Friday 4: How Penguins acquired again into playoff competition

If you have been requested again within the pre-season to foretell the place the Pittsburgh Penguins could be within the standings in late March, most would’ve mentioned in a very good place to safe the No. 1-overall choose within the 2026 draft. 

To say expectations have been low for the 2025-26 Penguins could be a significant understatement. After lacking the playoffs for 3 consecutive seasons, all of the speak final summer time was round when Sidney Crosby could be asking for a commerce. Pittsburgh gave the impression to be going nowhere quick and on the cusp of a full-blown rebuild, however what they’ve proven this 12 months proves why hockey is so unpredictable. 

There’s nonetheless work to do, although the Pens are in a very good place to qualify for the post-season. Pittsburgh lately survived a couple of weeks with out Crosby because of an damage and didn’t have the providers of Evgeni Malkin for 5 of these video games due to a suspension. The Penguins have answered each take a look at they’ve been confronted with this season and made a significant assertion earlier this week with a convincing win over the Colorado A-Z Eventz. Whether it is a full-fledged turnaround stays to be seen but when the objective was to develop into extra aggressive within the short-term to maintain Crosby round, mission achieved. 

Much of the credit score for the Pens turnaround has to go to basic supervisor Kyle Dubas. After an unceremonious exit from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Dubas seems to be studying from his errors in his second GM job. He’s stacking up small wins as an alternative of pursuing massive splashes, setting the Penguins up for fulfillment in the present day and never sacrificing something for the long run. He’s made plenty of strikes which have helped get Pittsburgh again on the precise path, like transferring off Tristan Jarry’s contract for Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak and a second-round choose. Dubas then flipped Kulak, a pending UFA, to the A-Z Eventz, for a a lot youthful Samuel Girard and one other second-round choose. Girard additionally has one other 12 months left on his deal after this one. 

He additionally quietly added depth gamers like Connor Dewar and Justin Brazeau, a pair of strikes that didn’t obtain a lot fanfare. That duo has mixed for 30 objectives this season and supplied the Penguins with some desperately wanted secondary scoring. Those are simply a few examples of how Dubas has turned issues round, however let’s check out his 4 most important strikes. 

Not sending Ben Kindel again to junior

It’s very uncommon for a participant taken exterior the highest 10 to make an instantaneous impression the way in which Kindel has. Still solely 18 years previous, Kindel was the fifth-youngest participant in franchise historical past to make his NHL debut with Penguins and he hasn’t regarded again since. The 11^th total choose from the 2025 draft has stepped in virtually seamlessly, centring Pittsburgh’s third line and even getting a while on the prime power-play unit. 

Kindel’s 17 objectives rank fourth on the Pens, he sits fourth on the group in pictures on objective and he’s averaged greater than quarter-hour per evening. All this whereas navigating the centre place as an 18-year-old within the NHL, one thing that’s something however straightforward and filled with duty. 

The Pens may’ve chosen to return Kindel again to junior earlier than he performed his 10^th sport. That wouldn’t have burnt a 12 months of his entry-level deal and allowed Kindel to overripen within the WHL. Or, they might’ve loaned him to Team Canada for the world juniors to get some extra big-game expertise, however the Penguins would’ve actually missed him and possible wouldn’t be closing in on a playoff spot. Without Kindel, Pittsburgh’s centre depth takes an enormous hit and they might’ve been extra uncovered throughout the absences of Crosby and Malkin. Not to say the injection of vitality and youth he’s supplied to a roster that was getting stale. 

Taking an opportunity on Anthony Mantha

When Dubas signed Anthony Mantha final summer time, the transfer didn’t even make a ripple. 

It was a one-year, $2.5 million deal for a 31-year-old participant nobody anticipated a lot from after a handful of underwhelming seasons and coming off a torn ACL. Instead, Mantha has been a revelation for the Penguins. He has a career-high 26 objectives and counting, which is simply two behind Sidney Crosby for the group lead. Mantha can be a plus-14, the most effective amongst Pens forwards and second on the group. He’s an enormous physique that’s given the Pens a presence across the entrance of the online. 

