to seize his spot.
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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 Preseason Opener Puts Two Huge Questions Front And Center
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Elsewhere, the goaltending picture is already giving the staff plenty to think about, with Arturs Silovs, Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist in a competitive battle while prospect Matvei Nikonovich heads to the Barrie Colts in the Ontario Hockey League. There is even the softer side of preseason life, from Rickard Rakell personally delivering a package to a young fan to Marc-Andre Fleury drawing a warm reception in Quebec, but the bigger question hanging over the group remains how long Malkins run in Pittsburgh will last. [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 🡒]