Both Pennsylvania teams wildly overachieved this season, exceeding all preseason expectations. The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the 2025-26 season with the third-worst odds to make the playoffs. They ended up clinching a spot with two weeks left in the regular season and were in a position to rest players for the final three games. Had they not been in a situation with nothing to play for in those games, they probably would have exceeded 100 points.
The future Hall of Famers (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson) showed they still have something left in the tank, while general manager Kyle Dubas hit home run after home run with all of his roster moves, including the offseason additions of Anthony Mantha, Justin Brazeau and Parker Wotherspoon, as well as in-season trades for Egor Chinakhov and Elmer Soderblom.
Ben Kindel, the team’s first-round pick in 2025, also made an unexpected impact as an 18-year-old. Between him and Chinakhov, they have two young forwards who can be major long-term pieces.