The Pittsburgh Penguins were expected to be bottom feeders at the start of the NHL season. They had failed to make the playoffs in each of the last three seasons and they had not appeared to make the kind of major moves in the offseason that would have changed that perspective in 2025-26.
It wasn't a matter of just missing the playoffs this season. The Penguins appeared to be a sure-fire bottom-five team. While they still had superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the question appeared to be when general manager Kyle Dubas would trade either one or both, and what could he get for them in a trade.
The Penguins apparently did not read any of the preseason estimations. They came out of the gate playing winning hockey and surprising opponents. After a brief downturn, the Penguins are playing competitive hockey and they are winning games that appeared to be well out of reach. As the Olympic break approaches, the Penguins have a 28-14-11 record and their 67 points have them in 2nd place in the Metropolitan Division.
They have been playing quite well in the closing stretch before the Olympics and that have built a 7-1-2 record in their last 10 games. The Penguins are not playing for respectability or hope at this point in the season. They are playing to solidify their playoff position. Crosby, Malkin & Co. will be playing Stanley Cup Playoff hockey barring a complete collapse in March and April.
General manager Kyle Dubas needs to add to his team and perhaps bring additional strength to the blue line. They need to make a trade for defenseman Justin Faulk of the St. Louis Blues
Adding to the blue line would make the most sense for Penguins
Nearly all conversations regarding the Penguins begin and end with Crosby and Malkin. Dubas may have decisions to make about future seasons regarding both players, but they should not be made this season. The Penguins are playing well enough that every decision made between now and the trade deadline should be made to enhance the team's chances of playing exceptional hockey in the home stretch of the regular season and the playoffs.
The Penguins defensive crew has played quite well this season and has clearly exceeded expectations. However, while the primary defensive pairings have been solid, it doesn't mean that head coach Dan Muse can't use some help in that area.
Parker Wotherspoon and Erik Karlsson form the top Penguins pairing, and they are not shutdown defensemen. Wotherspoon has been a hard-trying fill-in throughout the majority of his career while Karlsson is a skilled offensive defenseman who has liabilities in his own end.
One of the other reasons that the Penguins need to acquire help on the blue line is the injury suffered by veteran Kris Letang. The 20-year veteran suffered a broken foot and he will be out for a full month. While the majority of the recovery period takes place during the Olympic break, it will take time for Letang to get back to full speed.
Acquiring a solid, all-around defenseman like Justin Faulk of the St. Louis Blues could go a long way to helping the defensemen perform at their best through the remainder of the season. Faulk earns $6.5 million and he has one more season left on his contract before he would be a free agent in 2027.
The 33-year-old Faulk is in his 15th NHL season and his 7th with the Blues. He has the kind of size at 6-0 and 210 pounds to control the high-danger areas in front of the net and he also has a big shot on the offensive end. He has scored 11 goals and 16 assists to this point in the season, and it would not be a shock if he exceeded his career high of 17 goals before the conclusion of the season.
Penguins have been more than their 2 superstars
Crosby is at the top of the Penguins' scoring stats and the 38-year-old has not slowed down a bit. He has already scored 27 goals and 31 assists for 58 points, and he has won 55.4 percent of the faceoffs he has taken. He has also been a demon with the man advantage as he has scored 10 power play goals and 10 assists.
Malkin is second to Crosby with 13 goals and 42 points, but he has only played in 38 games. Like Crosby, he is averaging better than a point per game.
The Penguins are getting solid contributions for from right wing Anthony Mantha with 19 goals and 40 points and fellow right wing Bryan Rust with 18 goals and 21 assists. Karlsson has contributed 4 goals and 30 assists from the blue line, and 12 of his assists have come on the power play.
Other key contributors include Thomas Novak, Justin Brazeau and Rickard Rackell.
