Pittsburgh Penguins: Top 5 predictions for next season

Jake Guentzel #59 and Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
Jake Guentzel #59 and Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
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Everyone is waiting for the return of the Pittsburgh Penguins this season. However, if the season doesn’t return, then fear not because here are our 5 big predictions for next year.

You don’t have to own a crystal ball to know that there will be a lot of changes for the Pittsburgh Penguins next season. But allow us to throw on our crystal ball anyway, our general manager hat, and grab our Jim Rutherford Fiji water, and let’s get to predicting some significant changes for next season.

#5: The points champion won’t be Crosby or Malkin

You have to go back to before the lockout season in 2004/05 to find anyone other than Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin that won the points total for the season. That’s 15 years of sheer domination from two different future hall of fame players. However, by the end of the 2020/21 season, the Penguins will have a new points leader to drool over.

If the current season sheds any light on how next year will go, you could somewhat see Bryan Rust or Jared McCann take the lead. If Rust keeps the momentum going, he won’t be far behind the traditional two, but McCann is a long shot. For prediction purposes, though, neither of these two will win the points total in 2020/21.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Top 5 predictions for next season.

Coming off a disappointing year from an injury standpoint, the always electric Jake Guentzel will take home the points win. Before this season, his total kept rising each year, and even though he was out a lot this season, he still managed 43 points in 39 games. Regardless of who he is playing next too, he will be a danger to send it home and set up two of the best Penguins of all time.