Just over 36 hours from now, the Pittsburgh Penguins will drop the puck on their 2025-26 campaign with a matchup in the Big Apple at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers. This will be the second season in a row the Penguins have opened against the Rangers and they’ll be hoping for a better result than last year’s 6-0 opening night loss.
This game will also be the first for Dan Muse as an NHL head coach as he will lead the Penguins against their former head coach Mike Sullivan.
Puck drop
is scheduled for 8:00 PM and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
Pens Points…
Another round of cuts over the weekend saw the Penguins roster trimmed to its final 23 players. Ryan Graves was waived as part of the moves while Ben Kindel and Harrison Brunicke remain with the team. [Pensburgh]
Of those players cut on Saturday, five had to clear waivers before being assigned to the AHL. One of those players was Graves, who with the four others all cleared and will be joining the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. [The Hockey News]
For several seasons, the Penguins were one of if not the oldest roster in the NHL. That’s changing this season with the infusion of youth as the Penguins new era starts to take shape while remnants of the old still remain. [Penguins]
After a tumultuous 2024-25 season that saw him get waived and looking like his time in Piittsburgh was over, Tristan Jarry enters the new season as the Penguins starting goaltender still looking to prove the doubters wrong. [Trib Live]
Mario Lemieux turned 60 on Sunday, a milestone birthday for a Penguins legend. Though he isn’t seen around Pittsburgh as often as the past, Lemieux remains forever ingrained in the city’s sports history. [The Athletic $$]
There is a lot surrounding the Penguins as the new season begins, from ownership questions to a burgeoning youth movement. Whatever the case, nothing is going to diistract the Penguins from the task at hand. [PPG]
NHL News and Notes…
Coming off a career year offensively, Matt Grezlyck had to wait all summer just for a chance to make an NHL roster but his work on a PTO with the Chicago Blackhawks earned him a contract with the team for the upcoming season. [The Hockey News]
Saturday night’s preseason tilt between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning was more a parade to the penalty box than anything else. Two players on that Lightning squad face discipline hearings for their actions during the contest. [NHL]
With Kirill Kaprizov locked down to a long term contract extension, the Minnesota Wild cemented their future in goal as well with a long term deal for 27-year old netminder Filip Gustavsson that carries an AAV of $6.8 million. [NHL]
