The Pittsburgh Penguins offseason 2026 started to take shape a couple days ago when GM and POHO Kyle Dubas gave his season-ending presser to local media.
For the TLDR people here is quick summary:
- Sign Malkin, Shea, and Chinakhov
- Trade Rakell in a package for a game changer
- Also trade Wotherspoon, Novak, and Brazeau
- Sign Marchment and Kulak
- Locate an RFA on a cap squeezed team and acquire him via trade
The biggest talking point to come out of the Dubas presser was that he would love to have Evgeni Malkin back for another season. Until pen is to paper, the jury will be out on if he truly means that. However, Dubas appropriately noted that Geno isn’t necessarily blocking anyone’s path at the moment. Bringing back Geno, especially if you can make a couple of big splashes makes a lot of sense. So, first order of business has to be resigning Geno, and his presumptive linemate/countrymen Egor Chinakhov. The two Russians played extremely well together and having Chinny get another season with Geno in the room should hopefully help him build on his extremely successful first season in Pittsburgh. The final piece that should get a new contract is Ryan Shea. Shea was tremendous this season despite constantly bopping around the lineup and experimenting with new D-partners. Shea deserves his raise and with defense being the largest issue with the club it would not be smart to allow one of your best defenders walk.
While Geno isn’t blocking anyone’s spot, the team is rather full at forward currently. If it’s been established that Geno is coming back, someone of the “old guard” needs be replaced with younger talent. I propose that player to be Rickard Rakell. I love Rakell, but I don’t think there’s much appetite to move Rust. Rakell is the best trade chip on the roster of players they’d actually consider trading. Rakell is the youngest of the olds, coming into next season at 33 years old. Not only is his age, and contract, not dastardly but so too is his versatility. Rakell showed this past season how multi-faceted his game can be as he played center, wing, and penalty kill. His work in the faceoff dot was rather poor but started showing signs of improvement as soon as he started to settle into the role. You couple his versatility with the ability to tuck 30, you can open up quite a market for him. I don’t believe Rakell is a player they move on from just for picks/prospects. I think Rakell is utilized in a deal for someone that can be a young difference maker. Dubas teetered the line of tampering when he basically made a sales pitch on why younger players, with control of their situations, should choose to come to Pittsburgh. He was very pointedly speaking, almost directly, to a handful of players who might be forcing themselves out of their current markets. Those players include Jason Robertson, Auston Matthews, Brady Tkachuk, Pavel Mintyukov/Owen Zellweger, Simon Nemec, Robert Thomas, and Connor McDavid. Now, almost all of those names are purely speculative. Also, Rakell on his own would not be accepted 1:1 for any of the above players. Rakell is a very good starting point for most of the above names. I don’t expect McDavid to move, but I do expect Tkachuk, Robertson, and Matthews to all heavily consider a change of scenery (for various reasons). Tkachuk and Matthews being centers is why Rakell’s pivot to center last year is key because you rarely trade a star center without the ability to get a center in return. Landing one of the above-mentioned names would go a long way for this iteration of the Penguins, any of the players would help fill the bridge between super young and super old that Dubas spoke about. The Penguins also have the ability to trade their 26 first round pick, while it was a letdown to lose in the first round, thus losing the chance at a lottery ticket, it does help open up the ability to utilize the pick in a trade. If the pick was in the top 10, they would never consider moving off the pick, but now the situation has changed. Utilizing Rakell, a 2026 1st, a prospect, and maybe another roster player the Penguins can likely acquire a top end talent to help juxtapose the extreme youth and extreme age of the team.
Rakell isn’t the only player I’d move off the roster. I would consider deals for Tommy Novak, Justin Brazeau, and Parker Wotherspoon. Novak is easy, he’s in the last year of his deal and played “fine” in a 2nd line center role. There will be a market for a 2nd/3rd line center making on 3.5 million. For the Penguins, they likely don’t want Novak to center their second line, they want a true difference maker, so you have to open up that roster spot. Novak even being moved for a pick in the upcoming draft wouldn’t be bad business. Brazeau is also another easy case to make. Braz started the season hot, he slowed down towards the end, but he’s only got one year left under 2million AAV. The teams that are cap strapped would love to add someone of Brazeau’s size and hands, especially if they think they can continue to unlock him in the same way Muse was able to do early in the season. For Brazeau it’s more of a numbers game, he is the one currently blocking prospects like Rutger McGroarty, Bill Zonnon, Tanner Howe, Mikhail Ilyin, or Ville Koivunen from a spot on the roster. Moving him out and acquiring a defensive prospect, or pick, just makes sense considering he was basically signed for that very purpose anyway. Now onto Parker Wotherspoon. This may not be an easy sell for most fans to stomach. Parker played top pairing minutes this season and did so extremely effectively. Wotherspoon is only 28 years old and is only making a million dollars. If they don’t resign Shea, then you have to keep Wotherspoon. However, operating under the assumption Shea returns, Wotherspoon becomes expendable. Not only would Wotherspoon become expendable, but he would also be extremely valuable. Wotherspoon can be baited in a bevy of trade scenarios because of his cap hit and performance. There aren’t many teams that would baulk at the idea of acquiring a top4 defensemen who’s making close to league minimum, especially teams that are close to the cap and competing for a cup. If you’re able to get a home run deal for Wotherspoon, I am of the belief that you do it. The deal can be for a certain Ducks defenseman I will speak on later, it can be in a package for a higher pick, or really any move that can start to better the future. Maybe a trade like this means the defense will take a step back, but in the long run it would be worth it. At the very least, it opens up a roster spot to see what Owen Pickering can do, if he isn’t included in a separate deal.
