| Pos | Role | Name |
| C | 1 | Sidney Crosby  ActiveSidney Crosby understands what turning 30 means for most NHLers, but getting older doesn't concern him. "It's just a number," he said. "Just a number to me." Crosby has accomplished a great deal recently and his success in the past 26-plus months has been well-documented. He is also just the eighth player to post 1,000 points and win three Stanley Cups before hitting the age of 30. "He's at the peak right now and he's got a number of years left at his peak because he has taken care of himself so well and because he knows his body better than ever now," said Penguins assistant Mark Recchi. Crosby is far from being done and believes the Penguins can three-peat as Stanley Cup champions in 2017-18. "We're going to training camp with that in mind," said the Pittsburgh captain. "It'll be a big challenge, but why not?" Aug 8 |
| 2 | Evgeni Malkin ActiveEvgeni Malkin finished second in Conn Smythe Trophy voting. Malkin picked up three first-place votes and 11 second-place votes. Sidney Crosby, who won the award for a second straight year, captured 11 of 15 first-place votes. Penguins rookie Jake Guentzel had the other first-place vote. Jun 12 |
| 3 | Carter Rowney ActiveCarter Rowney could serve as Pittsburgh's third-line center this season. The 28-year-old made his NHL debut last season, as he played 27 games in 2016-17. He had just three goals and four assists with the Penguins. With Nick Bonino now in Nashville, Pittsburgh could opt to go with Rowney as his replacement. "You pay attention to your surroundings. It's your organization," Rowney said. "But at the end of the day, you have to just come in and be confident in your own game and worry about yourself. Have a good summer no matter what and try to improve the things you know you have to improve on." Even if he does play on the third line, don't expect him to carry any fantasy value. Sep 10 |
| 4 | Greg McKegg ActiveSo far it's looking like Greg McKegg will earn a roster spot with the Penguins. "I've been really impressed with Kegger," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "I think he's really made a positive impression on our coaching staff." Pittsburgh entered training camp with the third and fourth-line center spots open, which McKegg has used as motivation. If the 25-year-old forward does make the team though, he probably won't do much offensively in that bottom-six role. To be fair he has contributed offensively at the junior and AHL levels, but in the NHL he has five goals and nine points in 65 career contests. Sep 22 |
| LW | 1 | Jake Guentzel ActiveJake Guentzel scored a goal in Pittsburgh’s 4-1 loss to St. Louis on Sunday night. Guentzel, 22, had 33 points in 40 games last season, which puts him on pace for more than 65 over a full season. If the Nebraska native stays healthy and sticks around in the Pens’ top six, there’s no reason to doubt his ability to produce an output in that ballpark. Sep 24 |
| 2 | Bryan Rust ActiveBryan Rust snapped a six-game goalless skid in Pittsburgh's 6-0 win over Nashville in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. Rust scored the second goal of the game in the blowout victory to post his seventh marker of the playoffs. He has nine points in 22 matches. Jun 10 |
| 3 | Carl Hagelin ActiveCarl Hagelin sustained a broken fibula on March 8 and it never fully healed. Hagelin had two goals in 15 playoff games. He won't need surgery over the summer, but the rest should do him some good. Jun 15 |
| 4 | Scott Wilson ActiveScott Wilson found the back of the net in Monday's 4-1 preseason loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Wilson was a regular in the Penguins lineup last season, but that didn't translate into fantasy success. The 25-year-old had eight goals and 26 points in 78 contests last season. He doesn't bring any fantasy value to the table this season. Sep 25 |
| 5 | Tom Kuhnhackl ActiveTom Kuhnhackl (lower body) won't be available for Game 6 against Ottawa. Coach Mike Sullivan said that Kuhnhackl is making progress, while rehabbing his injury back in Pittsburgh. He hasn't been in the lineup since May 8. May 23 |
| RW | 1 | Phil Kessel ActivePenguins GM Jim Rutherford countered recently rumors that the Penguins will trade Phil Kessel. "Phil Kessel's an important part of the Penguins," Rutherford said on 93.7 The Fan. "He gets a lot of points. He scores big goals. He sets up big goals. The more impact players that you have, like we have, the better chance you have of winning." The general manager went on to say that while he won't rule out the possibility of Kessel someday being traded again he doesn't foresee it happening right now. Kessel hasn't found the back of the net with the same frequency that he did with Toronto, but he certainly has had a big impact offensively. He had 23 goals and 70 points in 82 games last season and then another eight goals and 23 points in 24 playoff contests. Jul 14 |
