Browsing: Penguins

With a few players on injured reserve and some young prospects making some pretty solid cases to stick around for good, the Pittsburgh Penguins will have some tough roster decisions to make in the coming days and weeks.

GM and POHO Kyle Dubas made it clear before the start of training camp that the team would deal with the “ripple effects” with veterans if youth made a true push for the NHL roster. Now that it’s happening in real time, what can the organization do about it?

Of course, waivers are an option, and the Penguins were already unafraid to explore that option when they waived veteran defenseman Ryan Graves. But another viable option could be an early-season trade market for some of their role players.

It’s unlikely that one of their “big three” trade candidates – Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust, and Erik Karlsson – will be shipped out early one in hopes of better return packages at the trade deadline for their best assets. But that doesn’t mean a smaller trade cannot occur early, as it did last season when Lars Eller was traded to the Washington Capitals in November.

With that in mind, here are some players folks can, maybe, keep an eye on.

Lizotte, 27, has proven to be a perfectly serviceable – and effective – fourth-line center for the Penguins since the beginning of the 2024-25 season. He signed a two-year deal last summer, and he registered 11 goals and 20 points in 59 games last season, which was a career-best pace.

The 5-foot-9, 176-pound forward may be a bit undersized, but he hardly plays like it. He is relentless on the forecheck, uses his speed, drives the net, and doesn’t shy away from contact. Lizotte would be a perfectly solid addition to any contending team’s bottom-six, even just to shore up some depth.

And – in case anyone forgot – there was a brief period last season when he saw a stint as the team’s third-line center, and he registered five goals and nine points in nine games. Lizotte is capable of elevating the offensive side of his game in the right environment, which is a valuable trait when considering his defensive contributions.

Lizotte is – likely – one of the easiest players for the Penguins to trade, and it might just make some sense for them to both get a passable return and make way for a younger prospect.

‘The Young Guys Are Coming’: 3 Observations From Dubas’s Pre-Season Press Conference
On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins opened their 2025 training camp with a few words from general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas.

To some degree, an argument could be made here for Connor Clifton or Caleb Jones, too. However, Jones’s two-year contract may make it a bit more difficult to deal him, and Clifton’s $3.3 million contract may hinder any trade without retention.

On the surface, dealing Shea may not make too much sense. If he is dealt, the Penguins would only have two actual left-side defensemen on their roster in Parker Wotherspoon and Jones. Although it’s not an ideal situation, both Clifton and Matt Dumba have experience playing the off-side, and they could also recall prospect Owen Pickering.

Even if Shea, 28, may only be a seventh defenseman on other NHL teams, he is still a solid depth piece at a low cap hit of $900,000 for just this season. He should be able to be part of a player-for-player swap relatively easily, should the Penguins entertain it.

WBS Penguins Start Strong, Take Both Games Of Weekend Swing
The Pittsburgh Penguins are off to a 2-1 start this season, and they have played a bit better than most had expected up to this point.

Dewar was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs – along with blueliner Conor Timmins, who was dealt to the Buffalo Sabres this summer – just prior to the 2025 trade deadline. And, since his acquisition, he has been a really solid fourth-line player for the Penguins.

He had four goals and seven points in just 17 games with the Penguins last season after putting up just three points in 31 games with the Leafs prior to the deadline. He had a great pre-season and has already registered a point in the first three games, and his defensive conscience as well as the energy he brings could probably help fill out another roster’s depth.

Dewar – like Lizotte – is a perfectly fine player to keep around, should the Penguins choose. He has been a good player for the Penguins in his tenure. But he’s also the exact kind of player who is blocking a younger, higher-upside prospect from the roster.

Two Injured Penguins Players Going On California Trip
The Pittsburgh Penguins will have a couple of their injured players with them this week in California.

Up to this point, Novak has only played in five games for the Penguins, as he was injured after playing just two games for Pittsburgh following his acquisition from the Nashville Predators at the deadline.

