Beyond the joy of making the playoffs, this season also offered Pittsburgh Penguins fans the gift of silence.
There was a reprieve from all the talk about Sidney Crosby and what his future might hold. Even if Crosby and the Pens weren’t doing anything to fuel them, there were constant rumours and speculation about whether he would leave Pittsburgh to pursue one more Stanley Cup. This year, that chatter was quickly quieted, though. The Penguins got off to a fast start and never slowed down. A season that was supposed to end in disappointment turned into another opportunity to watch Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and company compete in the post-season.
Unfortunately for the Pens and their fans, that playoff run was abrupt, and after the dust settles, it won’t be long before the conversation about the team and Crosby’s future starts picking up volume again.
Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas did a masterful job over the past year of walking the fine line of adding players to help the roster while also not sacrificing anything for the future. The additions of Anthony Mantha, Parker Wotherspoon and Yegor Chinakhov were critical, but even still, Pittsburgh was never really a true Cup contender and looked a step behind the Philadelphia Flyers for most of Round 1.
Penguins need to pick a clear path going forward
As good a job as Dubas has done, the Penguins are still somewhat stuck in the mushy middle. It doesn’t feel like they are a step or two away from competing for a championship and they aren’t bottoming out to accumulate high draft picks. Their core is older and only Crosby remains as a real impact player, but that isn’t going to last forever. The level Crosby is playing at is almost unprecedented for a 38-year-old and that isn’t going to last forever.
There is no guarantee the Penguins can duplicate their success from this season with Crosby, Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang being another year older, as well as Evgeni Malkin being a UFA and closing in on 40. Dubas will also have to decide if he wants to double down on Mantha or let him walk in free agency. The 2025-26 campaign really felt like all the stars aligned for the Pens and banking on that to happen again would be extremely risky.
Pittsburgh has navigated a path down the middle about as well as you can do it, but without committing to a direction one way or another, it’s going to be hard to eventually get back on a path towards the Stanley Cup.
Obviously, it would be much easier to rebuild if Crosby decided he’d be open to a trade, but he’s never given any indication that’s something he’s even entertaining. So, Dubas and the Pens need to pick a path with the assumption that Crosby will finish his career in Pittsburgh. That means they may have to trade some assets for picks and prospects with Crosby still on the roster.
Dubas has done a great job of accumulating second and third-round picks (15 of them over the next four drafts) but they need to bring in players more likely to make a significant impact. Ben Kindel is a good start, as he looks like he’ll be a great two-way centre, though they can’t stop there. The last time the Penguins picked inside the top 10 was 2012. Could they consider moving Bryan Rust or Rickard Rakell for a first to try and land a high-impact talent?
Pittsburgh could ultimately choose to go the other direction, too. They could try and parlay some of those second and third rounders they’ve stockpiled and add this summer via the trade route. Crosby is still playing at a high level and surrounding him with more talent could maximize his value for the next couple of seasons.
Ultimately, the Penguins have to really commit to a direction one way or another if they want to get back on the path to contention status. Right now, they’ve proven they can get back into the playoff mix with some savvy moves but I don’t see them taking another step forward if they just stick with the status quo.
Canucks need Gavin McKenna more than any other team
The Vancouver Canucks have the best odds to secure the number one overall pick in next week’s draft lottery, which could be a silver lining in what has been a dismal season. Vancouver managed just 58 points, had the fewest regulation victories and finished with a minus-100 goal differential. The Canucks can pick no worse than third in the draft and are guaranteed to get a good player regardless, but securing the right to draft anyone they want, like Gavin McKenna, is critical to get the franchise back on track. Vancouver is devoid of star power and McKenna could mean more to them than anyone else.
It’s very hard to have success in the NHL without a superstar and maybe the Canucks can land one with any of the top three picks, but the safest bet is probably McKenna. With Quinn Hughes traded and Elias Pettersson regressing in a major way, Vancouver no longer has an elite talent to lean on. McKenna could instantly fill that void and could find his way into the lineup as early as next season.
