Penguins' Long Road Back: Why 2025-26 Could Be the Rock-Bottom Year

The Pittsburgh Penguins aren't expected to come anywhere close to making the postseason this season in what could also be truly the end of an era with the final year in the NHL of Evgeni Malkin.

The Penguins' most recent poor year in which they didn't even remotely threaten for a playoff spot was 2005-06, the rookie year in the NHL for Sidney Crosby; Pittsburgh went 22-46-14 and earned only 58 points.

If the Penguins try and embrace the tanking efforts, along with finally finding a trade partner for players like Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, and Erik Karlsson, it would go a much longer way in ensuring they finish with as poor a record as possible.

The consensus No. 1 pick in 2026 NHL Entry Draft is forward Gavin McKenna, who will be playing in Pennsylvania for Penn State this year.

If the Penguins were to finish with as poor a record as possible, it would help maximize their chances of finishing 1st overall in the NHL Draft Lottery odds.

Multiple teams over the years have found out the hard way that just because they had the worst record, it doesn't automatically grant them the 1st overall pick, but all Pittsburgh can do is try and give themselves the highest probability of winning the Draft Lottery as they did in 2005 in what was referred to as the "Crosby Sweepstakes".

Not only would drafting Gavin McKenna be a major get for the team, but it could also begin to entice bigger name free agents to want to play alongside him and sign with the team.