As is the case with the other players on this list, Novak has been serviceable in those five games. Sure, he plays a bit on the perimeter, and yes, he could be less shy about taking contact. But the 6-foot-1 center has barely had any runway to develop chemistry with any of his new teammates, and he has a track record of being a solid bottom-six player in Nashville with 49 goals and 117 points in 201 games there. He has also displayed some chemistry with youngster Ben Kindel.

But, again, should his roster spot be filled by someone like Tristan Broz or Avery Hayes, who are six years younger and may be part of the Penguins’ future plans? The argument can be made that the Penguins should hold off a bit on Novak to see if he can build some trade value.

But, once again, if the Penguins are serious about a youth movement, they need to consider all options for helping that come to fruition for deserving players, even if that means shipping off someone like Novak a tad bit prematurely.

It’s Only Been Three Games. But Kindel And Brunicke Should Be In Pittsburgh To Stay.
Going into Pittsburgh Penguins’ training camp this season, it’s safe to say that most folks did not have 2025 11th overall pick Ben Kindel making the NHL roster out of the gate.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are off to a 2-1 start this season, and they have played a bit better than most had expected up to this point.

And their AHL affiliate is off to a hot start, too.

On Saturday and Sunday, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins earned back-to-back victories – first a 2-1 win over the Hartford Wolfpack and then a 4-1 victory over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. And there are already 12 different players who have been involved on the scoresheet for WBS.

On Saturday, forward Valtteri Puustinen opened the season scoring for the WBS Penguins in the second period with the Penguins trailing Hartford, 1-0. They carried the tie into second intermission, and then, a little more than three minutes into the final frame, defenseman Owen Pickering shot one from the point and through traffic to write the final 2-1 score.

Then, in game two against the Phantoms, one of the young forwards who nearly cracked the NHL roster out of training camp really shone through.

Aidan McDonough registered the first goal of the game on the power play a tick more than four minutes in, and the primary assist came from Tristan Broz, who impressed many with his NHL training camp. Avery Hayes – another camp standout – tallied WBS’s second power play goal of the game on a feed from Ville Koivunen, who was playing in his first AHL game since being re-assigned from Pittsburgh.

Helge Grans cut the deficit to 2-1 for Lehigh Valley on a power play of their own late in the second period, but in the third, Broz took it home. In the early part of the third, he pounced on a rebound in the slot off of a Koivunen shot, and then he added the empty-net goal at the end of the night to cap off the 4-1 win – giving him three points on the evening.

Penguins’ Prospect Shines In First KHL Action Of Season
There are several Pittsburgh Penguins’ prospects who have been making headlines as of late.

On the young season, there are four players with multiple points on the season in Broz (3), Hayes (2), Koivunen (2), and Sam Poulin (2). WBS’s next set of games starts Friday, when they play a weekend back-to-back against Hartford and the Bridgeport Islanders.

It’s Only Been Three Games. But Kindel And Brunicke Should Be In Pittsburgh To Stay.
Going into Pittsburgh Penguins’ training camp this season, it’s safe to say that most folks did not have 2025 11th overall pick Ben Kindel making the NHL roster out of the gate.

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There are several Pittsburgh Penguins’ prospects who have been making headlines as of late.

But there is one prospect who has quietly been putting up numbers.

Forward Mikhail Ilyin, 20, is in his fourth season with the Severstal Cherepovets of the KHL. So far this season, Ilyin has registered three goals and nine points in 14 games, and he has continued to impress.

Selected by the Penguins in the fifth round (142nd overall) in 2023, the 6-foot, 180-pound right wing is known for his playmaking ability as well as his hockey IQ. Ilyin has been playing in a league of grown men since he was 17 years old, and he continues to get better and better with each passing year.

Pretty much every scoring play Ilyin is involved in nowadays involves dangling, maneuvering, net-crashing, and elite playmaking vision. The forward – who we ranked 12th on our Top-20 Penguins’ Prospects 2025 List – is certainly showing some NHL potential up to this point.

Ilyin signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Penguins this summer, and he is playing for Severstal on loan this season. He attended Penguins’ Prospect Development Camp in July.

Top-20 Penguins’ Prospects 2025: Don’t Sleep On This Russian Winger
Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have shifted the focus to youth and development.

