Best & worst case scenario for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2025-26 NHL Season

With the 2025-26 campaign slowly creeping up with on Penguins, there really are some huge question marks onto, What is Kyle Dubas game plan with the logjam? He has a massive logjam at the forward position and still has not moved one or more forwards on the roster. Danton Heinen, Kevin Hayes, Noel Acciari, Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell.

Holding these guys with close to 50 days away from the 25-26 campaign is unwise and could result with those forwards sticking around for a lot longer then they should and that would be a massive mistake. This team is in the height of it's rebuild and guys like Rakell and Rust will not help the rebuild, in fact they will help this team succeed.

Worst case scenario for the 25-26 Penguins

The worst case scenario for the Penguins this season would be making a push for the playoffs and missing out like they did in the 23-24 season where they missed out by three points after trading Jake Guentzel and acquiring Michael Bunting. Doing that again this season is possible on paper with that forward core if they produce unexpectedly and the goaltending comes through with saves when you need them from Artur Silovs and Tristan Jarry (if not moved). For a team who is in the crucial part of the rebuild with Sidney Crosby still at a 90-100 point pace season, they should be looking to move off those big pieces. If the Penguins managed to actually push for the playoffs and just miss out, that could ruin any chances at phenom prospect Gavin McKenna. That is by far the worst case scenario for the Penguins this season.

Best case scenario's for the 25-26 Penguins

The first best case scenario for the Penguins is if they finish bottom five and land Gavin McKenna or another big time player like Keaton Verhoeff or Ivar Stenberg. Those players would help the Penguins treject forward into becoming once again a true contender in this league which is Kyle Dubases prime goal here for the Penguins. The other best case scenario is if the Penguins somehow make the playoff with this lineup and shock the entire hockey universe. The eastern conference is wide open for the taking and who knows, maybe Kyle Dubas could end up holding onto Rust and Rakell and see if this team can push the envelope and make the playoffs. If they somehow made the playoffs, it would be the best case for the Penguins who still have a lot of draft picks, young talent upcoming and a bright future ahead, it would show team growth and optimism with heavy amounts of cap space in the next off season with $55+ million.

The question is, will the Penguins bottom out, sell off, and prepare for Gavin McKenna or will they surprise the entire league and make the playoffs, lighting the fire for the return of fast and fearless Penguins hockey?