Not to mention, McKenna would be an immediate draw as far as ticket sales and attention around the team goes. There haven’t been too many positives for the Canucks to boast about over the past two seasons but we’ve seen the arrival of players like Macklin Celebrini and Matthew Schaefer breathe new life into a franchise almost instantly. McKenna would have a chance to do the very same thing for the Canucks.
The Vezina nominees were announced earlier this week and Ilya Sorokin, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jeremy Swayman are up for the award. One notable omission from the ballot was Dan Vladar, who had an excellent campaign during his first season as a starter with the Philadelphia Flyers. Vladar had been a career backup prior to 2025-26, before going 29-14-7 with a .906 save percentage this season. He also finished in the top 10 in goals saved above expected. Vladar was a major reason the Flyers finished strong down the stretch and ended their playoff drought. You could certainly make a case he deserved to be nominated for the league’s best goaltender.
There’s no denying Vladar had a tremendous year, but you’d be hard-pressed to argue that one of the three nominees deserves to be removed. Vasilevskiy posted 39 wins and a .912 save percentage despite playing behind a makeshift defence corps for much of the campaign. The Tampa Bay Lightning were decimated by injuries on the back end and Vasilevskiy still delivered elite numbers.
Only one goalie saved more goals above expected than Swayman this year, as he had a really strong bounce-back season for the Boston Bruins. Swayman was the biggest reason Boston found its way back to the postseason. Then there’s Sorokin, who had to deal with a brutal New York Islanders defence. The Isles gave up the third-most high-danger chances and Sorokin still almost willed the team to the playoffs.
I think Vladar definitely deserved consideration for the award, but I have a hard time bumping any one of the three nominees out in his favour.
One of the great things about the Stanley Cup playoffs is how they shine a light on players that fans may not see on a regular basis. Dylan Guenther is someone who received some more love during this post-season, as the Utah Mammoth forward scored three times and produced 27 shots on goal in six games. Something that stands out with Guenther is his shot and lightning-quick release. He’s a threat to score from just about anywhere inside the blue line and won’t hesitate to let if fly from almost any position. Guenther is really starting to gain some traction as having the best shot in the league.
This goal against Toronto from earlier in the year is a great example of what Guenther is capable of. The shot is off his stick and in and out of the net in an instant.
If you’re looking around the league for comparables, Guenther has few rivals right now. In his prime you could put Alexander Ovechkin in that category, but at 40, his shot doesn’t have the same zip on it as it once did. What about Auston Matthews? The Toronto Maple Leafs centre was virtually unrivaled with his release, though injuries over the past couple of years appear to have diminished his shot somewhat. The only player I think has an edge on Guenther right now is first time 50-goal scorer Cole Caufield. The Montreal Canadiens sniper has a great blend of quickness and accuracy with his shot and can score from just about any angle. Give me Caufield number one and Guenther two in the best shot power rankings if I had to rank them today.
Anze Kopitar should go down as the greatest Los Angeles King ever
As the Los Angeles Kings bowed out of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Anze Kopitar’s career came to an end. The future Hall of Famer has had a storied career that includes two Selke Trophies, three Lady Byng’s and a pair of Stanley Cups. He also surpassed Marcel Dionne as the Kings all-time leading scorer this season and has played 1,521 games in Los Angeles, the most in franchise history. Kopitar is also the team’s all-time leader in assists and was a long-serving captain of the Kings, so it’s not a stretch to say he’s been the greatest player in franchise history.
There’s a distinct difference between the greatest player in franchise history and the greatest player to play for a franchise. Obviously, in the case of the Kings, that’s Wayne Gretzky, and if you wanted, you could argue Luc Robitaille and Marcel Dionne have had better overall careers than Kopitar. But when it comes to time spent with the Kings, Kopitar deserves his due. He played nearly 1,000 more games for Los Angeles than Gretzky did and had more game-winning goals than anyone else. Add in the first two Cups in franchise history that Kopitar played a massive role in and that should easily set him apart from anyone else who ever put on a Kings jersey.
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