The Pittsburgh Penguins‘ season didn’t end the way that anybody wanted it to, but it was a good season at the end of the day. Nobody expected them to make the playoffs, but they did it. Losing to the Philadelphia Flyers hurts, but it’s time to flush it and move on. Kyle Dubas is laser-focused on building the future in Pittsburgh. In order to do that, he should consider these moves.
This one is out of Dubas’ hands, but it needs to be done. It sounds stupid, but it’s time to ditch that jersey for good. It’s just a jersey, but too much heartbreak has occurred in it to continue wearing it. They went 1-2 in the 2026 playoffs while wearing them. The infamous Tristan Jarry turnover against the New York Islanders happened in them. Wearing alternate uniforms in the playoffs is a huge mistake when the normal uniforms are as iconic as Pittsburgh’s.
It’s hard to choose one, but after his playoff performance, Arturs Silovs has emerged as the goalie to keep. Letting Stuart Skinner walk away hurts, but it has to be done. He’s slightly older than Silovs, who outplayed him in the playoffs. In his first season in Pittsburgh, Silovs had a record of 19-12-8 and posted a .887 save percentage to go with a 3.07 goals-against average. He and Sergei Murashov are the future in the Steel City.
Despite a quiet showing in the playoffs, Egor Chinakhov needs to be locked up long-term in Pittsburgh. He was a magnificent mid-season addition. In 43 games with the Penguins, Chinakhov registered 18 goals and 18 assists. Before the trade, he had three goals and three assists in 29 games in Columbus. In a full season with the Penguins, there is reason to believe he could score 30 goals. He was a great find by Dubas.
Anthony Mantha is coming off a career year with the Penguins, but his playoff performance was abysmal, and his price will be too high. He led the team in goals during the regular season and disappeared when they needed him most. Someone is going to pay him this summer, but it shouldn’t be the Penguins. They will be fine without him. Let the Edmonton Oilers overpay for his services. Dubas can find someone else to fill the net this offseason. Mantha was great, but he won’t be worth the money moving forward.
The Penguins are walking a fine line. They want to continue to compete with their aging core while building a base for the future that comes after them. It’s not an easy balancing act, but Dubas is doing the best he can. It doesn’t appear that Pittsburgh will be in the market ot make a big splash this offseason in a weak free agent pool, but there are moves that can be made.
Acquiring a second line center should be a priority. If the Penguins can get a guy like Shane Wright from the Seattle Kraken, that could be their big move of the summer. Wright is 22 years old and registered 27 points in Seattle last season. He would be a fantastic addition.
Dubas’ end-of-season press conference was filled with tidbits of how he’s approaching the offseason, but these are all no-brainers. Extending Connor Dewar and Malkin was a great start. Now it’s time to bring back some of the big pieces that contributed to a great season, like Chinakhov and Silovs. The future is bright in Pittsburgh, and it’s gotten considerably brighter since Dubas arrived.
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