The Pittsburgh Penguins prospects begin their season next weekend with the Prospects Challenge tournament in Detroit. A day or so after that, the Penguins begin training camp, and this laborious offseason will finally be over.

Unmistakably, this summer has not gone according to plans or expectations, but Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas has remained steady while setting up the next wave of Penguins with a massive 2025 draft class with talented players deep into the draft (including first-rounder Ben Kindel), and a few trades over the past year for younger players such as Egor Chinakhov, Connor Dewar, and Kaedan Korczak.

Borrowing a page from our esteemed colleagues in Detroit, PHN introduces an occasional featured segment, Two Truths and a Lie.

Truth: Penguins Trades Are Coming

It remains a matter of when, not if. Dubas has not shied away from his efforts to land a centerpiece for his rebuild, or at least some talented garnishes on the plate.

Jason Robertson was the big name, but the Penguins didn’t get to the finish line. Surely, there are others, but most are off the market, and Dubas’s team can keep a secret. The fly in the ointment remains the cost of premier players, which has risen to four significant assets, and players in their mid-30s don’t count among them. Adversely, the Penguins just don’t have those four assets to give up … yet.

Now, the unknown is whether the turnstile will swing in or swing out, but trades will happen.

Truth: The Penguins Will Score MORE Goals

The 2025-26 Penguins were one of the highest-scoring teams in the NHL, scoring 293 goals, only three behind eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, and nine behind the vaunted Colorado Avalanche.

They filled the net from October to March, but they will be a higher-scoring team this season. Part of the breeze in their sales last season was a successful power play that lit the lamp 56 times, good for the ninth-most. However, even if the power play dips this season, the Penguins are going to have more offensive firepower with Egor Chinakhov for an entire season, Nick Robertson, who figures to put up 20 with an increased role, Elmer Soderblom will add far more offense than did Noel Acciari’s 25 points (13-12-15) over the course of a season, and the chaotic defense will have a third pairing with far more puck possesion than last year’s model.

And, as long as Erik Karlsson is controlling the power play and Todd Nelson has a chalkboard, the team’s power play won’t fall too far.

Of course, the Penguins may very well need to score more goals because they did not improve their defensive coverage up front. On the blue line, it could be a wild ride, and goaltending might run hot and cold with the young but inconsistent Arturs Silovs and rookie Sergei Murashov in net.

Lie: The Penguins Are a Playoff Team

Last year was a shocker to fans and even parts of the organization. The Penguins’ run featured a gaggle of players having career years, injuries that were well-timed and didn’t decimate the team, and a very weak Eastern Conference. As it sits now, a repeat of last season is unlikely.

Simply, everything went right for the Penguins last season. Anthony Mantha with 33 goals? Cmon, seriously?

Unsurprisingly, the East bucked up this summer. After Toronto had a down year, earning them the first overall pick and Gavin McKenna, they are on the rebound. New Jersey cleaned house, and there is renewed optimism with a better team after a couple of months under new GM Sunny Mehta’s leadership. The Washington Capitals are greatly improved with Alex Tuck and Jordan Kyrou. And the New York Islanders will begin the year with a sizable upgrade behind the bench featuring coach Pete DeBoer.

Oh, and the former two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers used the summer to heal a lot of injured players, and GM Bill Zito loaded up with additions, including Brady Tkachuk.

All of those aforementioned teams missed the playoffs last season.

The East is weak no more. The Penguins finished with 98 points, but just three fewer wins would put them at an untenable 92 points and most likely out of the playoffs. Indeed, the Penguins are probably not as good as last season, but even if they are, others are better.

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