Six Metropolitan Division teams down. Just one more team to compare to the Columbus Blue Jackets for the 2025-26 season.
The Pittsburgh Penguins will host the Blue Jackets at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday night in the one-day return of Marc-Andre Fleury. The Penguins are the last team in our series.
The Blue Jackets finished the 2024-25 season nine points ahead of the Penguins in the Metro. But traditionally, it was always the Penguins dominating the Blue Jackets especially in the Sidney Crosby era.
Father time eventually catches up with everyone. Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are still there. While their presence always gives the Penguins a chance, they face a massive uphill battle to be competitive.
The task is so daunting that GM Kyle Dubas is already willing to listen on most of his best players. The Penguins are widely regarded as one of the only teams truly selling at this point in time.
The Blue Jackets and Penguins are seemingly heading in opposite directions. While 2024-25 was a start, this could finally be the year that the Blue Jackets start to sour past their I-70 counterparts.
Let’s look at a few major storylines for the Penguins to start 2025-26.
The Big-3
The Penguins are not going to go down without a fight. That’s especially true when the Big-3 are still around. Crosby, Malkin and Letang will do everything they can to keep the team competitive.
Unlike Penguins’ teams of the past, they don’t have the depth that helped them win Stanley Cups. Any success this season will need to be because of the Big-3.
And of course, there was the “offseason story” about Crosby’s future. It’s really not much of a story given his desire to play his entire career with the Penguins. But should the team fall out of contention, the murmurs will pick back up again.
What about Malkin and Letang’s futures in that scenario? Do they have the same desire to finish out with the Penguins? This trade deadline could be one of the most interesting in recent memory should any of the Big-3 express a willingness to be dealt.
The Other-3
The Penguins have three other players that many felt would be traded by now. Those are Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust and Erik Karlsson. How will Dubas handle these individual situations?
These three players should be able to help at least keep the Penguins competitive to start. All three would help a contender in a playoff run. The timing on potential moves will be interesting to watch. That is if they even come to pass especially in Rust’s case.
A Team in Transition
The Penguins used the 2025 NHL Draft to make a lot of selections. They added the likes of Ben Kindel, Bill Zonnon and William Horcoff in the first round. Dubas has the tough task of transitioning the team with legacy players on their roster.
The 2025-26 season also marks the beginning of the Dan Muse era as head coach. He replaced the departed Mike Sullivan. Player development and teaching will be a major focus.
Dubas has established the kind of thing he hopes to accomplish. He wants more high draft picks if possible. He has begun the process of shaping what the Penguins will look like once the Big-3 do hang their skates up.
Enjoy the time that’s left with them in the lineup. Because these Penguins are about to go through a major transition in the near future.
Blue Jackets Pointing Upward
The Blue Jackets fell just short of the playoffs in 2024-25. They hope their moves will be enough to take the next step.
The Blue Jackets were finally able to win a game at PPG Paints Arena last season. It took a rally and a shootout to do it. But they found a way to take the monkey off their back in a building that’s been nothing but a house of horrors for them.
How do the Blue Jackets and Penguins compare now? The Blue Jackets were one of the best offensive teams last season. The Penguins were the worst defensive team in the East and third worst in the NHL. The Blue Jackets have a distinct advantage given the perceived improvement of their young talent.
But as long as the Big-3 are around, games can still be close and competitive. Special teams will keep things close between them as well.
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Given where the Blue Jackets and Penguins are at in their cycles, the Blue Jackets are finally in position to overtake the Penguins not only this season, but for several seasons to come.
The Blue Jackets have the better, young skill. They have better depth. While their net is a question mark, so is the Penguins’ net. Tristan Jarry and Arturs Silovs are the projected duo to start the season. Can one of them keep their team in games?
The Penguins could very well be in the Gavin McKenna discussion. The Blue Jackets expect to make the playoffs. Most believe the Blue Jackets will finish higher than the Penguins in the standings. What will be interesting to see is by how much and if the Penguins can find a way to exceed the little expectations others have placed on them.