| 2 | Patric Hornqvist  SidelinedPatric Hornqvist (hand) skated on his own Monday. Hornqvist missed the first three days of training camp with a hand injury. He hasn't practiced with them since he took part in an informal skate on Sept. 7. Sep 18 |
| 3 | Conor Sheary ActiveConor Sheary is looking to be more consistent in 2017-18. Sheary had a solid regular season, which earned him a three-year, $9 million contract this off-season. Unfortunately, his play fell apart in the playoffs and he was a healthy scratch in some important games. "I think when I'm playing my best and I'm working hard and I'm winning one-on-one battles, I think I can be an effective player," Sheary said. "When I get away from that and stop moving my feet and try to make too many plays, I think that's when I get away from it. When I say consistency, I mean I want to keep that work ethic game-in and game-out and earn my spot in the lineup." Sep 18 |
| 4 | Ryan Reaves ActiveRyan Reaves will play for the first time against his former St. Louis Blues teammates Sunday. Reaves was dealt at the Draft for a first round pick that left many pundits shaking their heads. But tonight he will go full out against the Blues. "I'm not letting up for them," Reaves said. "I guess they can learn that in the preseason." Reaves should be good for five goals, 15 points and over 100 penalty minutes. Draft him accordingly. Sep 24 |
| 5 | Josh Archibald ActiveJosh Archibald has agreed to a two-year, $1.35 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Archibald was coming off his entry-level contract. He had three goals in 10 games with Pittsburgh in 2016-17. He also recorded 16 goals and 29 points in 61 AHL contests. This new deal is one-way so he'll earn the same amount even if he doesn't make the Penguins' opening game roster. Jul 12 |
| 6 | Zach Aston-Reese ActiveZach Aston-Reese scored a goal and an assist in Friday's 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Aston-Reese has been productive early in camp, as he also found the back of the net against Buffalo on Tuesday night. The 23-year-old is coming off a very impressive final season at Northeastern University that saw him score 31 goals and 63 points in 39 games. He also added three goals and eight points in his first take of professional hockey in the AHL last season. He's not a lock to make the team out of camp, but he definitely has some offensive ability. Sep 22 |
| D | 1 | Kris Letang ActiveKris Letang played on Sunday for the first time in six months. Letang underwent surgery to repair a couple of herniated discs in his back and while it took a few shifts, he was comfortable on the blueline. Letang had regular duty in five-on-five play, the power play as well as killing penalties. "The physical play, obviously, is a big factor," Letang said. "Just the speed of the game. Everything is kind of structured in practice. You know what to do, you know the drills. Out there, there's a million things that happened that are not scripted. It's just being able to adjust, get a feel for the ice, get in good position." Letang is close to a point-per-game player, the problem the last five seasons has been his propensity for injury. Look for Letang to play 55-70 games this season and get 50-65 points. Sep 25 |
| 2 | Justin Schultz ActiveThe Pittsburgh Penguins has signed Justin Schultz to a three-year, $16.5 million contract extension. Schultz is getting a huge boost from his one-year, $1.4 million deal for the 2016-17 campaign, but it's justifiable given the season he had. Schultz came up big for the Penguins with 12 goals, 51 points, and a plus-27 rating in 78 games. He added another four goals and 13 points in 21 playoff contests. This deal is very reasonable for the Penguins, especially given that Schultz didn't end up getting a long-term contract out of them. Jul 1 |
| 3 | Brian Dumoulin ActiveBrian Dumoulin sustained a broken hand in the first round of the playoffs and it kept re-breaking during Pittsburgh's run to a second straight Stanley Cup title. "It was tough to play with it, but obviously everybody had injuries," Dumoulin said. "It's all healed up now. They were deciding on surgery or not at the end of the season, but doctors saw a little bit of healing. We gave it about three weeks, and I kind of have been testing it out the last week. I've skated, and there have been no problems. I'm happy about it." Dumoulin didn't miss any time because of the injury and led the Penguins in average ice time per game (21:59) during the postseason. He agreed to a six-year contract on Monday to avoid salary arbitration. Jul 24 |
