The 2025-26 Pittsburgh Penguins finished second in the Metropolitan Division and will play the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Here’s a look at the Penguins’ roster:
Forwards
11, Filip Hallander – 6-1, 203 – 1 G, 3 A – Hallander’s season was disrupted in November by a blood clot in an unspecified leg. Little clarity has been offered as to his wellbeing.
13, Kevin Hayes – 6-3, 217 – 4 G, 4 A – A left shoulder injury suffered on the first day of training camp largely sank his season before it began. He has been scratched most of 2025-26.
16, Justin Brazeau – 6-6, 232 – 17 G, 17 A – Few people embody how surprising the Penguins have been this season more than Brazeau, who has set career highs in every offensive category
17, Bryan Rust – 5-11, 202 – 29 G, 36 A – Consistency and reliability continue to define Rust in his 12th NHL season.
18, Tommy Novak – 6-1, 190 – 16 G, 26 A – A useful player who offers plenty of utility, Novak has been up and down in his first full season with the Penguins.
19, Connor Dewar – 5-10, 187 – 14 G, 16 A – Another player who has established career highs this season, Dewar is a major part of an effective fourth line.
25, Elmer Soderblom – 6-8, 252 – 7 G, 6 A – Acquired at the trade deadline from the Detroit Red Wings, Soderblom has been given the opportunity to use his size effectively.
39, Anthony Mantha – 6-5, 240 – 33 G, 31 A – Rebounding after losing most of his 2024-25 season due to a right knee injury, Mantha reached the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career.
46, Blake Lizotte – 5-9, 176 – 7 G, 12 A – Highly effective as a fourth-line center and penalty killer, Lizotte’s season has been disrupted repeatedly by injuries.
55, Noel Acciari – 5-11, 204 – 13 G, 12 A – A hard scrabble, by-the-book fourth liner and penalty killer, Acciari has enjoyed a productive season as a pending unrestricted free agent.
59, Egor Chinakhov – 6-1, 203 – 21 G, 21 A – Unremarkable in his time with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Chinakhov joined the Penguins via trade in December and tapped into a dazzling offensive dimension in his game.
67, Rickard Rakell – 6-1, 194 – 24 G, 24 A – Rakell moved from wing to center to fill in for the injured Sidney Crosby beginning in February. After adjusting, he became one of the club’s top producers in the final weeks of the regular season.
71, Evgeni Malkin – 6-5, 213 – 19 G, 42 A – Malkin has been both highly productive and frequently injured throughout his 20th NHL season. A move to the right wing did little to change either of those adjectives.
81, Ben Kindel – 5-11, 182 – 17 G, 18 A – Selected No. 11 overall in last year’s NHL Draft, the 18-year-old Kindel has offered a surprising level of composure in his first NHL season.
85, Avery Hayes – 5-10, 180 – 5 G, 0 A – Earning an NHL contract last season, Hayes earned a semi-regular NHL gig this season through a blend of hustle, offensive touch and physicality.
87, Sidney Crosby, 5-11, 200 – 29 G, 45 A – Even at 38 and with a presumed right leg injury he suffered while skating in the Olympics, Crosby remains the standard all other NHLers are measured against.
Defensemen
3, Jack St. Ivany, 6-4, 197 – 0 G, 7 A – Health largely derailed St. Ivany’s season, starting with a right foot injury in the preseason, then a left hand injury in January.
5, Ryan Shea – 6-1, 197 – 6 G, 29 A – Few players on the Penguins made a greater improvement in 2025-26 than Shea, who set career highs across the board.
7, Ilya Solovyov – 6-3, 208 – 1 G, 7 A – Acquired in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche in January, Solovyov has offered some puck skills and physicality in brief doses.
27, Ryan Graves – 6-5, 225 – 1 G, 0 A – Graves’ struggles since joining the Penguins in 2023 continued in his third season with the club. He has been waived twice, clearing each time.
28, Parker Wotherspoon – 6-1, 190 – 3 G, 27 A – Arguably the Penguins’ most physical player, Wotherspoon has meshed marvelously with Erik Karlsson on the team’s top pairing.
49, Sam Girard – 5-10, 170 – 3 G, 16 A – Acquired from the Avalanche in February, Girard took quite a bit of time to get used to the Penguins and his new defensive partner, Kris Letang.
58, Kris Letang – 6-0, 199 – 3 G, 31 A – Time appears to have finally caught up to the 38-year-old Letang in his 20th season, which was plagued by miscues and limited production.
65, Erik Karlsson – 6-0, 185 – 15 G, 51 A – After two frustrating seasons with the Penguins, Karlsson has reinvigorated his game and been a driving force to the team’s push to the playoffs this season.
75, Connor Clifton – 6-0, 196 – 2 G, 4 A – Added through an offseason trade that was essentially a salary dump for the Buffalo Sabres, Clifton has established himself as a stable and physical third-pairing defenseman.
82, Caleb Jones – 6-1, 184 – 0 G, 1 A – Injuries and a lengthy suspension for violating terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program ended Jones’ season before it truly began.
Goaltenders
37, Arturs Silovs – 6-4, 208 – 19-12-8, 3.07 GAA, .888 SV% – Having largely platooned with either Stuart Skinner or Tristan Jarry, Silovs has displayed talent but has been inconsistent.
74, Stuart Skinner – 6-4, 215 – 23-17-9, 2.92 GAA, .888 SV% – Arriving from the Edmonton Oilers in a highly scrutinized trade this past December, Skinner hasn’t been perfect but he’s been good enough to get the Penguins back to the playoffs.
