theScore is previewing each team leading up to the 2016-17 season.
The Pittsburgh Penguins return largely intact after winning the Stanley Cup. And this time Mike Sullivan's behind the bench for 82 games.
After a slow start, Pittsburgh finished second in the Eastern Conference and fourth in the NHL with 104 points. Its 2.90 goals per game ranked third, it's 2.40 goals against ranked sixth, and its 84.4 percent success rate on the penalty kill ranked fifth. The only area Pittsburgh needs to improve, surprisingly enough, is on the power play. Go figure.
Here's what the Penguins' lineup looks like ahead of Oct. 13, when they'll raise a Cup banner with the Washington Capitals watching.
Forwards
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Conor Sheary | Sidney Crosby | Patric Hornqvist |
| Carl Hagelin | Nick Bonino | Phil Kessel |
| Chris Kunitz | Evgeni Malkin | Bryan Rust |
| Tom Kuhnhackl | Matt Cullen | Eric Fehr |
| Kevin Porter | Oskar Sundqvist | |
| Scott Wilson | ||
| Dominik Simon |
- No changes to the 12 forwards. It's possible Chris Kunitz ends up on the top line, but Conor Sheary impressed in the playoffs.
- The Penguins are deep - Evgeni Malkin is on the third bloody line! - and that's bad news for Kevin Porter, Oskar Sundqvist, Scott Wilson, and Dominik Simon.
- Daniel Sprong, meanwhile, is out until at least January or February after having shoulder surgery, which is why he's not listed above.
Defense
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Brian Dumoulin | Kris Letang |
| Olli Maatta | Trevor Daley |
| Ian Cole | Justin Schultz |
| Derrick Pouliot | Steve Oleksy |
- Brian Dumoulin averaged 21:31 per game in the playoffs. His contributions weren't talked about enough.
- Trevor Daley had six assists in 29 games while averaging 14:46 in ice time with the Chicago Blackhawks before being traded to Pittsburgh. He had six goals and 16 assists in 53 games and played 20:27 a night with the Penguins.
- Derrick Pouliot could make things interesting in camp, especially considering Justin Schultz didn't have the confidence of the coaching staff in the spring.
Goalies
| G |
|---|
| Matt Murray |
| Marc-Andre Fleury |
| Tristan Jarry |
- You can consider Matt Murray option 1A and Marc-Andre Fleury option 1B.
NHL Depth Charts
ANA | ARI | BOS | BUF | CGY
CAR | CHI | COL | CBS | DAL
DET | EDM | FLA | LA | MIN
MTL | NSH | NJD | NYI | NYR
PHI | PIT | OTT | STL | SJ
TB | TOR | VAN | WSH | WIN