{"id":198983,"date":"2026-05-21T16:34:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T16:34:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/198983\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T16:34:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T16:34:09","slug":"3-big-questions-pittsburgh-penguins-must-answer-in-2026-offseason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/198983\/","title":{"rendered":"3 big questions Pittsburgh Penguins must answer in 2026 offseason"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pittsburgh Penguins (41-25-16)<\/a> were one of the pleasant surprises of the NHL. They\u2019d been mediocre to bad the past three seasons, because despite the talents of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, they didn\u2019t have much depth or goaltending.<\/p>\n

However, that changed in 2025-26. Veterans Bryan Rust and Erik Karlsson nearly averaged a point per game, while Anthony Mantha came out of nowhere to score 33 goals. They also made a great move to acquire Egor Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Chinakhov ended up scoring 18 goals in 43 games. <\/p>\n

More: Penguins\u2019 Sidney Crosby gets honest about contract plans after 21st NHL season<\/a><\/p>\n

The improved offensive numbers helped them make the playoffs. Unfortunately, the scoring touch vanished against the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round, and they lost in six games. Kyle Dubas will need another great offseason to put them over the top.<\/p>\n

What do the Penguins re-sign Evgeni Malkin to?<\/p>\n

\"\"Apr 4, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) looks on against the Florida Panthers during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Alberti-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Evgeni Malkin was one of the best centers in the league when active. While it looked like he was declining from his usual point-per-game form recently, this season was a reinvigoration.<\/p>\n

More: Avalanche\u2019s Nathan MacKinnon assigns blame after Game 1 loss to Vegas<\/a><\/p>\n

Through 56 games, Malkin had 19 goals and 42 assists. If it weren\u2019t for a high number of suspensions and injuries, Malkin could\u2019ve probably eclipsed 90 points.<\/p>\n

Malkin\u2019s four-year, $24.4 million contract expires this offseason. However, I think Dubas will make Malkin his biggest priority to re-sign. He\u2019s one of the most legendary players in franchise history, and it would be disgraceful to see him in another jersey.<\/p>\n

More: 3 burning questions Edmonton Oilers should answer in 2026 offseason<\/a><\/p>\n

AFP Analytics<\/a> suggests he could get a one-year contract worth over $6.8 million. I think he could get two seasons on his deal, but it will definitely be short-term, maybe even the last contract he signs before retirement. Regardless, Dubas must get this done.<\/p>\n

Will the Penguins re-sign Anthony Mantha?<\/p>\n

\"\"Apr 20, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar (80) defends the net against Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Anthony Mantha (39) during the third period in game two of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

That extension would leave them in a predicament with Anthony Mantha. He\u2019s has always been more of a defensive winger than a scoring type. He had never scored over 25 goals or earned over 48 points in his NHL career, but this past season was different.<\/p>\n

Mantha scored 33 goals and earned 64 points through 81 games. He was sturdy defensively too, with a plus-10 plus\/minus. If there were a Most Improved Player award in the NHL, Mantha surely would\u2019ve won it.<\/p>\n

MORE: How to live stream Golden Knights vs Avalanche: NHL, TV channel<\/a><\/p>\n

However, Mantha\u2019s contract ends after this season. The Penguins signed him to a one-year, $2.5 million deal last offseason, so he\u2019ll surely need a pay raise on his next contract. With the uninspiring free agency crop, Mantha will surely try to test free agency.<\/p>\n

AFP Analytics suggests he would earn around a four-year, $25.4 million deal on his next contract, but he could earn much more than that. Mantha has great two-way abilities for a winger, and there are plenty of teams that would like his defensive abilities at the wing, banking on the offense translating again.<\/p>\n

How do the Penguins get younger?<\/p>\n

\"\"Apr 25, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) skates back to the bench after scoring a goal against the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period in game four of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Penguins have been forced into a retool rather than a rebuild, due to the excellence of Crosby, Malkin, and Karlsson. However, the Flyers series showed they\u2019re still a while away from being a Stanley Cup contender. I think it has to do with the lack of young talent.<\/p>\n

MORE: Mitch Marner emerges as Golden Knights\u2019 X-factor vs. Avalanche<\/a><\/p>\n

The reason why teams like the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens are so feared is because of the young talent on the team. The Sabres have nearly an entire defensive core under 30 (Luke Schenn being the lone exception). Meanwhile, the Canadiens have an entire 30-or-under forward core besides Josh Anderson, Brendan Gallagher, and Phillip Danault.<\/p>\n

Last season, 19-year-old Ben Kindel was an impact talent, with 17 goals through 77 games. However, he can\u2019t be the only one. The Penguins could use another young impact player, whether that\u2019s a forward or defenseman.<\/p>\n

MORE: Golden Knights find relief amid Oilers, Kings\u2019 pursuit of Bruce Cassidy<\/a><\/p>\n

Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson will be a restricted free agent this summer, and he\u2019s a bona fide superstar. He\u2019s only 26 years old and already has deep experience in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Penguins have a ton of draft capital, so offer-sheeting Robertson might be worth it.<\/p>\n

If not him, the Penguins could definitely use an upgrade to their blue line. Anaheim Ducks defenseman Olen Zellweger is a logical target. Zellweger scored seven goals and earned 15 assists through 76 games last season. He\u2019s a good skater with good release, and he\u2019s just 22 years old. With Kris Letang becoming inconsistent and Karlsson\u2019s contract expiring, it\u2019d be wise for the Penguins to go after a young defenseman like Zellweger.<\/p>\n

MORE: Maple Leafs staring at rebuild if Auston Matthews wants out<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pittsburgh Penguins (41-25-16) were one of the pleasant surprises of the NHL. They\u2019d been mediocre to bad…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":198984,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[15355,4843,4845,73,75,74,1067,8664,62043],"class_list":["post-198983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-evgeni-malkin","tag-nhl","tag-philadelphia-flyers","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news","tag-pittsburgh-penguins","tag-sidney-crosby","tag-stanley-cup-playoffs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198983\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/198984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=198983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=198983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}