Pittsburgh Hockey Insider has no direct affiliation to the Pittsburgh Penguins, NHL or NHLPA

Major NHL Outlet Predicts Rough Season In 2025/26 For The Penguins


PUBLICATION
Tom Banks
August 25, 2025  (4:38 PM)
SHARE THIS STORY

The Pittsburgh Penguins.
Photo credit: Yahoo Sports

The Pittsburgh Penguins 2025/26 campaign is going to be a tough one, but now PuckEmpire has predicted this team to finish 31st in the overall standings.

After missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for three straight seasons, the expectations for the Pittsburgh Penguins heading into 2025/26 have been rather low, with most expecting them to sell off some key veterans and miss the post-season once more.
They've not been busy selling this off-season, but even with the likes of Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell and Erik Karlsson still in the lineup, the outlook for this team heading into the season is grim.

A bottom-five finish in the NHL incoming?

In the series predicting the 2025/26 standings, social media outlet PuckEmpire began with the Chicago Blackhawks at No. 32 in their standings prediction, and unfortunately for Penguins fans hoping for better, the team come in at No. 31.
While some want this team to compete, finishing 31st in the standings would give this team a great shot at the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes as the team look to land a superstar to lead them into a generation beyond Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
On paper however, there's still some talent in the forward group, but if the organization decide to move on from Rust and Rakell, it will be for future assets, meaning any chance of staying alive in the Wild Card race will likely take a huge hit.
Ultimately, this is a Penguins team looking to the future, and while a No. 31 overall finish in 2025/26 would be a bad look for a team so consistently dominant over the past two decades, with a loaded 2026 NHL Draft class, if that helps them land a star of the future, it's a trade off that many Penguins fans will be happy with.
POLL
AOUT 25   |   50 ANSWERS
Major NHL Outlet Predicts Rough Season In 2025/26 For The Penguins

Will the Penguins finish in the bottom-five of the NHL this season?

Yes2142 %
No2958 %
List of polls

HOCKEYUNPLUGGED
COPYRIGHT @2026  ·  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
TERMS OF SERVICE  ·  PRIVACY POLICY  ·  COOKIE POLICY
RSS FEED  ·  SITEMAP  ·  ROBOTS.TXT