Why This Pittsburgh Penguins Season Feels Different

[0:00]Prior to the season, not many people, including myself, had high expectations for the Pittsburgh Penguins this year. Very few people, if any, had the penguins as a playoff team in 2026, let alone a potential contender in the Eastern Conference. And most people had Pittsburgh as a bottom five team, likely to be picking in the draft lottery. But when you have a leadership group that includes legends like Sydney Crosby, Genny Malkin and Chris Letang, coupled with a new head coach that isn't afraid to shake things up, a general manager that isn't afraid to take chances and new players in the lineup bringing new energy and excitement that the penguins haven't had in years, it truly makes for a perfect storm. Before this season began, I made a video about Kyle Dubus, the penguins and many of the smart moves they made over the last year and a half. And while I was right about how good of a job Dubis has done, one thing I didn't really consider was that, hey, the Pens could actually end up being pretty good this year. And although I was wrong about that, I'm certainly not the only one. Almost no one predicted Pittsburgh making the playoffs this year. But that's exactly what makes sport so fun. The games aren't played on paper, and I should have never counted out a team led by some of hockey's all-time greats. We're nearly at the Olympic break and the Pittsburgh Penguins currently find themselves in second place in the Metro division, meaning that if the playoffs started today, they would have home ice in round one against the New York Islanders. A lot can change in the last 25 or so games of the season, but it's pretty remarkable that the Penguins are where they are in the standings at this point in the year. The team started off the season by honoring one of the franchise's most iconic players and fan favorite Marc Andre Flurry, letting him play in a Pittsburgh sweater one final time in a preseason game. And I can tell you from being at the game, it was like a playoff atmosphere with a sold out crowd and fans cheering every time Flower touched the puck. Truly one of the coolest ways to send a player off into retirement. The penguins then shut out the New York Rangers in the first game of the regular season, and Mike Sullivan's first game against his former team and would end up going 8-4 overall in October. The team continued to hang around the playoff picture during November, but in December, they would lose eight games in a row from December 7th to the 20th, which included some gut wrenching blown leads very late in games. But this team hasn't given up one bit in the new year, winning 11 games over the month of January, which included a six-game winning streak. Sydney Crosby has been playing at an MVP level for most of the season, having one of, if not the best seasons a 38-year-old player has ever had in the NHL. He's currently top 20 league wide in both goals and points. And his linemates Brian Rust and Ricardo Raquel, while both of them have missed sometime due to injury, have both been very solid contributors when in the lineup. Evgeny Malkin, who was rumored to be in his final season, now wants to come back for at least another year. And if I'm the penguins, there's no reason why I wouldn't resign him for next year. He currently has 43 points and 40 games, having his best season in three years at 39 years old. Eric Carlson is also having a strong season, playing the best hockey he's played in the Penguin's uniform. And Chris Letang, although he has his flaws, also still produces at a high level and can play in any situation while averaging over 22 minutes a night and seemingly never getting tired. And while the veteran core playing well is the key ingredient to the Penguin success, the biggest reason why they've been able to sustain this level of play is due to their depth in their lineup this year. And some of the new additions have career years. Anthony Mantha was signed in the off season to a one-year deal for two and a half million. And so far this year, he has 20 goals and 41 points in 55 games, putting him on pace for career highs in both. Him staying healthy has been big for the penguins, but he's clearly playing with confidence he hasn't had since his first few years in the league. And getting an opportunity to play top six and power play minutes has been a huge factor in that. Justin Brazo signed a two-year, $3 million deal in the off season, and he's been just as good as his linemate Mantha, currently with 15 goals and 27 points in just 40 games. Both of which are already career highs for the 6 foot 6 power forward. Their ability to play anywhere in the top nine and produce has been instrumental for the penguins, and they've been some of the best free agent signings the penguins have made in years. Parker Water Spoon has also been great on defense for the Pens, complementing Eric Carlson's game very nicely. And he's another guy who signed a very affordable two-year, $2 million contract with Pittsburgh in the off season. Rookie centerman Benjamin Kindles has also been truly unbelievable this year. Not only because of how good he's been, but also just the fact that he's playing for the penguins this early in his career at all. He was just drafted in 2025 at 11th overall, which means he's still just 18 years old. And he's one of just two players from the 2025 draft to have played in over 20 games so far this season. The only other one being the first overall pick Matthew Shafer. Kindle has been fantastic, currently with 12 goals and 25 points in 52 games. And he's really looked like he belongs in the NHL, which is something people rarely can say about a player as young as he is. Another player who's been solid for the Pens this year is centerman Tommy Novac, who was only able to play in two games for the team last year due to injury. He's producing at a solid level, and him being able to take over as the number two center has freed up Evgeny Malkin to move to the wing, which is a much less demanding position, especially on the defensive side of the puck for a player his age. GM Kyle Dubus also made another sneaky great move acquiring 25-year-old winger Yegor Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Denton Heinen and a second and third round pick. He has eight goals and 17 games so far for the penguins and has a rocket of a shot. He's also developed some solid chemistry with Evgeny Malkin already and has really elevated the depth of the Penguin's lineup. The Penguin's fourth line has also been excellent with Conor Dauer, Nola Chari, and Blake Lazot. These guys not only bring energy, kill penalties, block shots and know their role, but they've also been chipping in on offense a good deal throughout the season. Dubus and the Pens also made a huge trade back in December, shipping Tristan Jarry off to the Edmonton Oilers along with Sam Pollen for goaltender Stuart Skinner, D-man Brett Kuc and a second round pick in 2029. As a Penguin fan, I absolutely love this move. Skinner's on a much better contract compared to Jarry, and you could argue on which goalie is actually better. Skinner also has a better playoff track record, having helped the Oilers to the finals in back-to-back seasons. And then you throw in Brett Kuc, a veteran and very serviceable defenseman. Arthur Chilovs has also been a serviceable backup for the Pens this year at net. And at just 24 years old, he's still getting used to being an NHL goaltender. Special teams have also been a huge part of the Penguin success so far this season. They are third in the NHL in power play percentage, clicking at just over 26% at the moment. And the penalty kill has been just as good, third league wide with a success rate of about 84%. At this point, the Pittsburgh Penguins are playing with house money. And you can tell when you watch the games that this team is having a blast this year, and they seem to be a really tight group. It's been fun watching Crosby, Malkin, Latang, and the rest of the crew that's been on the team for a while have this kind of success at this stage of their careers. And you can tell how much it means to them to have a chance to compete for a playoff spot down the stretch this season. I can't wait to see how everything plays out, but with how tight all the teams seem to be in the Eastern Conference standings, it's really anyone's ball game when the playoffs roll around.