Penguins’ 2026-27 Roster Projection 1.0- Post-Free Agency Wave – The Hockey Writers –

With the NHL offseason in full swing, there have been plenty of moves and shifts across the league, and the Pittsburgh Penguins have been in the middle of that. General Manager (GM) Kyle Dubas has been busy. Between the six picks he made at the 2026 Draft and the trades and signings he has made to this point, he is trying to further position the team to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight season. After the first big wave of free agent signings, what could the Penguins’ lineup look like come opening night for the 2026-27 season?

Offseason Moves to This Point

2026 Draft

• RW Liam Ruck (Round 1, Pick 22)
• C Markus Ruck (Round 2, Pick 39)
• LHD Tomas Galvas (Round 3, Pick 54)
• LW Pierce Mbuyi (Round 3, Pick 86)
• RHD Parker Von Richter (Round 4, Pick 111)
• G Matvei Nikonovich (Round 5, Pick 160)

Key Free Agent Signings

• LW Andrei Kuzmenko- Two years, $5 million
• RHD Trevor van Riemsdyk- Two years, $8 million
• LHD Declan Carlile- Two years, $3 million
• *G Joel Blomqvist- Two years, $1.75 million*
• * G Arturs Silovs- One year, $2.8 million*
• * Egor Chinakhov- Three years, $18.75 million*

*Note: Players with an asterisk indicate restricted free agents (RFA) who were re-signed*

Notable Trades

• Acquired LW Nick Robertson (RFA) from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 2028 third-round pick
• Acquired RHD Kaeden Korczak from the Vegas Golden Knights for defenseman Parker Wotherspoon (50% retained)
• Acquired C David Gustafsson from the Winnipeg Jets for RHD Jack St.Ivany (Gustafsson signed a one-year, $850,000 contract as an RFA)
• Acquired C Hendrix Lapierre from the Washington Capitals for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick (via San Jose) (Lapierre signed a two-year, $2.6 million contract as an RFA)

Forwards

The additions the Penguins have made this offseason have made the forward unit a bit crowded, and while Nick Robertson is still unsigned as an RFA, he will factor into the lineup come opening night. The top six forwards should be pretty much set, as there is no reason to split up the top line of Rust-Crosby-Rakell, and Egor Chinakhov and Evgeni Malkin showed great chemistry together after the latter was brought in from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The biggest question regarding the top six is who takes the 2C spot, Ben Kindel or Tommy Novak? Both had strong seasons last season, but Kindel is better suited to play on a line with two wingers who can feed off his playmaking abilities, while Novak is a great third-line center.

The fourth line is, at this point, a bit hard to project fully. Justin Brazeau had a strong start to his time with the Penguins last season, but ended up being a healthy scratch in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and struggled with injuries. Elmer Soderblom took advantage of the opportunity he was given after being acquired from the Detroit Red Wings last season and could very easily take the last wing spot on the fourth line, but as of now, I have Brazeau holding that spot.

Hendrix Lapierre was another acquisition that Dubas and the Penguins made this offseason, and there should be an expectation for him to be in the lineup, so the battle for the final three spots in the lineup will be something to watch carefully during training camp and the preseason. On top of that, there’s the mix of youngsters like Rutger McGroarty, Avery Hayes, possibly Ville Koivunen (still an RFA), and Tristan Broz, who could all end up making life hard for coach Dan Muse and Dubas when it comes time to make decisions.

Defensemen

The Penguins are welcoming at least three new defensemen to the roster this season. After sending Parker Wotherspoon to the Golden Knights for a younger version of himself, Kaeden Korczak. Korczak may not end up playing on the top pair like Wotherspoon did last season, but he has the defensive game to potentially end up there. The biggest issue with the Penguins’ backend is the lack of true left-handed defensemen. Trevor van Riemsdyk is 34 years old and should not have to be relied upon to play top-pair minutes alongside Erik Karlsson, but he does have the experience to do so.

Sam Girard and Kris Letang have the chemistry they built last season, keeping them as the second pair to this point, having played just short of 280 minutes together. The third pair of Korczak and Declan Carlile will likely strictly be a defensive-minded pairing, and Carlile could end up fighting for a spot nightly if any prospect or other defenseman proves they can outperform him. Carlile played just shy of 15 minutes a game last season with the Tampa Lightning and has a chance to play on a penalty kill unit, as does Korczak.

With the moves made thus far in the offseason, it will also be hard for prospects like Owen Pickering or Harrison Brunicke to likely crack the opening-night roster, barring more moves being made before the start of the season. The Penguins’ defensive unit may not end up lighting the world on fire offensively (outside of Karlsson), but they do have solid, defensive-minded players. The unit could still use some tweaking by the time the 2026-27 season starts.

Goaltenders

Arturs Šilovs looked solid for most of the 2025-26 season, albeit being a bit of a roller coaster from time to time. He will certainly have a spot on the opening-night roster after being a big part of why the Penguins almost climbed out of the hole they were in against the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The battle will be between Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist for the second spot at the goaltender position, and after seeing Murashov play as he did at the American Hockey League (AHL) level last season and how well he played in the limited time he spent with the Penguins, he should have the inside track to get the spot.

If Šilovs struggles at the beginning of the 2026-27 season, there is a chance that Murashov gets more looks to become the number one starter going forward. Watching how this position plays out throughout the season will be both something to keep an eye on and an x-factor for the team’s success.

Still Work to Be Done

While the free agent signings and trade deals have gone a bit quiet, there is still work to be done for Dubas and the Penguins management team. With the amount of youth that is knocking on the door of the NHL, some of the moves that have already been made seem to block them from making the jump. Figuring out how to integrate the youth into the mix of veterans on the team will be imperative. There may not be a ton of movement until closer to the start of the regular season, so time will tell what ends up playing out and how the 2026-27 Pittsburgh Penguins’ opening-night roster looks.