| 4 | Olli Maatta ActiveOlli Maatta isn't satisfied with how his last two seasons have gone. "The last two years, I didn't play my best hockey," Maatta said. "I think I've got a lot better (to give)." Penguins coach Mike Sullivan has been happy with Maatta's play and Pittsburgh has outscored its opponents 103-63 when Maatta has been on the ice during that two-year period. That being said, Maatta has left something to be desired offensively. He had 29 points as a rookie in 2013-14, but he's been limited to a combined 26 points in 122 contests over the last two campaigns. It would certainly be nice, especially for fantasy owners, if he steps up in that regard, but we wouldn't recommend drafting him in standard leagues at this time. Still, he's worth keeping an eye on. Sep 26 |
| 5 | Ian Cole ActiveIan Cole played with some significant injuries during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. According to Penguins beat writer Josh Yohe, Cole sustained a broken hand and broken ribs early in the team's second-round series versus Washington. Cole had nine assists and logged nearly 19 minutes of ice time per match in 25 postseason outings en route to a Stanley Cup triumph. Jun 12 |
| 6 | Matt Hunwick ActiveThe Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defenseman Matt Hunwick to a three-year/$6.75 million contract. Hunwick is not a fantasy threat but will replace the departed Ron Hainsey on the Pens blueline. He had a goal and 19 points in 72 games with Toronto last season and should have similar numbers in 2017-18. Jul 1 |
| 7 | Derrick Pouliot ActiveDerrick Pouliot stood out in the Penguins' intrasquad game on Monday. "I thought he was really active in the rush," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "He made a few real good outlet passes. He's in very good shape. His fitness level is extremely good. I think he's made a positive impression." Pouliot's role with the 2017-18 squad isn't secure, especially if his hope is to serve as something more than the team's seventh defenseman, so a strong training camp is important in his case. He had no points in 11 games with Pittsburgh in 2016-17. At the AHL level he had seven goals and 23 points in 46 contests. Sep 19 |
| 8 | Chad Ruhwedel ActiveChad Ruhwedel has re-signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins to a two-year, $1.3 million contract. Ruhwedel had two goals and 10 points in 34 games in 2016-17. When everyone is healthy, Ruhwedel will probably serve as the seventh defenseman, but he's an inexpensive and solid option for that role. Jun 22 |
| G | 1 | Matt Murray ActiveThe Blues may have beat the Penguins 4-1 on Sunday night, but Matt Murray looked ready for regular season action. Murray made 42 saves on 45 shots in the loss. The 23-year-old showed fantasy owners why he should be one of the top goalies on the market during draft season as he assumes the undisputed starting role for the Stanley Cup Champions. Last year, he went 32-10-4 with a .923 save percentage and 2.24 goals against average. Sep 24 |
| 2 | Antti Niemi ActiveTuesday's preseason contest was Antti Niemi's first with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Niemi turned aside 15 of 16 Sabres shots in the first period. "Well, he saw a lot of action early," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "He made some big saves for us. I think sometimes as a goalie, coming to a new environment, maybe that’s a good thing. Because he really doesn’t have any opportunity to think about it much. He just has to go out there and trust his instincts and make the saves." Niemi is coming off a rough campaign with Dallas where he had a 3.30 GAA and .892 save percentage in 37 contests. He's expected to be Pittsburgh's backup goaltender behind Matt Murray. Sep 20 |
| 3 | Tristan Jarry ActiveLook for the Pittsburgh Penguins to get a backup goaltender this summer and have Tristan Jarry start the 2017-18 campaign in the minors. "He’s definitely ready [to play games in the NHL]," Penguins goaltending coach Mike Buckley said of Jarry. "It’s always best to give him more time, so that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to give him another year." Jarry is coming off a strong season where he posted a 2.15 GAA and .925 save percentage in 45 AHL contests. Assuming the Penguins do get a backup goaltender, Jarry might still be called upon at various points during the 2017-18 campaign as an injury replacement. Jun 30 |