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On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Penguins were set to square off against the New York Rangers for the second time in three games to start the season. They got the best of Mike Sullivan’s Rangers the first time around in a 3-0 opening night shutout.

This game – even if it started out pretty promising – did not have the same result.

Trailing just 1-0 after the first period on a shorthanded goal by Mika Zibanejad and outshooting the Rangers, 9-4, the Penguins opened up the second period strong, as Ben Kindel scored his first career NHL goal to tie the game. But the Penguins allowed five unanswered goals to the Rangers and were defeated by a score of 6-1.

Even after Adam Fox scored to put the Rangers back in front, 2-1, the Penguins didn’t lose much momentum. However, it all seemed to go downhill after a missed holding call that saw Penguins’ forward Bryan Rust – who returned to the lineup Saturday after missing the first two games to injury – get hauled to the ice, and then a subsequent hooking penalty by Kindel resulted in a Rangers’ power play goal by Will Cuylle.

“Got on the wrong side of the puck, kind of a lazy penalty in the o-zone,” Kindel said. “So, something I definitely want back and will definitely learn from it. I can’t be costing my team like that. They scored a big goal on the power play there, and it kind of changed the momentum of the game, so just going to learn from those things.”

From there, New York took over. And, unfortunately, the special teams woes didn’t end there for the Penguins.

With less than five minutes to go in the second, the Penguins took a bench penalty for Too Many Men, and Fox lit the lamp for the second time in the game to put the Rangers up, 4-1. In the third period, Matt Rempe and Taylor Raddysh added goals for the Rangers, and they walked out winners.

Penguins’ Top Forward Prospect Ben Kindel Records First Career NHL Goal
Just one game after Pittsburgh Penguins’ 19-year-old defensive prospect Harrison Brunicke tallied his first goal in the National Hockey League on a beauty of a wrist shot off the rush, the other teenager on the Penguins’ roster did the same thing.

When Rust was asked what went wrong in the second period and on special teams, he chalked it up to the Penguins’ lack of response in the detail of their game.

“We didn’t handle it well,” Rust said. “We let in one goal there, and I just think we just kind of lost our details on both the kill and the PP.”

It wasn’t a pretty one, but there were some positives and negatives. Here are some thoughts and observations:

– There were few standout players in this game after the first 20 minutes of play, but I do want to start with Connor Dewar. He did not register a goal, but he tied for the team lead in shot attempts and was very noticeable.

In the first period, he generated a few scoring chances on his own. On one occasion, he forced a turnover at center ice and brought the puck into the offensive zone himself, skating around a defender before getting a shot off. He was cycling well down low, good on forecheck as per usual, and finding the net-front with regularity.

I quite liked Dewar’s game in the pre-season, and that has – so far – carried into the regular season.

– Probably the player who stood out positively the most in this game, however, was Filip Hallander.

He was everywhere. The 25-year-old forward was generating chances down low for his linemates, crashing the net, using his vision and playmaking skills to find the open man and get creative. The puck just kept finding him, and he kept delivering on creating space and generating chances.

Youth Movement Cultivating Fresh Identity For Penguins
On Thursday night against the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins’ rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke became the first teenager to score a goal for the Penguins since Daniel Sprong in 2015.

If anyone else deserved a goal Saturday, it was Hallander. He’s one of the hardest workers on this team, and if he keeps playing like this, that hard work is going to be rewarded.

– Speaking of deserving goals, what else can I say about Kindel and Harrison Brunicke?

Kindel did take that hooking penalty in the second period, but – that aside – he turned in another solid performance. His goal was a thing of beauty, as it certainly isn’t easy to snipe a longer-range wrister past one of the best goaltenders in the league in Igor Shesterkin. And, not only that, Kindel also capitalized off of a neutral zone turnover by the Rangers, and he carried the puck into the zone and scored off the rush.

His 200-foot game is really showing up for the Penguins, and he continues to get better.

