Before we know it, Pittsburgh Penguins hockey will be back once again.

On Sept. 27, the Penguins will hit the ice for their first preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, the team is going to look a little different than last year.

With the Seattle Kraken joining the league this upcoming season, teams had to plan accordingly. When it was all said and done, each team lost one player in the expansion draft last month. Other than that, it was business as usual in the offseason.

Let’s look at the moves the Pittsburgh Penguins made and how it could affect them going forward.

Pittsburgh Penguins Notable Departures

• D Zach Trotman (retired)
• C Jared McCann (traded to Toronto)
• D Yannick Weber (retired)
• LW Brandon Tanev (selected by Seattle in expansion draft)
• G Emil Larmi (signed with the Lahti Pelicans of Liiga)
• RW Colton Sceviour (became an unrestricted free agent)
• C Frederick Gaudreau (signed with Minnesota)
• C Mark Jankowski (not tendered qualifying offer)
• LW Sam Miletic (signed with Carolina)
• D Cody Ceci (signed with Edmonton)
• G Maxime Lagace (signed with Tampa Bay)

Most, if not all, of these moves are going to hurt the Penguins in various ways. Without a doubt, two of the biggest departures are McCann and Tanev.

McCann had an impressive season last year, tallying 32 points (14 goals and 18 assists) in 43 games. With Evgeni Malkin plagued by injury, he found a home on the top power play. He led the Penguins with seven power play goals, while his 10 points on the man advantage were fifth best on the team.

Tanev only put up 16 points (seven goals and nine assists) in 32 games, but that is pretty good for a 3rd line winger. He even had a nine-game point streak going before missing some time with an injury. But what made him an important part of the team was his energy and intensity. He made it hard for opposing players to generate any offense. Sadly, he became a victim of the expansion draft and the Penguins’ spark plug is now gone.

Along with the losses of Sceviour, Gaudreau, Jankowski and Miletic, the bottom six for Pittsburgh is going to look different. Malkin potentially being unavailable for the start of the season after knee surgery will certainly shuffle the lines around as well.

Thankfully, the defense didn’t take too much of a hit. Yes, Ceci was great last season, but the cap made it very hard to keep him around. Though not as potentially effective, guys like Chad Ruhwedel and Mark Freidman can fill that void on the right side.

But perhaps the biggest question going into this season is the Penguins’ goalie situation. The tandem of Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith isn’t really instilling confidence amongst fans. Unfortunately, their options down in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton are limited.

With Larmi and Lagace gone, their two AHL netminders look to be Alex D’Orio and Filip Lindberg. D’Orio has mainly played in the ECHL, while Lindberg was signed as a college free agent. Unless one of them greatly exceeds expectations, neither will be ready to play at the NHL level.

We’ll just have to wait and see if Jarry can bounce back from last year. If not, there might be some trouble for the Pens in between the pipes.

Notable Acquisitions and Re-signs

• C Teddy Blueger (re-signed – two-year, $4.4 million)
• C Filip Hallander (acquired in McCann trade)
• RW Kasper Bjorkqvist (re-signed – one-year, two-way, $750,000)
• LW Brock McGinn (signed – four-year, $11 million)
• D Taylor Fedun (signed – one-year, two-way, $750,000)
• C Dominik Simon (signed – one-year, $750,000)
• RW Evan Rodrigues (signed – one-year, $1 million)
• C Michael Chaput (signed – one-year, two-way, $750,000)
• C Danton Heinen (signed – one-year, $1.1 million)
• LW Radim Zohorna (re-signed – two-year, two-way, $750,000)
• LW Zach Aston-Reese (re-signed – one-year, $1.725 million)

Despite some big losses, the Penguins also kept some important names as well. At the top of that list are Blueger and Aston-Reese.

Both men — along with Tanev — were the team’s shutdown line last season. Opponents consistently struggled to put up points against the trio, and Mike Sullivan relied on them heavily in high pressure situations. Locking them up helps provide some semblance of stability in the bottom six.

If Malkin can’t go to start the season, Jeff Carter will likely take his place as the second line center. This means Blueger will move up to center the third line, likely flanked by Aston-Reese. The other winger could be McGinn, who is seemingly Tanev’s replacement.

Simon, Rodrigues, Chaput, Heinen and Zohorna all look to factor into the lineup as well. This also includes forwards already under contract, like Sam Lafferty, Anthony Angello and Drew O’Connor.

Those that don’t make the cut will certainly add depth to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, along with Hallander, Bjorkqvist and Fedun. Regardless of Malkin’s status, the Penguins need to know if these guys can be relied on if someone else goes down with an injury during the season.

All these factors should make training camp something to keep your eyes on. Luckily, we won’t have long to wait, as it starts in mid-to-late September. Then, we can truly see what the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup will look like going into opening night.

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