The Pittsburgh Penguins haven’t won a playoff series since eliminating their in-state rival, the Philadelphia Flyers, in 2018.
In 2026, those same Flyers eliminated them from the playoffs in six games. Entering this offseason, with several aging veterans and expiring contracts, General Manager Kyle Dubas has a litany of questions to answer over the summer.
Will Evgeni Malkin Be Back?
The largest talking point of the Penguins’ offseason is whether or not 39-year-old Evgeni Malkin will return for his 21st season in the black and gold. Malkin has been in Pittsburgh since coming over from Russia before the 2006-07 season and has established himself as one of Pittsburgh’s greats.
Geno tallied 19 goals and 61 points in 56 games in the regular season, putting up his first point-per-game season since 2022-23 and playing a key role in helping the Penguins get back to the postseason for the first time since 2021-22.
For his career, Malkin is near the top of the list in almost every stat in Pittsburgh history, ranking second in games played (1,269) and third in goals (533), assists (874), and points (1,407), trailing only Sidney Crosby in games played. Crosby and Mario Lemieux in goals, assists, and points.
Free Agency: Who Stays, Who Goes?
Including Malkin, the Penguins have nine players that will hit free agency this summer, seven unrestricted (UFA) and two restricted (RFA). Five of the seven players hitting the UFA market are 31 years old or older, giving Pittsburgh an easy avenue to getting younger should they want to lean into a full rebuild.
The top candidates to be on new teams when the new season begins are Anthony Mantha and Stuart Skinner. Skinner was always likely to hit the open market at the end of the season once he was acquired from the Oilers for Tristan Jarry and Sam Poulin. Pittsburgh already has Arturs Silovs on the roster, and young potential stars in Joel Blomqvist and Sergei Murashov, leaving Skinner as the odd man out.
Anthony Mantha was signed to a cheap “prove it” deal in the offseason after coming off a torn ACL, and he played just 13 games with the Calgary Flames. Mantha was Pittsburgh’s leading goal scorer during the regular season, netting a career high 33 goals and 64 points.
However, when the postseason rolled around, Mantha completely disappeared. He notched just one point in six games against Philadelphia, netting a plus/minus of -5, and has now played 20 career playoff games without a goal. Whether or not the Penguins decide to embrace the rebuild, a guy yet to find the net in 20 games’ worth of chances should not be in the future plans.
Enter Rebuild Mode or Look to Get Stronger?
Entering this offseason, the Penguins have the most cap space in the NHL with $45 million to spend.
Dubas and company have a big decision to make with the careers of the big three winding down. He could either choose to spend that money in free agency, albeit in an admittedly weak class with Malkin and Mantha as some of the top options, or save that money and stock up on young assets for the future.
Now, as long as Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and Kris Letang are all playing for your hockey team, you’ll always have a chance to win, so it’s hard to rebuild with them; however, with their careers winding down, the focus should be to prepare for life without them while enjoying the top-level hockey all three still provide every night.
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