“The offensive side, I think it’s been there pretty consistently,” head coach Dan Muse said. “This guy has got a lot of poise with the puck, puts himself in great areas, then defensively, I think it’s an area he’s continued to get better. He’s young. There’s going to be the details of the game, there’s going to be little things that constantly are coming up, as they should, and I think it’s just going to be good for just continuing to learn the game at this level.

“It’s different. This is the highest league in the world. So, while there’s been a lot of good, there’s also plenty of learning that should be taking place and will be taking place.”

Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) on X
TAKE A BOW, KID ðŸŒ

As far as Brunicke, it wasn’t a flawless game, but it was another good one. And there was a moment when the 19-year-old stood up for a teammate, too.

Near the end of the second period, Rangers’ rookie forward Noah Laba took Penguins’ forward Blake Lizotte down against the boards in front of the Rangers’ bench. Brunicke took exception and went after Laba, which did make the Penguins shorthanded again to start the third period.

However, the gesture didn’t go unnoticed by teammates.

“It’s huge. That kid is out there defending his teammate,” Rust said. “He isn’t scared to go in there. He isn’t scared to do something for the team, and I think that takes a lot of character.”

They’re both supremely talented players with elite hockey sense, and the returns in production are already starting to show. If they keep this up, they need to stay. Period. They’re getting better with each and every game, and they’ve earned it up to this point.

– Onward to the negative, I have not been particularly inspired by the play of Caleb Jones through three games. He is, by far, recording the lowest ice time per game among Penguins’ defensemen, and, speed aside, he just isn’t bringing much.

Matt Dumba and Connor Clifton – both right-shot defensemen – worked a bit on their off-sides during the pre-season, and they have both played their off-sides at some point. It’s probably about time to give one of those guys a game, anyway. The left side could benefit from some experimentation.

– Kris Letang was injured during this game and only played one shift in the third period. Muse said Letang is being evaluated for an injury, but he did not specify the type.

This will be an interesting situation to monitor, especially since the Penguin head out West next week. If he goes to injured reserve, the Penguins already have eight defensemen, and – as mentioned before – they have two right-shot defensemen who have been scratched for the first three games.

My feeling is that they may end up recalling a forward instead of another d-man, should Letang be out longer-term.

Kelsey Surmacz (@kelsey_surmacz4) on X
#LetsGoPens    head coach Dan Muse said defenseman Kris Letang is being evaluated for an injury.

– After two outstanding games, Erik Karlsson was not particularly good in this one. Like everyone else, he started out well in the first 20 – aside from failing to take away the pass on the shorthanded two-on-one that led to Zibanejad’s goal – and fell apart afterwards.

He wasn’t even credited with any giveaways in this game. It just looked like the life got sucked out of him in the second, and he began to get more hesitant with the puck, along with the rest of his teammates.

– On a positive note, it was a warm reception for Sullivan in Pittsburgh. The Penguins showed a nice tribute on the video board during the first TV timeout, and he received a standing ovation.

Sullivan has never been known to show emotion, but he got a little teary-eyed while this was happening. As the winningest coach in franchise history – and after 10 years in Pittsburgh – he deserved the ovation that he got.

Really nice tribute by the Penguins and by the Pittsburgh faithful.

Mike Sullivan’s Time In Pittsburgh Deserves To Be Celebrated
If folks have been keeping tabs on the Pittsburgh Penguins for the last year and a half, they very well know that the organization is going through a plethora of change.

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On Thursday night against the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins’ rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke became the first teenager to score a goal for the Penguins since Daniel Sprong in 2015.

On the surface, this doesnâ€t seem all that crazy. After all, teenagers playing in the NHL, period, is a bit of a rarity, and itâ€s something that certainly doesnâ€t happen on a yearly basis for most teams. But when considering the tendency of the Penguins to have largely favored veterans for a good chunk of the last decade, true youth populating the roster seemed like something that happened a lifetime ago.

This season, things are different.

Of course, there are a few reasons for that. Itâ€s important to distinguish the fact that – prior to the 2025-26 season – the Penguins had simply lacked legitimate youth talent in their system for a long while. Years of winning championships, 16 consecutive postseason appearances, and going all-in at the trade deadline does that to an organization.

