Pens Points is here with all the latest from a Penguins day off as we enter the final days of the regular season.
Thursday will bring to an end the 2024-25 Pittsburgh Penguins season along with the NHL season as whole. There are still two more days off for the Penguins before we arrive at Game No. 82, but all that’s left for the Penguins in finalizing their position in the standings and learning what lottery odds await them for the NHL Draft.
Pens Points…
Tristan Jarry has played better since being called back up to the NHL after being previously placed on waivers. While his improved play has been a welcome sight, his future in Pittsburgh remains very much in limbo. [Pensburgh]
There are many factors at play that will determine if the Penguins call pull off a successful rebuild. Kyle Dubas has already signaled he’s ready to get the process started, which is meaningful, considering he’s the most important piece of the puzzle. [Pensburgh]
With the rebuild now in full swing, it’s going to be a busy offseason for the Penguins. Trades will be made, players will be drafted, and contracts will be signed. All in all, Dubas is ready to get the ball rolling on his master plan for the Penguins. [The Athletic $$]
Surrounded by promising counterparts who are gunning to be the future of the Penguins in goal, veteran Filip Larsson has made an impression of his own this season in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. [Trib Live]
Joona Kopanen was waived by the Penguins on Monday, and will return to the AHL should he clear waivers on Tuesday. Kopanen has played 10 games with the Penguins this season, scoring his first career NHL goal in the process. [Daily Faceoff]
NHL News and Notes…
For the first time ever, all four U.S.-based Original Six franchises (Bruins, Rangers, Red Wings, Blackhawks) will miss the playoffs. At the same time, their Canadian counterparts in Toronto and Montreal will be battling for the Stanley Cup. [Sportsnet]
Pressure it always high come playoff time, but for some teams the pressure is amplified by past failures. Everyone already expects teams like Toronto and Edmonton to be under the microscope, but they are hardly the only ones. [TSN]
After helping backstop Penn State to its first ever Frozen Four appearance last week, goaltender Arsenii Sergeev signed a two-year entry level contract with the Calgary Flames, the team who drafted him in the seventh round in 2021. [Calgary Flames]