Mike Sullivan Makes Major Changes to Penguins Special Teams

In years past, the Pittsburgh Penguins have had one of the NHL's best power play units featuring some of the games all time greats, and while those names still remain, the lineup around them has certainly changed.

After adding several young players to the team, the Penguins have shaken up that power play, with two very new look units giving them a unique looking special teams squad for the final eight games of a disappointing 2024/25 campaign.

On the first unit we see the familiar names of Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust, and while Rakell has been a constant for this team in 2024/25, the other two names are a surprise with 20-year old Ville Koivunen and Matt Grzelyck set to round out the PP1 unit.

On the second unit is plenty of veterans with the likes of Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang and Bryan Hayes taking their spots, with the most exciting name of all being top prospect Rutger McGroarty, who is seemingly being given every opportunity to succeed in his second stint at the NHL level.

To round out that group we have Philip Tomasino, who has played well for the Penguins in an increased role this season after being acquired earlier in the year, and while it may not be the overpowered PP units we're used to seeing, there's plenty of promise in both units.

Ultimately, this is much more like what we are going to see from Pittsburgh in the near future as they look to add youth and enthusiasm around their veteran core, and while Evgeni Malkin will take his spot on the power play when he eventually returns, some of these intriguing names could be here to stay.