But because Pittsburgh has missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, they have already shifted into rebuild mode, and theyâ€re focused on collecting high-value assets and infusing talent into their system. As a result, there are better young players and, therefore, more legitimate opportunities for those young players – such as Brunicke and 18-year-old center Ben Kindel – to populate the NHL roster.

However, the mere existence of young players isnâ€t the only factor. New head coach Dan Muse – hired this summer – along with the rest of his staff that is focused on development, is also giving the kids some runway to show what they can do at the NHL level. That kind of leeway wasnâ€t as easy for former head coach Mike Sullivan and his staff to grant while the organization was still prioritizing making the playoffs.

On A Night Of Firsts, Penguins Defeat Islanders, 4-3
It was a night of firsts for several Pittsburgh Penguins’ players in Thursday’s home opener against the New York Islanders.

The prevailing sentiment heading into this season was that the Penguins would likely be a pretty far cry from playoff contention. Yet – two games into the 2025-26 season – something about this team simply feels different. Feels rejuvenated. Energized.

Now, getting too far ahead of anything would be foolish. To declare the Penguins a playoff hopeful after two regular season games is unrealistic, especially since most people have them finishing in at least the bottom-10 this season. On top of that, GM and POHO Kyle Dubas himself said at the end of the 2024-25 season that the Penguins making the playoffs this season would be “an accomplishment.â€

That said, there is a certain energy – and structure – around this team that has been lacking in recent years. The team is playing faster. Smarter. Tighter. More risk-averse. In the two games so far this season – both wins against each team from New York – they were the better team in the final 20 minutes of play, generally doing a good job of limiting opposing chances, controlling play, and shutting things down, as they havenâ€t allowed a third-period goal.

And itâ€s not as if the youth on their team is sitting back and letting the veterans do all the work. Yes, Evgeni Malkin has five points in two games. Justin Brazeau has three goals in two games. Sidney Crosby has a goal and an assist as well.

But Kindel has been driving play on the third line, both in the offensive zone and in his own zone. The work of his line led to Brunickeâ€s goal on Thursday, and Brunicke himself has been quarterbacking the second power play unit and helping to generate offense in transition and off the rush.

Filip Hallander has six points in six games dating back to the pre-season. Ville Koivunen does not have a point yet, but fans and the organization got a glimpse of what Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty – currently on injured reserve – are capable of at the end of last season.

The kids are providing a spark and an energy that this team has desperately needed. They have, so far, proven capable of playing with NHL competition, even if there are some bumps along the way with their development and learning curve. They have given a dead-in-the-water team some new life – a new identity – and itâ€s translating into team performance.

8 Bold Penguins’ Predictions For The 2025-26 Season
In case you haven’t heard, the Pittsburgh Penguins play hockey Tuesday night against the New York Rangers.

Muse said that the goal of the coaching staff – and the biggest thing that they want to see out of this 23-man unit – is for the team to play “connected.†And, so far, thatâ€s exactly what has happened. They have played well within structure, they have developed chemistry in a short period of time, and they have shown that they have a lot to play for, even if outside noise says otherwise.

That “connectedness” is, in essence, their identity. And the mix of youth and experience on the roster is cultivating a perfect environment for that identity to thrive.

There is no telling how this season will unfold. The Penguins could certainly still use improvement in some areas, and there are going to be some tough roster decisions to make as veterans Bryan Rust and Kevin Hayes work their way back from injury. With a current roster at full capacity, some players will need to go.

But one thing is for certain: The kids are alright. And theyâ€re giving some much-needed life to a team – and a fanbase – that craves a strong dosage of hope for the future.

Penguins’ New Top Defensive Pairing Could Be Hidden Gem
There are a lot of new faces populating the Pittsburgh Penguins’ roster this season, especially on the left side of the Penguins’ blue line.

Bookmark THN – Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab  to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!

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  Greg WyshynskiOct 8, 2025, 12:06 AM ET

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  Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.

NEW YORK — Mike Sullivan coached the Pittsburgh Penguins for 10 seasons, leading them to two Stanley Cup championships. On Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, he watched them ruin his debut as the New York Rangers’ latest head coach.

