Penguins Have Not Done Enough This Offseason

NHL training camps are set to begin in mid-September, and teams are starting to make their final moves of the offseason. The Pittsburgh Penguins finished second in the Metropolitan Division last season and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2022. The Penguins made some additions this summer but have stayed relatively quiet overall. The Eastern Conference is shaping up to be more competitive this season, so has general manager Kyle Dubas done enough to keep Pittsburgh in the mix?

Penguins Additions and Subtractions This Offseason

Dubas has made some notable depth additions this summer, including Andrei Kuzmenko, who signed a one-year contract on July 1. Kuzmenko played in 52 games for the Los Angeles Kings last season before surgery on a torn meniscus in February sidelined him for the rest of the regular season, and recorded 12 goals and 13 assists.

In his first season in the NHL, Kuzmenko burst onto the scene with 39 goals and 35 assists in 81 games with the Vancouver Canucks. He has not been able to get back to that level of production, but his offensive skills seem like they will fit perfectly within the Penguins system. Playing with the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin might just help him return to his former self.

Nicholas Robertson, brother of Dallas Stars Jason Robertson, was another offseason addition. Pittsburgh acquired him from the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he set career highs last season with 16 goals and 16 assists. During his time in the NHL, he has been held to limited minutes but has still produced decent depth numbers and is a physical player with a strong 5-on-5 game.

Robertson does tend to struggle in the defensive zone and his zone exits are not clean. At 24 years old, he is exactly the type of player Dubas is looking for and will more than likely get the chance to log more minutes this season. However, the Penguins will be paying close attention to what he does with those minutes.

Another positive move was the re-signing of Egor Chinakhov, who they inked to a three-year contract worth $18.75 million on July 5. He joined the team in December 2025 and posted 18 goals and 18 assists in 43 games. He is a strong playmaker who is not afraid to shoot the puck. Dubas is no doubt anxious to see what a full season from him will look like. 

Pittsburgh also lost some key players this summer, including forward Anthony Mantha. Mantha played in 81 games last season and scored a career-high 33 goals along with 31 assists. A strong skater with good finishing ability, he was one of the top unrestricted free agents heading into the offseason, and the New Jersey Devils were more than happy to take him off the Penguins’ hands. The Devils signed him to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million on July 15. 

Defenseman Ryan Shea was another subtraction this offseason. He had six goals and 29 assists in 80 games last season while averaging 18:53 per game and was a solid, dependable presence on the blue line. 

Will the Penguins Go Backwards This Season?

Dubas made some other smaller additions, including adding Trevor van Riemsdyk and Kaedan Korczak to the defense, but overall the Penguins do not look that different from a season ago. They will be looking to head back to the playoffs this season, but the competition will be a bit steeper.

At this point, it does not seem like they have done enough to remain competitive. Kuzmenko is not a very physical player and he has been wildly inconsistent throughout his NHL career. Robertson has potential, but he also has a lot to prove. The team will need a lot of help from some of their younger players as the rebuild continues in Pittsburgh.