We’ve spoke plenty about who to trade, but the Penguins will also have to add to this roster. I have a few suggestions on that front too. I’d bring Brett Kulak back because he was the only one to bring stability to Kris Letang’s game. Letang isn’t going anywhere, unfortunately, so you have to find a way to make the most of his minutes and Kulak provides you with that. Kulak’s re-addition would also make Sam Girard expendable; I’m sure San Jose would take him though. This is a move that’s unlikely to happen, but it’s a move I’d consider if I was in Dubas’ spot. Aside from Kulak, we know Kyle Dubas loves his guys. One guy he might love the most is Mason Marchment, who happens to be a UFA. Dubas has said on record several times that his biggest regret throughout his career was letting Marchment go from Toronto. Well, now he has the ability to bring Mason into Pittsburgh. Marchment is not the age profile that the Penguins are looking to acquire but he does play the type of game that the team desperately needs. Marchment is extremely fast, and he has plenty of sandpaper to his game. Marchment on a third line could be a key ingredient to what they lacked during this year’s postseason run. Getting someone, really anyone, who thrives at going to the net will be a welcomed addition to this.
The final piece to the puzzle should be looking for a young 20s player on a team that will have difficulty signing him. I am of the belief they will do that with Robertson, should be become available, utilizing Rakell in the package. However, they need to find one other option to pounce on should an opportunity present itself. There will be quite a few options. I believe these players could become major offer sheet threats; Pavel Mintyukov, Simon Nemec, Pavel Dorofeyev, Zach Benson, and Jack Drury. It’s entirely possible their clubs all move out other bodies and resign them. However, the longer they wait to move other bodies out the more available all of those players become. The two who become the most desirable are Zach Benson and Pavel Mintyukov. Benson would remove the need to sign Marchment, I mean look at what Benson is doing in the playoffs. If Buffalo resigns Tuch they will quickly become cap strapped and Benson is due a lofty raise too. Benson could play anywhere in the lineup for the Penguins and make whatever line he’s on instantly better. Acquiring Benson is a pie in the sky type of idea, Buffalo is likely to move heaven and Earth to retain him. Mintyukov is in an entirely different position. He has already expressed frustration with his ice time this season. Pavel even popped up on quite a few trade boards, which also linked him to Pittsburgh. Anaheim is not lacking cap space, unlike other teams with offer sheet candidates, but they are lacking roster spots. The Ducks will likely make a decision between Minyukov and Zellweger, whoever they don’t choose is exactly who Dubas should inquire about. The Ducks are going to be spending a lot of money the next two offseasons. Their cap space is going to quickly dissipate. They will need to move out a young guy or two to allow them to make other deals to improve the team. The Penguins can likely can a young top 4 left side D-man for cheaper than usual given the circumstances Anaheim is about to find itself in, these are the exact type of moves that Dubas loves.
It goes without saying that almost none of the above, except the resigning of Geno/Chinny, will happen. Let’s operate under the assumption that these moves do happen though. This is what the team would look like for next season.
Robertson(6yrs-12million)- Crosby- Rust
Chinakhov (4yrs-5 million)- Kindel- Malkin (1yr- 4.5 million)
Marchment (5yrs-5.5million)- Zonnon-Soderblom
Dewar- Lizotte- McGroarty/A. Hayes
Shea (3yrs- 3.5million)- Karlsson
Mintyukov(4yrs-4.85million)- Brunicke
Kulak(3yrs-3million)- Letang
Mursahov-Silovs(2yrs-2.25 million) tandem in net
That roster would leave the Penguins with 17 million in cap space. That leaves plenty of space to add a center if they deem Zonnon not ready at the conclusion of Wilkes Barre’s season, or training camp. If they go that route they can flip Kindel to third line center, if necessary.
This is the best-case scenario(s) I can put together for next season. In all likelihood I feel like the Pens will end up moving off the Novak’s and Brazeau’s just to allow open roster spots for their own prospects to fill. However, you can’t kill a guy for dreaming.
