The Pittsburgh Penguins are staring at an eventual transition. Evgeni Malkin has already announced that 2025-26 will be his final season. Then, the Pens will have just one more year of Sidney Crosby.
Added to that, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson are unlikely to stay in Pittsburgh much longer than that, if they don’t leave sooner.
As such, the Penguins’ competitive window is rapidly closing. This situation means that GM Kyle Dubas has seemingly one more bullet in the chamber before running out of ammo.
Dubas and the Penguins may have no choice but to go all-in on some big-name free agents this summer before tearing everything down and starting over. If the signings work out, the Penguins could send Malkin and Crosby off in a blaze of glory.
If the moves fail, well, at least the Penguins will have given it the old college try.
So, let’s take a look at three veteran free agents the Pittsburgh Penguins must sign to remain competitive in 2025-26.
3 veteran free agents the Pittsburgh Penguins must sign to contend in 2025-26
Mikael Granlund
Mikael Granlund joined the Dallas Stars at this year’s trade deadline following a deal with the Nashville Predators. Since landing in Dallas, the 33-year-old Granlund has lived up to the hype. In his last playoff game, Granlund notched a hat trick against the Winnipeg Jets.
As an impending free agent, Granlund could be looking for one more multi-year deal. That deal could come from the Penguins as they look to retool and make one more run before Malkin and Crosby are done.
Eventually, the Penguins can move Granlund to a contender looking for reinforcements down the road.
Nikolaj Ehlers
Nikolaj Ehlers is set to hit the free-agent market this summer. While Ehlers didn’t have his best season this year, he’s still relatively young and one of the best scoring wingers in the NHL.
Signing Ehlers would be a move focused on competing next year and beyond. Ehlers could be part of a younger, evolving core as the current aging core rides off into the sunset.
Ehlers won’t come cheap, especially if the Penguins want to sign him to a short-term deal. But kicking the tires on Ehlers is certainly worth it as he could be a solid addition to complement Bryan Rust in the club’s top six.
Brock Nelson
Brock Nelson was this year’s biggest trade deadline acquisition. He played fairly well with the Colorado Avalanche, though he didn’t have quite the enormous impact Colorado would have wanted.
The Avalanche will try their best to re-sign him. After all, the Avalanche paid through the nose to get him. But if, for some reason, the two sides can’t work out a new deal, the Penguins could swoop in and sign him.
That situation could evolve in one of two ways. The Penguins can sit by and wait for Nelson to hit the market. Or, the Pens could proactively throw a draft pick the Avalanche’s way and get Nelson’s rights ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft.