Sullivan admitted it was a peculiar feeling having Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and others he coached in Pittsburgh suddenly become his opponents.

“I mean, obviously it’s different. It’s different. I knew that was going to be the case,” he said after Pittsburgh’s 3-0 victory on the opening night of the 2025-26 NHL season. “But I’m excited about the group we have here in front of me with the Rangers. I’m looking forward to working with this group.”

The Rangers were shut out by goalie Arturs Silovs (22 saves) and watched forward Justin Brazeau score two goals in the Penguins’ win. They were outshot 15-5 in the third period and couldn’t muster anything consistent offensively in Sullivan’s debut.

“Well, I think my first observation is we got a long way to go to become the team we want to become. Some of it I think we can iron out, but certainly we’ve got a ways to go,” said Sullivan, who will coach Team USA in the 2026 Winter Olympic men’s hockey tournament in Italy. “I’m not going to overreact to it. It’s one game. We’ve got a lot of hockey to play,” he said. “So is it disappointing? Yeah. We’re going to see what we can take from it. We’ve got to move on.”

Sullivan and the Penguins agreed to part ways in April despite his being under contract through the 2026-27 season. Hired in 2015-16, Sullivan was the franchise’s most successful coach with 409 wins, only the 14th coach in NHL history to win 400 games with one team. Pittsburgh won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017 with Sullivan.

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Days later, after he left the Penguins, Sullivan was hired by the Rangers to replace coach Peter Laviolette, signing a five-year contract that made him the NHL’s highest-paid coach. Sullivan, 57, had previously served as an assistant coach with New York from 2009 to 2013, during which time he coached Rangers GM Chris Drury as a player.

Penguins captain Crosby acknowledged it was a different feeling having Sullivan behind the Rangers’ bench instead of his.

“I just go out there and compete, but it’s always weird that first little bit,” he said.

For Crosby, it wasn’t just seeing Sullivan coaching the opponents. Sullivan brought former Penguins assistants David Quinn and Ty Hennes with him to New York.

While Sullivan took the loss against his former team, new Penguins coach Dan Muse earned a victory against his. Muse was an assistant coach under Laviolette for two seasons in New York and reportedly interviewed for the vacancy before Sullivan was hired. Crosby was happy to get Muse the win.

“Every team will tell you, especially early in the season, it’s not going to be perfect. You’re just trying to be on the same page as much as possible. And I feel like he prepared us well to start the year,” Crosby said.

Pittsburgh had Crosby, Malkin and Letang in its starting lineup, three players who have been on the Penguins team together since 2007.

“We had three guys that have been playing together for 20 years, and I thought it was important that they get to start the game together,” Muse said.

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NEW YORK — Dan Muse was very intentional when he chose the Pittsburgh Penguins’ starting lineup on opening night.

Their new coach made sure to get Ben Kindel and Harrison Brunicke out there for their NHL debuts. With them, he chose Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, who have been teammates for the past two decades and were making some history.

“We had three guys that have been playing together for 20 years, and I thought it was important that they get to start that game together,†Muse said. “It kind of worked out well to be able to do that.â€

Just about everything worked out at the beginning of a new era for the Penguins, who got Muse a victory in his first game behind their bench by beating old coach Mike Sullivan and the New York Rangers 3-0 on Tuesday night.Â

Crosby, Malkin and Letang became the first trio in the four major North American menâ€s professional sports leagues to play 20 seasons together with the same team. During that time, they’ve won the Stanley Cup three times.

On the ice during the national anthem, a lot of different thoughts about that tenure went through Crosby’s mind.

“To be sharing 20 years with Geno and Tanger and having played this long together, itâ€s so rare,†Crosby said. “Just grateful that we can be in this situation, and weâ€re still competing and still doing it.â€

Kindel and Brunicke, at 18 and 19, respectively, hadn’t even been born yet when Crosby, Malkin and Letang started their journey together. Crosby marvelled at the age gap between him and his longtime running mates and a couple of fresh-faced players not even old enough to legally drink alcohol in the U.S.

His message to them was to enjoy the moment.

