A tighter internal budget could end up shaping the Penguins’ next move as much as the standings do.
Per TSN’s Darren Dreger on the latest edition of Insider Trading, Pittsburgh’s shift in ownership may be affecting hockey operations, with the club reportedly exploring trades involving multiple veterans in order to create room for younger players. That approach lines up with a roster that is already starting to tilt toward change, and it may also reflect a cash-strict budget behind the scenes.
The numbers are not small. Pittsburgh is set to pay out roughly $87.65MM in salary this season, and the team also owes $22.4MM in signing bonuses.
Of that bonus total, $14.74MM is tied to Sidney Crosby ($6.53MM), Erik Karlsson ($5.22MM), and Evgeni Malkin ($3MM). With more than $100MM committed to the 2026-27 season, the Penguins’ new ownership group - now without Mario Lemieux - could be taking a hard look at the books.
That financial picture comes at a moment when the roster is already in transition. Crosby, Malkin, and Kris Letang remain the backbone of a team built around three icons from Pittsburgh’s Stanley Cup runs between 2009 and 2017, but all three are now approaching their 40s. At the same time, the organization has seen some new energy from players like Benjamin Kindel, Sergei Murashov, and Egor Chinakhov.
General manager Kyle Dubas has spent the last three years preparing for what comes after the core ages out. Hired in 2023, he has been tasked with building the next version of the Penguins, and that next wave now appears closer than ever. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are third in the AHL in goals per game at 4.17, with scoring coming from players on the NHL bubble such as Rutger McGroarty, Avery Hayes, Mikhail Ilyin, Bill Zonnon, and defenseman Jake Livanavage.
Pittsburgh’s 3-6-1 start to the 2026-27 season only adds to the sense that change could happen sooner rather than later. If the Penguins want to give those prospects a real shot, they will need to clear space in the lineup, and budget considerations may help determine which veterans are moved.
Among the names in play, Andrei Kuzmenko stands out as the clearest cap-versus-role mismatch. He is set to make $5MM this season, but he has only one point and the fourth-lowest average ice time on the roster.
Erik Karlsson is another obvious trade candidate, even if his situation is different. He carries a $6.52MM salary, trailing only Crosby on the team, and he is still producing at a high level with 11 points in 10 games. That kind of performance would make him the most attractive return on the trade market, though dealing him would not open a spot for Pittsburgh’s forward prospects.
Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust, and Justin Brazeau are also names to watch. Rakell and Rust are each set to make $3.6MM, while Brazeau will earn $1.5MM.
However the roster is reshaped, the next chapter is clearly approaching fast. Dubas and Director of Player Personnel Wes Clark will guide the team through that period, and the organization already has 15 draft picks combined in 2027 and 2028. How those selections combine with players like Kindel, Murashov, and Ville Koivunen may end up defining where the Penguins land by the end of the decade.
In Other News...
Penguins Already Have A Lineup Problem They Didn't Solve This Summer
Declan Carliles recent stretch has given the Penguins an early-season roster dilemma they probably hoped to avoid. He has chipped in offensively with a goal, but his game has been defined more by defensive struggles than by any one positive moment, leaving Pittsburgh in a tricky spot with a spot in the lineup that was never fully settled over the summer.
The problem for the Penguins is that there is no obvious ready-made fix waiting in the wings. The organization does have some AHL options it can consider, including Owen Pickering, but the conversation right now is less about adding depth and more about whether Carliles role needs to be reassessed before the issues around him grow bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Fans Now Wait On The Ben Kindel Recovery Timeline
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For now, Pittsburgh has placed Kindel on injured reserve while he undergoes treatment and further testing, leaving fans to wait on a clearer recovery timeline. The team has not provided a firm sense of when he might return, and until more is known, the focus remains on his health and the next round of evaluations rather than any hockey timeline. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Just Got The Response They Needed Against Florida
With key offensive pieces missing, the Penguins still found a way to deliver the kind of response they needed against Florida at PPG Paints Arena. Pittsburgh beat the Panthers 4-0, a result that not only steadied the mood but also kept its recent success against Florida rolling, stretching the point streak in the matchup to seven games.
Nick Robertson gave the Penguins the kind of spark they were looking for with a two-goal night, while the structure in front of him held up well enough to keep Florida from getting anything going. The clean sheet was built on a composed defensive effort and a calm night in goal, exactly the sort of formula Pittsburgh can use when the lineup is thinned out and the margins feel tighter than usual. [Read more 🡒]