With a new season just around the corner, the Pittsburgh Penguins are gearing up for yet another training camp.
But this time around – unlike in seasons past – 2024-25 could be full of surprises.
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As such, we will break down some storylines to expect this season and provide you with some bold – and some not-so-bold – predictions for the 2024-25 campaign.
First up: Who will crack the Penguins’ 23-man roster for the Oct. 8 opening night showdown against the division rival New York Rangers?
Kelsey’s Prediction
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Forwards:
Drew O’Connor – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Michael Bunting – Evgeni Malkin – Rickard Rakell
Rutger McGroarty – Kevin Hayes – Cody Glass
Blake Lizotte – Lars Eller – Noel Acciari
Extra forwards: Valtteri Puustinen, Anthony Beauvillier
Defensemen:
Marcus Pettersson – Erik Karlsson
Extra defenseman: Sebastian Aho
Goaltenders:
Tristan Jarry, Alex Nedeljkovic (splitting time)
Analysis: If we’re going by what everything looks like right now, I think this is the opening night roster for the Penguins. I wouldn’t rule out another move to free up some more cap space – or for a guy in Toronto who I’ve been tweeting and writing a whole lot about – but if this cast of characters is the same one we see throughout camp, I think this is how it all shakes out.
I have a hard time seeing McGroarty starting in the AHL this season. The Penguins essentially swapped their top prospect for the Jets’ more NHL-ready top prospect, which signals to me that GM and POHO Kyle Dubas is not only rebuilding on the fly, but that he also is throwing everything at the wall this season in hopes of being at least semi-competitive. There isn’t much reason to trade a blue-chip prospect like Yager for McGroarty otherwise.
It makes sense to ease him into an NHL role on the third line to start, as O’Connor can hold down the left-side spot just fine for now (even if, ideally, he’s playing on the third line).
Related: Predictions for Each Penguins’ Player in 2024-25
As for the defensive side of things, I think my hottest take here is Knyzhov. He has experience with both Karlsson and new assistant coach David Quinn from his time in San Jose, and although injuries have derailed his past couple of seasons, there is some upside there. He and Aho would be serviceable 6th and 7th defensemen, and the Penguins don’t have to…