Penguins' New Coach May Unleash Major Line Changes Ahead of Crucial 2025-26 Campaign

Heading into the 2025/26 NHL season, not much is expected of the Pittsburgh Penguins, with the team potentially set to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth straight season as questions will continue to be asked over Sidney Crosby and his future with the team.

However, coaches never prepare teams to go into a season in order to 'tank', so new Head Coach Dan Muse will have this team ready to go and play, with their biggest strength being a forward group full of both veteran talent and young, up and comers.

Now, that's got many asking questions over the forward group, one that has remained consistent under Mike Sullivan, but with Muse taking over, The Hockey News believe that the team could be in for a big shakeup.

With a top-six that's likely to include Crosby, Malkin, Rust, Rakell (if neither are traded), Koivunen and McGroarty, the Penguins have the opportunity to mix and match around their two veteran superstars, but it's the bottom-six that provides the most intrigue.

Down there, the Penguins have the likes of Anthony Mantha, who can slide anywhere in the lineup, Tommy Novak, Philip Tomasino, Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte, and with Muse wanting to make his mark on this team, he could potentially shake things up throughout the lineup.

Ultimately, we won't know what the Penguins lineup looks like until we get a final resolution on Rust and Rakell's future with the team, but with so much young talent coming through, expect there to be many changes to the way this lineup is built by Muse moving forward.