Kyle Dubas spent the offseason with a plan, but the Penguins wound up with something far less polished than he likely envisioned. The result, as Dubas put it, was a need to build “brick by boring brick.” Looking back at the summer, though, there’s a pretty clear pattern to the kind of moves he seemed to be chasing: forwards and right-shot defensemen, the pieces you’d target if bigger swings were coming.
Two names stand out from that push. One was Stars forward Jason Robertson.
The other was then-Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse. Neither deal happened, but the shape of the pursuit tells the story.
Robertson ended up signing a 1-year deal with Dallas worth $12 million on July 21 after turning down a trade to Seattle that would have brought him $120 million over eight seasons at a $15 million average annual value. Dallas made room by moving 20-goal scorer Mavrik Bourque, along with defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, to Nashville for draft picks.
If Pittsburgh was in the mix, the likely framework would have involved Rickard Rakell or Bryan Rust, a mid-to-upper-level prospect - not Ben Kindel - and a first-round pick, maybe even two, heading to Dallas.
Nurse’s path was different but just as revealing. On July 1, he and his $9.25 million cap hit were sent to San Jose for defensemen Shakir Mukhamadullin and Zack Sharp, saving Edmonton $7.5 million in cap space. That money helped Oilers GM Stan Bowman land Pens UFA defenseman Ryan Shea on a five-year deal carrying a $4 million cap hit.
The guess here is more speculative, but the idea would have been Rust or Rakell going back to Edmonton, with Ryan Graves attached as the salary ballast. Pittsburgh may even have been willing to absorb part of Graves’ $4.5 million cap hit to make the numbers work.
There were other possibilities, too, even if they were more of a hockey-radar daydream than a confirmed pursuit. Simon Edvinsson fits the Dubas profile almost too neatly: a 23-year-old left-shot defenseman, still an RFA, with plenty of upside and some growing left to do. He also would have given the Penguins something they could use on the left side.
In that scenario, the cost probably would have been Rust. Detroit has the forward depth and cap room to take on his $5.125 million hit, and the fit makes some sense given the uncertainty around Dylan Larkin’s trade request and the move that sent long-time GM Steve Yzerman upstairs.
Rust, after all, brings the kind of work rate and reliability that teams notice. He’s also from Pontiac.
Then there’s Alexander Nikishin, which takes things a step further out on the branch. There were no obvious whispers here, but Erik Karlsson was at least a name worth wondering about. He’s the Penguins’ three-time Norris Trophy winner and last season’s team MVP, and he’ll be a UFA after the upcoming season if he isn’t extended.
That opens the door to a hypothetical deal with Carolina. The Hurricanes have a thin right side on defense, and a Karlsson-for-Alexander Nikishin swap could have been built around Pittsburgh retaining some of Karlsson’s $10 million cap hit, with Carolina adding a pick or two. Nikishin is a 23-year-old left shot who scored 15 goals last season, just four fewer than Karlsson’s 11.
Put all of that together, and the picture gets pretty clear. In one version of this offseason, the Penguins would have come away with Jason Robertson, Darnell Nurse, and either Simon Edvinsson or Alexander Nikishin.
That would have meant more top-line punch, a real opening for a young forward, and a defense with more youth and more edge. The tradeoff would have been steep, though: less from the transition game and less juice on the power play without Karlsson.
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 🡒]