“Itâ€s been a while, but I still remember my first game and the emotions and itâ€s always fun to see that and to be a part of that with other guys,†Crosby said. “It was fun to be out there with them to start there. It makes you realize how long youâ€ve been around when youâ€re standing next to some of these guys.â€

Muse was standing not far from what used to be his usual spot. He spent the previous two seasons as a Rangers assistant under Peter Laviolette, before taking over the Penguins when they parted ways with Sullivan.

Crosby felt Muse prepared the team well to get off to a good start. With a long season ahead, that’s all they’re considering this first win.

“Weâ€ve got to enjoy it tonight, turn the page and back to work,†Muse said. “Iâ€m really happy for the guys. … You always want to start things off on the right foot.â€

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NEW YORK — Justin Brazeau scored twice, Arturs Silovs stopped all 25 shots he faced for his first regular-season NHL shutout, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers 3-0 on Tuesday night in each team’s opener.

Dan Muse won his debut as Penguins coach with his predecessor, Mike Sullivan, on the other bench running his first game with the Rangers. Sullivan guided Pittsburgh to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and ’17 as part of a nearly decade-long run there before parting ways in April.

Brazeau and Silovs were also playing for the Penguins for the first time. Brazeau signed as a free agent, while Silovs joined in a trade from Vancouver.

Evgeni Malkin led off his 20th season in the league by setting up Brazeau’s goal. Malkin beat Vincent Trocheck on an offensive zone faceoff to get the puck to Brazeau, who was alone in front and roofed a backhander past Igor Shesterkin.

Brazeau’s first goal with 32 seconds remaining in the first came near the end of a period that Pittsburgh controlled the play for much of the time. Silovs blockered away a shot from Alexis Lafrenière in the final seconds of an early Rangers power play but did not have to make too many other spectacular saves to get the win.

With Shesterkin pulled for an extra attacker, Brazeau had an empty-netter with 2:12 left, and Blake Lizotte sealed it with another 20 seconds later.

Mika Zibanejad, who Sullivan put on new captain J.T. Miller’s right wing to start the season, was one of the most noticeable players for New York. Zibanejad missed the net on a couple of scoring chances but also had a game-high seven shots on goal.

Defeating the Rangers gave the Penguins something to celebrate on opening night as Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang made some history. They became the first trio in the four major North American men’s professional sports leagues to play 20 seasons together with the same team.

Penguins: Host the New York Islanders on Thursday night.

Rangers: Visit Buffalo on Thursday night.

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After a grueling few weeks of training camp, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ roster has finally been solidified for the start of the 2025-26 season.

On Monday, the Penguins – along with all 31 other NHL teams – were required to submit final NHL rosters prior to the 5:00 p.m. ET deadline. Pittsburgh did reduce its roster to 23 on Sunday after a group of players cleared waivers and were re-assigned to the AHL, but it was not official until Monday.

The roster features 13 forwards, eight defensemen, and two goaltenders, and it will include two top prospects in Harrison Brunicke and Ben Kindel, who are confirmed to be in the lineup Tuesday against the New York Rangers. They will be the first pair of teenagers to debut together for the Penguins since Jordan Staal and Kris Letang in 2006.

Here is the full 23-man roster for the Penguins to begin the season:

Forwards (13)
11 – Filip Hallander
16 – Justin Brazeau
18 – Tommy Novak
19 – Connor Dewar
39 – Anthony Mantha
41 – Ville Koivunen
46 – Blake Lizotte
53 – Philip Tomasino
55 – Noel Acciari
67 – Rickard Rakell
71 – Evgeni Malkin
81 – Ben Kindel
87 – Sidney Crosby

Top Prospects Brunicke, Kindel Confirmed To Make NHL Debuts In Penguins’ Season Opener
Even though rosters were trimmed to 23 on Saturday, there was no guarantee that the Pittsburgh Penguins were going to carry those exact 23 players into their season opener against former head coach Mike Sullivan and the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

Defensemen (8)
5 – Ryan Shea
24 – Mathew Dumba
28 – Parker Wotherspoon
45 – Harrison Brunicke
58 – Kris Letang
65 – Erik Karlsson
75 – Connor Clifton
82 – Caleb Jones

Goaltenders (2)
35 – Tristan Jarry
37 – Arturs Silovs

3 Big Penguins’ Storylines To Watch in 2025-26
With final NHL rosters submitted and the pre-season officially coming to a close, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be an interesting team to watch for a plethora of reasons in 2025-26.

