[ad_1]

WIth the 2025-26 NHL season just around the corner, teams are looking ahead to their respective training camps beginning in mid-September.

Barring a few more trades and signings here and there, most teams have a pretty good idea of what their rosters will look like next season, and they have conceptualized what the organizational approach will be next season in terms of standings and playoff aspirations.

Some teams plan to be contenders, and some plan to be bottom-feeders. So, where do the Pittsburgh Penguins stand?

There are a few things we know to be true at this point: For one, there is a generational talent in Gavin McKenna waiting in the wings for the winner of the 2026 draft lottery. We also know that the Penguins find themselves in the middle of a transitionary period, even if we don’t have an exact timeline on when they plan to start competing for the playoffs again.

Given those two factors, it should be relatively obvious what Pittsburgh should be gunning for in 2025-26. They’re aging out, they have suspect goaltending and defense, and they aren’t exactly contenders. The chance to draft the most hyped prospect since Connor McDavid should, presumably, be a goal for any team that knows they won’t be playing beyond the month of April next season.

But that’s precisely what makes the McKenna sweepstakes quite complicated for the Penguins next season: Although they may be positioned well enough not to make any real noise in the playoff hunt, there are also several teams that are probably better-equipped – and more committed – to tanking for McKenna.

Can The Penguins Still Rebuild With One Of Rakell Or Rust Around?It seems like Pittsburgh Penguins' forwards Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust are the subject of Pittsburgh hockey news just about every other day at this point.

The Penguins’ situation

One look at the Penguins’ roster for next season shouldn’t have anyone jumping for joy. It may not be the worst roster the Penguins have constructed in the last…

[ad_2]