The Pittsburgh Penguins open the 2026.27 campaign where last season ended in Philadelphia. It’s fun,” Lizotte said with a smile. “Definitely some sour feelings after last year, but it’s a new year, and we look at it as a chance internally to start that first building block, if you will, to build towards the end of the year.”
That initial building block rests on a foundation established during a surprising previous campaign. Despite low external expectations, the Penguins flipped the script under Jack Adams Award finalist Dan Muse and his coaching staff, securing a playoff berth and eventually falling to the Philadelphia Flyers in six games after overcoming an early 3-0 series deficit. New addition Trevor van Riemsdyk observed the group’s resilience firsthand: “They had an awesome year. I think everyone was waiting for it to kind of fall off and come down to earth. They had a bunch of young guys, and obviously the superstars did what the superstars always do, and the young guys did a great job of contributing.”
Laying the Groundwork for Contention
While management, hockey operations, and the coaching staff found plenty of positives, the overarching takeaway from last season is that the team still has significant ground to cover before returning to legitimate Stanley Cup contention. President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas worked tirelessly over the summer to acquire a handful of new pieces designed to complement the roster. Meanwhile, Muse and his assistants spent the offseason refining their strategy to maintain Pittsburgh’s potent offensive output while elevating the club’s defensive metrics to an average-or-above standard.
https://x.com/penguins/status/2104635521292984664
And what those things are going to be, that’s the unknown. I don’t know, but that’s also the exciting part. I think you try and figure out what you have to do today to be successful tomorrow.”
A Unified Aim for Deeper Postseason Success
“Last year was probably exceeding a lot of people’s expectations,” the captain said. “For the guys that were here last year and went through last season, there should be a lot of belief. And for new guys coming in with opportunities that they have here, I think as a group, we’ve got to aim for that.”
