Six Metropolitan Division teams down. Another team to compare with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the 2025-26 season.
The Pittsburgh Penguins organize the Blue Jackets in PPG Paints Arena on Saturday evening The one-day return of Marc-Andre Fleury. The Penguins are the last team in our series.
The Blue Jackets ended the 2024-25 season nine points for the penguins in the metro. But traditionally it was always the penguins that dominated the blue coats, especially in the Sidney Crosby era.
Father’s time ultimately catches everyone. Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are still there. Although their presence always gives the penguins a chance, they are confronted with a huge struggle to be competitive.
The task is so discouraging that GM Kyle Dubas is already willing to listen to most of his best players. The penguins are generally considered one of the few teams that are really selling at the moment.
The blue jackets and penguins apparently go in opposite directions. Although 2024-25 was a start, this could finally be the year that the Blue Jackets started to acidify their I-70 counterparts.
Let’s look at a few big storylines for the Penguins to start 2025-26.
The Big-3
The penguins do not go without a fight. That is especially the case when the Big-3 is still there. Crosby, Malkin and Letang will do everything to keep the team competitive.
Unlike Penguins’ teams from the past, they do not have the depth that helped them to win Stanley Cups. Every success this season will have to be because of the Big-3.
And of course there was the “story out of season” about the future of Crosby. It is really not really a story considering his desire to play his entire career at the Penguins. But if the team gets out of battle, the mutter will pick up again.
What about the future of Malkin and Letang in that scenario? Do they have the same desire to end with the penguins? This trade theadline could be one of the most interesting in recent memory if one of the BIG-3 will speak the willingness to be treated.
The other-3
The Penguins have three other players who, according to many, would now be traded. Those are Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust and Erik Karlsson. How do Dubas deal with these individual situations?
These three players must be able to keep the penguins at least competitive to start. All three would help a competition in a play -off run. The timing on possible movements will be interesting to look at. That is if they even come in the case of rest.
A team in transition
The penguins used the NHL concept of 2025 to make many selections. They added the will of Ben Kindel, Bill Zonnon and William Horcoff in the first round. Dubas has the difficult task of switching the team with old players in their selection.
The 2025-26 season also marks the start of the Dan Muse era as head coach. He replaced the deceased Mike Sullivan. The development and education of players will be an important focus.
Dubas has established the kind of things that he hopes to reach. He wants more high concept choices if possible. He started forming the design of what the penguins will look like as soon as the Big-3 hangs their skates.
Enjoy the time that remains with them in the Line -Up. Because these penguins are about to go through a large transition in the near future.
Blue coats that point up
The Blue Jackets were just short of the play-offs in 2024-25. They hope that their movements will be sufficient to take the next step.
The Blue Jackets were finally able to win a match in PPG Paints Arena last season. It took a rally and a shootout to do it. But they found a way to remove the monkey from their backs in a building that was nothing but a house of horrors for them.
How do the blue jackets and penguins relate now? The Blue Jackets were one of the best attacking teams last season. The penguins were the worst defensive team in the east and the third worst in the NHL. The Blue Jackets have a clear advantage given the observed improvement of their young talent.
But as long as the Big-3 is there, games can still be close and competitive. Special teams also keep things close by.
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Given where the blue jackets and penguins are in their cycles, the blue coats are finally able to catch up with the penguins not only this season, but for several seasons.
The blue jackets have the better, young skill. They have a better depth. Although they are just a question mark, the net of the Penguins is too. Tristan Jarry and Arturs Silovs are the projected duo to start the season. Can one of them keep their team in games?
The penguins can very well be in the Gavin McKenna discussion. The blue jackets expect to make the play -offs. Most believe that the blue jackets will end higher than the penguins in the rankings. What will be interesting to see is by how much and whether the penguins can find a way to exceed the minor expectations that others have put on them.
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