usatoday
The Pittsburgh Penguins have delivered an entertaining but middling product through the first month of the 2026-27 campaign. Their scoring touch has been decent, ranking 12th in the NHL at 3.25 goals per game, but their defensive record mirrors that exactly, sitting 20th with 3.25 goals allowed per contest. As a result, their goal differential stood at zero heading into an October 29 matchup with Utah.
That combination of offensive flair and defensive leakage has made for exciting hockey, yet it hasn't translated into standings success. Entering play on October 28, only two Eastern Conference teams—Philadelphia and Columbus—had fewer than Pittsburgh's 11 points. With the calendar about to flip to November, here are the pressing questions facing head coach Dan Muse and his squad.
Will the goaltending improve?
The Penguins' save percentage sits at .888, ranking 21st in the league—hardly the return they hoped for after letting veteran Stuart Skinner walk in free agency and committing to the young tandem of Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov. Silovs has shouldered most of the workload and has been slightly better, posting a 2.87 goals against average compared to Murashov's 3.50. However, Silovs still ranks a lowly 27th leaguewide in that category.
In fairness, the defense in front of them has been porous. According to Money Puck, only four teams have surrendered more high-danger shots against than Pittsburgh's 23 this season. If that trend continues, even seasoned netminders would struggle. General manager Kyle Dubas likely expected more, especially from Murashov, who has long been one of the team's most touted prospects. Last season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he went 24-9 with a .919 save percentage and 2.20 goals against average, helping the Baby Penguins reach the Eastern Conference finals before falling to the eventual champion Toronto Marlies in six games. It's crucial for Murashov to take steps toward that form at the NHL level, even if some rookie growing pains are inevitable.
When will the youth movement materialize offensively?
The Dubas regime has devoted considerable effort to rebuilding the development system after predecessors hollowed it out by trading draft picks for immediate help during the prime years of Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and later Erik Karlsson. The Penguins have been a team in transition, with the stars still around but expected to yield to younger producers three-plus years into Dubas's tenure. That hasn't happened yet.
Those four players—all 36 or older—rank among the team's top six scorers. No one has more goals than the 40-year-old Malkin's six. Winger Nick Robertson, with six goals of his own, is the top scorer under 28 and ranks seventh overall. Ville Koivunen has five points in 10 games after signing an eight-year extension in the offseason. Former first-round pick Ben Kindel has four points in nine outings after debuting with 18 goals and 17 assists as an 18-year-old in 2025-26, though he dealt with a medical episode on the team plane earlier this month. It's far too early to hit the panic button on Dubas's in-flight rebuild, but positive steps in November would be encouraging.
Will Dubas shake things up?
One way to get more scoring from younger players is to create more opportunities for them on the active roster. Young forwards Avery Hayes and Rutger McGroarty have been productive in the minors this season, each posting nine points in six games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Hayes had five goals in 16 games with Pittsburgh last season, while McGroarty has nine points in 34 NHL games over the past three seasons. Both have helped the big club recently as Kindel, Malkin, and Egor Chinakhov dealt with medical situations, but both are likely to be the odd men out once those players return.
If the Penguins continue to languish in the standings, it's fair to wonder whether Dubas will aggressively move veterans—not just to recoup value but to give Hayes, McGroarty, and others a chance to step up and produce. Crosby, Letang, and Malkin likely aren't going anywhere due to their sentimental value as Penguins lifers and core members of three Stanley Cup victories in 2009, 2016, and 2017. Karlsson, 36, could be a different story given his productive 2025-26 and strong start to this season. So could longtime forwards Bryan Rust (34) and especially Rickard Rakell (33), a consistent goal scorer who has never been part of a winner in parts of five seasons with Pittsburgh.
Trading any of them would risk making the team worse. Maintaining the status quo risks blocking the guys who could potentially change the dynamic in a positive way, creating an interesting dilemma for Dubas.
Originally reported by usatoday.