Inside look at Pittsburgh Penguins

NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 8-Sept. 8. Today, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Change could have defined the Pittsburgh Penguins this season. Instead, they will stick with what they know.
Forwards Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust, and defenseman Kris Letang, could have left in free agency. But a sizable shakeup was avoided in favor of keeping the core of Sidney Crosby, Malkin and Letang intact with hopes of competing for at least one more Stanley Cup championship.
Those three could be entering the latter stage of their primes, if not their NHL careers. Crosby, 35, will play his 18th NHL season. Malkin, 36, and Letang, 35, will each play his 17th.
The confidence in Pittsburgh's leadership hasn't wavered, though.
"This group still has hockey left in them, and still has a chance to do impressive things," general manager Ron Hextall said. "That was part of the decision. … We can still be very competitive in this league and do special things. These guys are special players. These are generational players.
"These aren't really good hockey players. These are generational players that make people better. We still feel like we're in the mix of the top teams in the League."
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Letang agreed to a six-year contract July 7, just before Malkin signed a four-year contract July 12.
Rust, who won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017, will be back on a six-year contract agreed to May 21. Forwards Rickard Rakell, Kasperi Kapanen and Danton Heinen will also remain in Pittsburgh after each signed a new contract.
There was some change on defense, trading Mike Matheson and a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft to the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Jeff Petry and forward Ryan Poehling on July 16. Defenseman John Marino was traded to the New Jersey Devils for defenseman Ty Smith and a third-round pick in the 2023 draft on July 16.
But for the most part, the Penguins will look similar to a team that failed to advance past an opening-round series for a fourth straight season, losing in seven games to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference First Round.
Success is still there. Pittsburgh has qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 16 straight seasons, the longest active streak in major North American professional sports.
But this group hasn't been defined by just getting to the dance. The era of Crosby, Malkin and Letang has been met with a constant expectation of competing for championships. That will not change this season.
"We've been fortunate enough to play together for a long time," Crosby said May 17. "Been through a lot. I think you look at all those experiences, there's a lot of belief, a lot of trust in one another. With that, we've had success too, so I think there's also a confidence level that's very rare. We all appreciate that."

That isn't unwarranted. Crosby, fresh off having wrist surgery Sept. 8, 2021, had 84 points (31 goals, 53 assists) in 69 games last season. Letang had an NHL career-high 68 points (10 goals, 58 assists) in 78 games. Malkin returned from offseason knee surgery with 42 points (20 goals, 22 assists) in 41 games.
A repeat performance from that group is expected.
The same could be said for forward Jake Guentzel's ability to again score at least 40 goals on Crosby's left wing. Rust, possibly on Crosby's other wing, will be tasked with living up to his new contract after averaging 0.91 points per game the past three seasons, up from 0.45 in his first five.
When healthy, the Penguins seem to know what to expect from the forwards and at least most of the defensemen. Some uncertainty lies in net.
No. 1 goalie Tristan Jarry missed the first six games of the playoffs with a lower-body injury, returning with 26 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Rangers in Game 7. Casey DeSmith, the backup, should be ready for training camp after having core muscle surgery May 6.
Despite returning a familiar roster, how the goalies will hold up is just one of several questions facing the Penguins. All that's left is to see if they can answer, again led by Crosby, Malkin and Letang.
"These guys mean so much to the city of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Penguins," coach Mike Sullivan said July 7. "The legacy they've built, I think, speaks for itself. These guys, and I've said this on multiple occasions, they're getting a little bit older, but they're not old. I think there's a big difference."