Some random thoughts on the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Checking in with some random thoughts on the Pittsburgh Penguins with three games to play this season.
Young players bringing new energy
I was not really sure what to expect from forwards Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen when they were called up to the NHL, but it was at least going to give us something different to watch as the Penguins played out the remainder of the regular season schedule. Now that they are actually on the ice and playing in Pittsburgh, it is really easy to start dreaming on what their potential can be in the very near future.
They look like legitimate prospects, and players that could potentially make a significant impact as soon as next season.
That duo has brought some new life and energy to the team, with the Penguins going 3-1-1 in their first five games and dramatically outplaying pretty much every team they have faced along the way — including three very good playoff teams in Ottawa, Dallas and St. Louis.
In Koivunen’s case, he just looks like a skilled playmaker that sees the ice well, moves the puck well and has a some creative flare to his game. It has not produced a goal for himself yet, but it is not for a lack of chances and he is also finding the scoresheet by setting up his teammates. He looks like the real deal.
McGroarty simply looks like somebody that is going to find a home on Sidney Crosby’s wing for the foreseeable future, while also giving the captain the exact type of winger that seems to excel next to him.
They have both been given big ice time, big roles, and they have mostly excelled in them.
Small sample sizes, yes, but it is still a very good first impression for both players. If the Penguins are going to turn this thing around relatively quickly they need prospects like them to pan out.
The only downside to all of this is McGroarty’s injury that is going to sideline him for the remainder of the regular season. That takes away one of the key things to watch over the next few games. But Koivunen is still there, and he has a chance to finish off what has been a strong season between the AHL and NHL by really establishing himself as a potential top-six player going into next season.
What to make of Tristan Jarry’s finish to the season
Tristan Jarry has been back in the Penguins lineup for exactly a month now, and they have no more answers on him than they did before he was sent down to the American Hockey League.
The good news: He has two shutouts since returning, and four of his best save percentage performances have come since his recall.
The bad news: He has also posted three of his four worst save percentage games since his recall while also being benched twice in 12 starts.
The highs and lows are still dramatic, and you still never really know what you are going to get from him on any given night.
The overall news: His .902 save percentage since his recall is about league average, and 12th out of 24 goalies that have appeared in at least 10 games over that stretch. It is also a nice step up from the .886 mark he had prior to being sent down.
The question is what does that mean for the offseason and his future?
As exciting as Sergei Murashov is as a prospect, I can not really envision a scenario where he is a realistic option to start next season in the NHL. He might very well make his debut at some point next season, he might get real playing time later in the season, but I do not think the Penguins are going to rush him into anything when he has, to this point, played just 40 games of pro hockey in North America and only 14 games — as of this publication — in the American Hockey League.
Beyond him, Jarry, Alex Nedeljkovic and Joel Blomqvist are all under team control for next season so they still have NHL options without having to rush anybody (Murashov) or dip into the free agency or trade market. The options for both are especially grim for teams that need a goalie upgrade. Which makes me wonder if his late-season improvement could spark some sort of trade interest in Jarry. The free agent market is AWFUL for goalies, and unless somebody wants to gamble on John Gibson, or somebody totally unexpected becomes available, I do not see much in terms of hypothetical trades on the horizon this offseason.
It is bad out there for goalie-needy teams.
Do you try to find a salary dump-for-salary dump move in the offseason? Do you try and see if he can sustain some of this late-season play and maybe increase his value during the first half of the season?
Draft lottery watch
The Penguins enter play on Friday in the No. 7 spot in the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery with a 6.5 percent chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick.
The New York Rangers are currently in the No. 12 spot and owning a top-13 protected pick, with currently zero chance of the No. 1 overall pick.
I wonder how high the pick would have to be for the Rangers to exercise their option to protect it this season? If it is, say, No. 10, 11 or 12 … would they just take the hit and send it to Pittsburgh to keep a potential Gavin McKenna pick in their back pocket for next season?
Or do the Rangers say, “we are going to be better next season, we will keep the top-12 pick this season and take our chances on the 2026 pick?”
I know which way I would be leaning and hoping if I am the Penguins.
(It is that the Rangers keep this year’s pick, because I have little faith the Rangers are going to fix their mess this offseason and two potential lottery picks in the McKenna draft would be something to watch.)
Big milestones to watch
- Sidney Crosby needs three points in the next three games to record another 90-point season. It would be his ninth 90-point season, with three of those coming after his age 35 season. Bonkers numbers. Injuries are the only thing that has kept him from having even more in his career, but the continued production into his late 30s is the stuff of legends.
- Bryan Rust needs one more goal for a new career-high (29) and two more goals for his first ever 30-goal season.
- Rickard Rakell needs one more goal for a new career-high (35).