Player-by-player breakdown of the Penguins' 2025-26 roster

A look at all 49 players the Pittsburgh Penguins have signed to an NHL contract ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Forwards

Noel Acciari — A veteran bottom-six penalty killer, Acciari entered training camp with a core muscle injury.

Justin Brazeau — A large human (6-foot-6, 232 pounds) with some scoring touch (11 goals in 76 games last season), Brazeau will beef up the bottom-six depth.

Tristan Broz — If not for a bout of mononucleosis in January, Broz might have made his NHL debut last season. He could do that to open this upcoming season.

Sidney Crosby — The captain remains the standard for this franchise, if not the entire NHL.

Connor Dewar — Acquired at the trade deadline in March, Dewar carved out a place with the Penguins as a bottom-six winger.

Melvin Fernstrom — A spare part in the deal that sent defenseman Marcus Pettersson to the Vancouver Canucks in February, Fernstrom remains with Orebro of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

Filip Hallander — After posting historic statistics with Timra of the SHL last season, Hallander returns to the Penguins, who made him a second-round draft pick (No. 58 overall) in 2018.

Rafael Harvey-Pinard — An unrestricted free-agent signing this past offseason, Harvey-Pinard will likely open the season as one of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s top-six forwards.

Avery Hayes — Undrafted, Hayes earned an NHL contract last season after posting a team-best 23 goals with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Kevin Hayes — Hayes suffered a suspected shoulder injury on the first day of training camp and will be sidelined to open the season.

Danton Heinen — Capable of playing either wing, Heinen will need to rely on his versatility to stay on the roster.

Tanner Howe — A second-round draft pick (No. 46 overall) in 2024, Howe is rehabilitating a right knee injury he suffered with the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen in April. Once healthy, he is eligible to report to either Wilkes-Barre/Scranton or Wheeling.

Mikhail Ilyin — Following a strong 2024-25 season with Severstal Cherepovets of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, Ilyin signed his entry-level contract with the Penguins in May. He will remain with Severstal this season.

Boko Imama — A fourth-liner who provides energy and physicality, Imama is one of the most popular players in the organization.

Ben Kindel — The Penguins’ first of three first-round selections (No. 11 overall) in June’s NHL Draft, Kindel is major part of the future. As for the present, he’ll return to the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen.

Ville Koivunen — After posting seven assists in eight NHL games last season, Koivunen showed he belongs in the NHL. He might belong on Crosby’s line.

Joona Koppanen — Primarily a presence in the AHL throughout his professional career, Koppanen offered some solid play in 11 NHL games late last season.

Blake Lizotte — Entering the final year of a two-year contract, the energetic bottom-six could fetch some return such as a mid-round draft pick at the trade deadline.

Evgeni Malkin — Will he retire? Will he stay with the Penguins? The 39-year-old Malkin is at a crossroads near the end of his career.

Anthony Mantha — After missing the final 69 games of last season because of a knee injury, Mantha signed a one-year deal with the Penguins in hopes of restoring his career as a viable top-six winger.

Rutger McGroarty — After working through some growing pains in his first full professional season during the 2024-25, McGroarty appears set to claim a full-time NHL role. But an undisclosed injury has sidelined him for all of camp until this point.

Tommy Novak — A leg injury limited him to two games with the Penguins after he was acquired in a March trade. With health, his diverse skill set offers quite a bit of utility.

Sam Poulin — After posting career highs at the AHL level last season (43 points in 57 games), can Poulin, a first-round draft pick (No. 21 overall) in 2019 finally break through the NHL full time?

Valtteri Puustinen — A steady goal-scorer in the AHL, Puustinen has rarely shown that offensive touch in the NHL. This looks like his last chance to prove he belongs.

Rickard Rakell — Sliding from the left to the right wing last season, Rakell posted career highs in goals (35) and points (70). What can he do for an encore?

Bryan Rust — Bursting through with a career-best 31 goals last season, Rust continues to get better with age.

Philip Tomasino — Failing to reach his potential as a first-round draft pick (No. 24 overall in 2019) with the Nashville Predators, Tomasino began to display his scoring touch once he joined the Penguins in a November trade.

Defensemen

Sebastian Aho — Capable of playing both sides of a blue line, the left-hander will likely open the season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

Alexander Alexeyev — A first-round draft pick (No. 31 overall) of the Washington Capitals in 2018, Alexeyev never gained traction with that club. He is looking for a fresh start.

Harrison Brunicke — A dynamic right-handed shot, Brunicke is one of the organization’s top prospects. He’ll likely return to his junior team, the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Kamloops Blazers.

Connor Clifton — A determined and persistent hitter, Clifton has led the team he has played for (either the Boston Bruins or Buffalo Sabres) in checks the past three seasons.

Matt Dumba — The seventh overall selection in the 2012 NHL Draft, Dumba is on his fifth team in as many seasons.

Finn Harding — A seventh-round draft pick (No. 223 overall) in 2024, Harding will be entering his first full professional season with either Wilkes-Barre/Scranton or Wheeling.

Caleb Jones — A journeyman left-hander, Jones is trying to find a way back to the NHL after spending most of last season in the American Hockey League.

Erik Karlsson — Karlsson carries the team’s largest salary cap hit ($10 million), and it’s fair to say the Penguins have not gotten a sufficient return on that investment.

Philip Kemp — A free-agent signing in July, Kemp will likely spend the entire season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Daniel Laatsch — A big body (6-5, 191), Laatsch will be making his professional debut with either Wilkes-Barre/Scranton or Wheeling this upcoming season.

Kris Letang — A franchise pillar for two decades, Letang began to show his age (38) last season. Regardless, he’ll remain the team’s top defenseman, health permitting.

Owen Pickering — A first-round draft pick (No. 21 overall) in 2022, the talented Pickering might be able to finally break through to the NHL after the Penguins rebuilt the left side of the blue line.

Emil Pieniniemi — The Finnish-born Pieniniemi was a point-per-game producer (60 points in 60 games) with the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League last season. He’ll open this season with either Wilkes-Barre/Scranton or Wheeling.

Chase Pietila — Defense is the name of Pietila’s game. The 2024 fourth-round draft pick (No. 111 overall) will start the campaign with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton or Wheeling.

Ryan Shea — Capable of playing on either side of the blue line, the left-handed Shea offers utility through a simple, safe game.

Jack St. Ivany — After looking smooth late in the 2023-24 season, St. Ivany struggled to open the 2024-25 campaign and was sent to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Playing top-pairing minutes in the AHL restored confidence.

Parker Wotherspoon — The Penguins rebuilt the left side of the blue line this offseason, and Wotherspoon was one of the keystones of that project. He offers a steady and simple game.

Goaltenders

Joel Blomqvist — An AHL All-Star in 2023-24, Blomqvist struggled at times in his first NHL games last season.

Tristan Jarry — After a rotten 2024-25 season that saw him clear waivers, Jarry vows to prove he is the Penguins’ top goaltender.

Filip Larsson — After a strong season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2024-25, don’t overlook Larsson in the battle to be on the NHL roster.

Sergei Murashov — In his first season on this continent, the Russian produced outstanding figures last season. Still, it might be premature to expect him in the NHL just yet.

Arturs Silovs — MVP of the AHL’s postseason after leading the Abbotsford Canucks to the Calder Cup, Silovs landed in Pittsburgh via a July trade. He might wind up as the Penguins’ starting goaltender at some point.