The Pittsburgh Penguins surprised many across the NHL last season by grabbing an Eastern Conference playoff seed. While the result was not as good as planned, they set the tone for the upcoming 2026-27 season. With GM Kyle Dubas making some quality moves this offseason, the team may be close to what he wants for the season opener. We take a look at the roster as it stands today and what moves could still be made.
The 2026-27 roster today
The forwards include Justin Brazeau, Egor Chinakhov, Sidney Crosby, Connor Dewar, Ben Kindel, Andrei Kuzmenko, Hendrix Lapierre, Blake Lizotte, Evgeni Malkin, Tommy Novak, Rickard Rakell, Nick Robertson, Bryan Rust, and Elmer Soderblom. The defense consists of Declan Carlisle, Samuel Girard, Ryan Graves, Erik Karlsson, Kaeden Korczak, Kris Letang, and Trevor van Riemsdyk. The goaltenders are Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov.
The team as a whole is solid enough to surprise once again. Outside of Crosby, Malkin, Letang, and Karlsson, there are not many game-breakers, but they make up for it by having many good two-way players. The addition of Robertson makes this forward group much better and he could be a vital part of the team this season. Kuzmenko has prove he can add secondary scoring and will be looked upon in the second half of the season when points are extremely crucial. The defense added two pieces in Carlisle and Korczak, giving more depth to the defense that makes them an underrated group. The biggest question about this team is in goal with Silovs and Murashov. However, Silovs played well with the Vancouver Canucks and last season with the Penguins in limited action. Murashov will be the backup and showed promise when he was between the pipes last season. All eyes will be on them this season.
Does Dubas use cap space for improvements?
Dubas knows he has a quality group heading into the new season. he also knows that when there is a chance to bring in a player or two to make the roster better, he should do it. With the team above average than most NHL teams, some players are unrestricted free agents who could further improve this roster.
With $13.68 million left in cap space, there is room to add two more players if Dubas plays his cards right. Players still available include Elias Pettersson, Patrick Kane, Eeli Tolvanen, Patrik Laine, and Vladimir Tarasenko. Every one of these players is known for offense and could help the Penguins middle-six. This is the time of year when these players may take a discount to be on an NHL roster. Tolvanen, Pettersson, and Kane would be the bigger additions and would help not only at even strength but on the power play also.
Do the Penguins and Dubas need to make a move? Absolutely not. However, they are in a tough Metropolitan Division and every point counts. Adding one or more of the players above would be huge and could make them the favorites to win the division. Time is running out for Dubas to make a move at forward if he chooses to because these players will not be available for long.
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