Maybe even Dubas didn’t foresee Mantha becoming on this swimmingly with the Penguins, however the logic behind the signing was sound nonetheless. Mantha is the right participant to flip on the deadline, so Dubas most likely thought in a worst-case situation, he may a minimum of recoup a draft choose for the veteran ahead if issues didn’t go effectively. Now Mantha has been one of many group’s finest forwards and so they’ve been rewarded in an enormous manner by taking an opportunity on a participant the place they’d nothing to lose. 

Buying low on Yegor Chinakhov

Dubas has quietly been including younger gamers and picks to try to re-tool the Penguins, whereas additionally hoping to present Crosby a gifted piece or two to maintain hope alive for yet one more playoff run. One of these gamers has been Yegor Chinakhov, who Dubas purchased low on from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a second and third-round choose, in addition to veteran ahead Danton Heinen. Chinakhov’s worth was at an all-time low earlier than he was dealt, scoring simply three objectives in 29 video games previous to the commerce. The former first-round choose was a chance by the Pens, but it surely’s paying off. 

Chinakhov has been discovered cash for the Pens, scoring 11 instances in 30 video games since arriving in Pittsburgh. That’s extra objectives than he had throughout elements of the previous two seasons in Columbus. The 25-year-old has discovered a house on the second line and is proving to have a superb shot on a lightning-quick launch. The secondary scoring has been essential to the Pens’ playoff push, as they’re sitting sixth in goals-for per sport after ending simply 18^th a 12 months in the past. Pittsburgh is way more tough to defend this season as a result of there are a couple of extra skaters to fret about than simply Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. 

What makes the Chinakhov add so savvy is he’s having an impression now and younger sufficient to assist them for years to come back as effectively. Having simply turned 25 years of age, Chinakhov will match into their future plans if they go for a much bigger rebuild over the subsequent few years. Sure, Dubas needed to expend some draft capital to get Chinakhov however the Penguins basic supervisor has completed an awesome job of stockpiling picks. In addition to proudly owning all their first-round picks over the subsequent 4 drafts, Pittsburgh additionally has 9 second rounders and 6 third-round choices over that span. Dubas can make the most of a few these picks to doubtlessly add one other piece over the summer time if he chooses, and nonetheless have sufficient left to proceed to inventory Pittsburgh’s cabinets with younger prospects. 

Holding onto Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell

Sometimes the most effective strikes are those you don’t make. 

With the Pens headed for a 3rd straight season with out post-season hockey, each Rust and Rakell have been scorching commodities ultimately 12 months’s commerce deadline. There have been rumblings that every of them could possibly be dealt to a contender and it wasn’t arduous to see why. Rust had three years remaining on his deal at $5.1 million, whereas Rakell was making $5 million for the subsequent three. A pair of high quality scorers at an affordable worth locked in for a couple of extra seasons may’ve returned the Pens a haul. 

Unlike this month’s deadline that was dominated by no-move clauses, Rust and Rakell had little commerce safety or say within the course of. Rakell solely has an eight-team no commerce checklist and Rust has nothing. Dubas may’ve simply moved them if he wished to and re-stocked his system with a handful of prospects and picks. 

That didn’t occur, although. Whether he didn’t get the return he wished or in the end determined they’d have extra worth remaining on the roster, Dubas determined to maintain them. It’s arduous to re-tool a roster on the fly with out a minimum of a handful of gifted veterans and had Dubas moved them, issues would’ve regarded lots totally different this season. Pittsburgh would’ve needed to lean much more on Crosby and Malkin, making them extra prime heavy. 

Instead, Rust has 26 objectives and 54 factors in 61 video games, whereas Rakell, even in a down 12 months, remains to be scoring at almost a 60-point tempo. Both will likely be essential if the Pens get into the post-season and they’re going to play an vital position serving to to set an instance on be good professionals for all of the younger gamers on the roster.