Welcome to the Pittsburgh Penguins 2024-2025 Puck Drop Preview by Last Word on Hockey! The Penguins are heading into an uncertain season including many intriguing storylines to follow. Kyle Dubas, in his second year as Pittsburgh Penguins general manager, spent the off-season tinkering with the roster. With an aging core led by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, time is ticking for the Penguins. With an organization overflowing with fringe-NHL talent, head coach Mike Sullivan has his hands full in deciding on lineups game-to-game.
Pittsburgh Penguins 2023-24 Season Recap
The 2023-2024 season was a disappointing year for the Penguins. Having lost their long-running playoff streak the previous season, Kyle Dubas made significant moves in his first off-season with the team. Among a number of moves, superstar defenceman Erik Karlsson was acquired in a blockbuster three-team trade with the San Jose Sharks and Montreal Canadiens. The Penguins fought hard throughout the season. However, Pittsburgh’s bottom-five power play and inconsistent offence led to the team missing out on the playoffs by just a few points. The team notably lost Jake Guentzel to Carolina near the trade deadline, acquiring Micheal Bunting and additional pieces in exchange. The team showed promise, especially down the stretch, but faltered at the finish line. As such, the 2024 off-season is seen as a make-or-break one for this iteration of the team.
2024 Off-Season Moves
The Pittsburgh Penguins have had an active off-season. Kyle Dubas continued the tinkering of the roster through multiple smart trades. Reclamation projects like Kevin Hayes and Cody Glass were acquired along with trade picks to teams needing salary cap relief. Dubas showed an ingenious use of his own cap space, receiving players that can play in the NHL as well as being paid to take them. Furthermore, Dubas added more depth at forward through the signings of Anthony Beauvillier and Blake Lizotte. The additional forwards will have to compete with young players like Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty, all of whom will be fighting for limited spots on the roster.
Defensively, Matt Grzelcyk was signed to a one-year contract to shore up the left side behind Marcus Pettersson and Ryan Graves. On the right side, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson will play significant roles. Defencemen like Sebastian Aho and John Ludvig will compete for the final spots on the team.
Following Jake Guentzel’s departure, Sidney Crosby’s production will be under a microscope. Drew O’Connor excelled down the stretch of last season playing with Crosby and Bryan Rust on the top line. He will likely start the season there with the opportunity to establish himself in that spot. Evgeni Malkin’s play is a question mark, but if he can continue his newfound chemistry with Bunting and Rickard Rakell from last season, that trio will provide much-needed offensive support. Finally, veterans like Lars Eller and Noel Acciari will be in the mix playing valuable utility roles in the bottom six. Finally, Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic will have to compete for the starting role in Pittsburgh. With rumours abound that Dubas was shopping Jarry around the beginning of Free Agency, the goaltending situation is shaky.
Projected Lineup for the Pittsburgh Penguins 2024-25 Season
Forwards
- O’Connor-Crosby-Rust
- Bunting-Malkin-Rakell
- Beauvillier-Hayes-Puustinen
- Lizotte-Eller-Acciari
Top Six
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ top six forwards group is promising but not necessarily inspiring. Sidney Crosby is still at the top of his game, and Evgeni Malkin is capable of producing with the right linemates. Bryan Rust has faced injury issues in recent seasons but is incredible at producing when he is available. Newly acquired Micheal Bunting has tremendous potential to both produce and continue to help unlock Rickard Rakell’s offensive ability along with Evgeni Malkin. Drew O’Connor is the biggest question mark in the top six. His speed and forechecking ability make him a prototypical Crosby linemate. Given a full season of on the top line, O’Connor may prove valuable. However, Kevin Hayes, Rutger McGroarty, and Anthony Beauvillier will likely all get chances next to Crosby throughout the season.
Bottom Six
The bottom six is full of question marks. Between Eller, Hayes, and Lizotte, the Penguins have three centres capable of playing on either line. Forwards like Beauvillier, Puustinen, and Acciari offer depth on the wings in the bottom six as well. A significant expectation from this year’s bottom six group is to produce offensively to support the aging stars in the top six. Players like Cody Glass, Rutger McGroarty and Emil Bemstrom are likely to see time playing in the bottom six this season as well.
Defence
- Pettersson-Karlsson
- Graves-Letang
- Grzelcyk-Aho
Top Four
When playing to their potential, the Penguins have one of the best top-fours in the league. Superstar defencemen Karlsson and Letang are both capable of taking over games offensively. Their puck-moving abilities and veteran experience can make or break games. Meanwhile, Pettersson and Graves offer the perfect stay-at-home abilities to allow their partners to focus on both ends of the ice. Pettersson and Karlsson produced well down the stretch, building up momentum and experience together. Meanwhile, Ryan Graves had a disappointing first season in Pittsburgh. The hope is more time with Letang will allow them to have similar success to the Penguins top pairing. If the top four are able to click chemistry-wise, they have the talent needed to support the forward group to high-octane offence.
Bottom Pair
Matt Grzelcyk is set to anchor the third pairing. He is expected to play host to a number of partners such as Sebastian Aho, John Ludvig, and Ryan Shea. Without a true right-handed shot available for the bottom pair, Grzelcyk will have to adapt quickly as the lineup changes throughout the season.
Goalies
Tristan Jarry will likely return as the Pittsburgh Penguins starting goaltender to start the season. Jarry has routinely played well early in seasons, before faltering under pressure. As such, Alex Nedeljkovic has an incredible opportunity to nab a starting position in the league. This season’s goaltending situation will see an interesting goaltending battle play out. Additionally, the organization has an interesting prospect with potential in Joel Blomqvist who could be ready to play in the league soon.
Players to Watch
Micheal Bunting was the main piece back in the Jake Guentzel trade with Carolina last season. Down the stretch, Bunting revitalized the Penguins offence, scoring 19 points in 21 games. He filled a role left by Patric Hornqvist many years ago, acting as a scrappy net front presence capable of disrupting opponent defences. Bunting’s performance will likely tie into Malkin and Rakell as well, making his continued success important for this roster.
Defensively, Erik Karlsson has yet to reach his offensive potential with the Penguins. His incredible puck-moving skills and offensive IQ led him to winning the Norris Trophy in his final season with the Sharks. Although his play in the first half of the season with the Penguins wasn’t as good as expected, Karlsson began heating up down the stretch. He finished with 56 points in 82 games. Given another off-season settling into Pittsburgh, Karlsson could be looking at an even better season offensively with the team.
Prediction for the 2024-25 Pittsburgh Penguins Season
The Pittsburgh Penguins enter the 2024-25 season with a number of questions and an uncertain path. With the core of Crosby, Malkin, and Letang performing at a high level, and the recent addition of players like Karlsson and Bunting, the Penguins have shown their willingness to compete in the present. However, acting as a dumping ground for contracts like Hayes and Glass underlines general manager Kyle Dubas’ willingness to start a rebuild should things go south this season. The coaching of Mike Sullivan and the play of stars like Crosby and Karlsson will be of paramount success. Without many meaningful changes, it will be difficult to fit all the puzzle pieces together. However, if any roster is capable of doing so, it is the one led by Mike Sullivan, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin among others.
Prediction: The Penguins are barely able to secure the playoff spot they missed last season. They finish in the second wildcard spot and are unable to get past the second round of the playoffs.
Main Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
