With Penguins‘ training camp starting in a little over a week, there is plenty to look forward to as the players arrive in Pittsburgh to begin the 2024-25 campaign.
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There will be some logjams, some sure bets, and some roster battles, and it should make for an exciting start to the 2024-25 season – but what should fans expect to see from different players this season?
Here is a prediction for each Penguins’ player vying for a roster spot this season.
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Sidney Crosby: Crosby will register his second consecutive 40-goal season but barely break Wayne Gretzky’s point-per-game seasons record with 83 points.
Evgeni Malkin: Malkin will turn in a more productive 2024-25, and he will be a force on a new-look power play, scoring 14 power play goals – his most since 2017-18.
Bryan Rust: A notoriously streaky player, Rust will have a very slow start. But he’ll catch fire in the second half, registering 20 goals after the New Year on his way to a career-best 30-goal season.
Rickard Rakell: Rakell will take a few games to get his bearings, but expect a bounceback campaign. He’ll find his form again and finish the season with 28 goals and 57 points, spending time with both Crosby and Malkin again.
Michael Bunting: Bunting will be a key cog on the Penguins’ rejuvenated power play, but he will struggle a bit mid-season five-on-five and find some chemistry on the third line with Kevin Hayes and Cody Glass/Valtteri Puustinen.
Drew O’Connor: O’Connor will see time up and down the lineup. He’ll start with Crosby and get demoted when rookie Rutger McGroarty heats up, switching between the third line and the second line for the remainder of the season. He will be the only Penguins’ forward to start on all four lines throughout the season.
Rutger McGroarty: McGroarty will break camp and make the roster, starting on the team’s third line. It will only take him 10 games to prove he’s ready to play alongside Crosby, and he’ll finish second in Calder Trophy voting while helping revive the Penguins’ once-dead power play.
Kevin Hayes: Playing an inspired brand of hockey this season, Hayes will find his game again in Pittsburgh. Having youth on his wings will lead him to regain his 2022-23 form, registering 20 goals and 52 points.
Cody Glass: Glass will start the year strong and show some promise, but ultimately, he will fade down the stretch with a lack of consistency. By…