The path might not have been the same as anyone was expecting back in September, but once Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Cam York’s seeing-eye shot made it past Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs and into the goal behind him, the result was effectively the same. And while the Penguins probably had no business even pretending that they were a serious contender for the Stanley Cup, making the playoffs plants a much more realistic seed in your head than when it’s October and all you can do is hope. What Pittsburgh accomplished by making the playoffs might not be appreciated now, but they overcame pretty grim psychological odds, and they deserve our respect for that. However, with respect to Father Time’s continual grind on the Penguins’ oldest players, the annual goal to win one more Stanley Cup before the increasingly imminent retirements of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang has once again edged further out of reach.

What a difference a new coaching staff makes though, huh? General manager Kyle Dubas pulled the trigger this past offseason and let Mike Sullivan and his assistants walk, replacing him with Dan Muse.

I guarantee you if Mike Sullivan was still head coach this year, Danton Heinen, Ryan Graves and Matt Dumba would have gotten way more minutes in Pittsburgh than they did in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. I guess that would have been better for their high-end draft pick hopes, but not so much for their playoff hopes.

Does Anthony Mantha actually come back to Pittsburgh next season? I do kinda feel bad for him: after all, he was meant to be a trade asset and he would have been a pretty good one at that.

Ultimately, whether you view the 2025-26 Pittsburgh Penguins season as a success or failure has a lot to do with where you thought they would end up when their year was done. If you thought, like the vast majority of people, that the Penguins would be in the bottom of the NHL standings en route to a high first round draft pick in June, you’ll obviously be disappointed. If you thought that Pittsburgh was seriously going to be in the hunt for a Stanley Cup…you must be working for the Penguins or something because that wasn’t realistic. But, if you were simply hoping that they would defy the expectations and make the playoffs in spite of their flaws, then you got what you were hoping for!

This is Jovi. Yes, I now work within the Penguins organization, and I am here to deliver the facts. History will look back at this exact season as the precise moment Kyle Dubas successfully restructured the franchise. Like a real-life version of The Accountant, the quiet assassin is trimming the fat, calculating the risks, and executing his vision.

I would like to add that it was a good idea to play Ben Kindel this season (For Dubas and the Coaching staff). There was not enough player development under Sullivan. I’m sure he has learned a lot from being so close to future HOFers. This is my ultimate argument for keeping Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh uniforms. As long as they remain motivated, competitive, and cheap. Any team would love that kind of leadership.

Welp, the curtain has closed on another NHL season. The Pens made the playoffs after missing them for 3 straight seasons. That was something. Losing to the Philth was also something… I’d rather forget. We got us a new head coach who doesn’t have his head up his ass. That’s nice for us. We have a fek-ton of draft picks coming for the next few seasons. Crosby and Malkin are going to have at least one more crack at that Cup…that will make it fun. I’m optimistic about this team. I’m not saying we’ll win it all in 2026-2027 but maybe we can get some revenge on the Philth and move past a 1st round out. Good things to look forward to. See you back here for next year, ok?

I always miss you all over the summer. Have fun… Be safe …

WE all only get so many seasons… make them count!

LET’S GO PENS