The Pittsburgh Penguins want to maximize the time they have left with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The two Penguins stars are in the final years of their respective playing careers. After missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the last two years, Pittsburgh is hoping to retool their roster rather quickly.
They went all out in NHL Free Agency last summer. Pittsburgh signed Ryan Graves, Lars Eller, and Tristan Jarry to try and bolster the roster. However, it didn't work as they missed the playoffs in 2024. This summer saw the team exercise much more restraint in the open market.
The Penguins added some depth to the roster this summer. This came at the cost of their overall improvement. Pittsburgh certainly may be better than they were at the end of last season. It's hard to gauge just how much better they are until the 2024-25 season begins, though. Pittsburgh is going to need players to step up, and here are two Penguins veterans who could make an impact in the year ahead.
Ryan Graves could bounce back
As mentioned, Graves signed a six-year contract last summer through NHL Free Agency. The former New Jersey Devils rearguard brought some promise as a top-four defender. Once the season began, though, things didn't go exactly as planned.
Graves saw a decline in his offensive production this past season. He scored just three goals and 14 points in 70 games. This decline is backed up by his analytics, as well. The Penguins defenseman had an unsightly -6.3 Offensive Goals Above Replacement in 2023-24, according to Evolving Hockey. This is a full 14-goal drop in his OGAR from year to year.
In saying this, Graves did improve defensively. In fact, from a defensive standpoint, he was one of Pittsburgh's best. He had the second-lowest Goals Against Per 60 Minutes (2.73) behind Erik Karlsson. Additionally, Graves had the highest On-Ice Save Percentage (.914) of any Pittsburgh defender in 2023-24.
Graves was essentially an offensive blackhole in his debut season in Pittsburgh. If he can even play to replacement level offensively, he'll make more of a positive impact for the Penguins. And the Penguins could certainly find themselves fighting for playoff hockey in 2025.
Rickard Rakell could surprise people
Rickard Rakell joined the Penguins in 2021-22 as Pittsburgh pushed for the playoffs. In his first full season in 2022-23, he played rather well for Pittsburgh. He scored 28 goals and 60 points for the Penguins despite their failure to make the playoffs. Unfortunately, things didn't go as well in 2023-24.
Rakell saw a noticeable decline in his counting stats. The Swedish forward scored 15 goals and 37 points while skating in 70 games. He also saw a noticeable decline in his average ice time. Rakell averaged just 16 and a half minutes a game in 2023-24.
However, he did perform rather well analytically. He had an Offensive Goals Above Replacement of 10.4, according to Evolving Hockey. Additionally, Rakell ranked fourth in Goals For Percentage (58.65) and Goals For Per 60 Minutes (3.87). One of the players ahead of him, Jake Guentzel, was traded midseason to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Rakell has shown that he can make an impact as a middle-six winger. Though things looked down in 2023-24, he still played well enough for fans to keep some faith in him. Rakell could certainly play a pivotal role in helping the Penguins return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025.
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