The Penguins will face former head coach Mike Sullivan and the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday before they come back home to face the New York Islanders in their home opener on Thursday. Prior to Thursday’s game, there will be a celebration marking 20 seasons of the “Big Three” – Crosby, Malkin, and Letang – playing in Pittsburgh.

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Even though rosters were trimmed to 23 on Saturday, there was no guarantee that the Pittsburgh Penguins were going to carry those exact 23 players into their season opener against former head coach Mike Sullivan and the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

But that does appear to be the case – which is good news for two top Penguins’ prospects.

On Monday, Penguins’ head coach Dan Muse confirmed that defenseman Harrison Brunicke and center Ben Kindel will both be making their NHL debuts when the Penguins take on the Rangers to kick off the 2025-26 season.

Brunicke, 19, and Kindel, 18, will be the first set of teenagers since Jordan Staal and Kris Letang on Oct. 5, 2006 to debut together for the Penguins, and they are just the third pair in team history – with the other being Mario Lemieux and Doug Bodger on Oct. 11, 1984.

“I’m excited for both of them. They earned this,” Muse said. “I said it the other day… this wasn’t something that we came in – that we started training camp or went through the summer – saying, ‘Okay, these guys are going to be in.’ Those two players were given an opportunity, and along the way, they earned new opportunities. And through those new opportunities, they’re now here today.

“It was multiple steps, though, that they had to go through to get to this point. I mean, there were points in exhibition where we’re purposely putting them in those hard situations to see how they handle them, and they handled them well. So, now we’re onto going into [Tuesday], and both guys have earned the right there to be in that opening night lineup.”

Brunicke – selected 44th overall by the Penguins in 2024 – nearly made the team out of training camp as an 18-year-old last season. He faced some adversity in his 2024-25 season with the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL, as a broken wrist sidelined him for nearly two months. He still managed to put up five goals and 30 points in 41 games last season, and he came into this year’s camp looking even better than he did last time around.

“Confidence. He’s got tons of confidence with the puck,” veteran defenseman Kris Letang said. “He has a pretty good set of skills, whether it’s skating, puckhandling… and, obviously, his confidence makes him really dangerous. He can hold onto pucks and use his patience. So, it’s going to be exciting what he can do at this level.”

Kindel was selected 11th overall in 2025, and he was easily the best player in at least three of the Penguins’ pre-season games. He also played in more pre-season games than any other Penguins’ player, appearing in six of seven and registering a goal and three points.

Brunicke, Kindel & Cootes Projected To Start 2025-26 Season In The NHL
Three WHLers are projected to start the 2025-26 season with their NHL clubs. Harrison Brunicke and Ben Kindel are still with the Pittsburgh Penguins, while Braeden Cootes has yet to be reassigned by the Vancouver Canucks. With rosters needing to be set by Monday, it appears that all three will make their NHL debuts before being returned to the WHL.

The 5-foot-10, 181-pound centerman registered 35 goals and 99 points in 65 games with the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL last season and has impressed the very best early on.

“He’s got a lot of poise with the puck, a lot of speed. Those two things probably stand out the most,” captain Sidney Crosby said. “I think he’s using his speed well, he’s finding guys, he distributes the puck really well, and he seems like he’s confident. It doesn’t seem like it’s been too fast for him or anything like that up to this point. He’s done a great job.

“Sometimes, it takes time to adjust to all of that. It seems like, with every game, he’s getting more and more comfortable.”

In practice Monday, Brunicke was working on the bottom pairing with left defenseman Caleb Jones, while Kindel was centering Tommy Novak and Philip Tomasino on the third line – a combination that has stuck for the last week or so. Both players were also working on the team’s second power play unit.

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