Impossible is the task is projecting the Pittsburgh Penguins starting lineup.<\/p>\n
There are almost assuredly more trades coming, and those trades will unlikely be one-sided deals sending Penguins veterans one way purely in exchange for future assets. The only thing for certain that we can predict is the uncertainty.<\/p>\n
However, as the Penguins approach mid-July, general manager Kyle Dubas<\/a> has had the Draft and July 1 opportunities to continue remaking the roster, and the results have thus far centered on a few first-round picks rather than exits or acquisitions.<\/p>\n As currently constituted, the Penguins have too many forwards and too many defensemen, and perhaps not enough goalies ready for the big show.<\/p>\n For the purpose of projection, we are going to assume that Erik Karlsson is not a Penguins defenseman on opening night. That is not based on inside intel, but mere appearance.<\/p>\n Read More:\u00a0Gauging Erik Karlsson\u2019s Trade Value<\/a><\/p>\n Also, goaltending is quite hard to predict because the easy thing to project is Joel Blomqvist being the backup to Tristan Jarry<\/a>. However, Blomqvist\u2019s mid-season meltdown when called up to the NHL was troubling. He didn\u2019t just give up too many goals\u2013as all Penguins goalies did\u2013but he was picked apart by shooters. And allowed too many soft goals, too.<\/p>\n Blomqvist has struggled over the last two years when the spotlight has been on him; in the 2024 AHL playoffs with an NHL spot riding on his performance, and last season when the job was his following the team placing Jarry on waivers.<\/p>\n He projects as the backup, but Dubas might be advised to have a veteran such as Alexander Georgiev on a PTO or weasel a cheap deal from former Vegas Golden Knights<\/a> goalie Ilya Samsonov.<\/p>\n While not stacking wins will have benefits for the 2025-26 Penguins, losing games because of poor goaltending can be demoralizing, and there\u2019s no reason to subject young players to a game in which their efforts are wasted.<\/p>\n However, to put a finer point at the end of the projections for the campaign, the goal is NOT to tank, though Dubas is also under no obligation, nor is it his objection to build the best team possible. There is a middle ground between spending assets for a few meaningless wins and tanking. That canyon of compromise between the two is digging for players who could be diamonds in the rough, giving players a chance to step out of the shadows, and inserting young players into the lineup.<\/p>\n Drop your projections in the comments below.<\/p>\n Projected Pittsburgh Penguins Lineup<\/p>\n Rickard Rakell-Sidney Crosby-Ville Koivunen<\/p>\n