The next team being covered in the 2023 Fantasy Hockey Team Preview series is the Pittsburgh Penguins. This team made some interesting changes in the offseason in the hopes of returning to the playoffs and making some more runs at the Stanley Cup over the next few seasons. They have new depth pieces and also added some key top-end players.
The Penguins finished last season with 91 points and missed the playoffs by just one point. This team generally has some very strong fantasy options despite many of them aging. They will definitely have more players to draft and stream throughout the season. This average team from 2022-23 was carried by the top players, but this season they should easily finish in the top half of the league in goals and goals against. Now let’s take a good look at all three positions of the Penguins and what they have to offer in fantasy hockey in 2023.
Pittsburgh Penguins Fantasy Hockey Preview
Penguins Forwards
The Penguins look very strong in the top six as they normally do. What will be a little different this season is that Jake Guentzel will start on the injured reserve. This shouldn’t turn you away from him though. He continues to produce at an elite level and has done so since entering the league. He is one of the first-line wingers and a two-time 40-goal scorer. Before last season where he had 73 points in 78 games, there were three consecutive seasons where he was a point-per-game player. He should miss a couple of weeks at the most to start the season. He checks every box and plays over 20 minutes a night. With Erik Karlsson on the back end now, the offense will only rise for everyone.
Sidney Crosby has been an elite player for 18 seasons now and that isn’t changing just yet. He was one of the players that carried the Penguins last season and recorded 93 points. He could easily get more as he’s hit 100 points six times before despite dealing with injuries throughout his career. Crosby also hits all of the categories and you wouldn’t think he would hit, but he does. He should have newcomer Reilly Smith on his wing for at least the first couple of weeks with Guentzel out.
Smith has been an underrated point producer wherever he’s gone and Pittsburgh should be no different. If you want a safe bet to score 20 goals and over 50 points, he’s the guy. He hasn’t always played with elite talent either. Being beside Crosby or Evgeni Malkin with another strong winger could really boost Smith to a 60-point player this season.
Speaking of wingers in the top six, there are two that haven’t been mentioned yet, Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell. Rust played at or right below a point-per-game for three seasons as a great option on the wing before struggling last season. He only produced 46 points in 81 games but still managed to score 20 goals. He should have a spot on the top power play to boost his production. History is on his side to bounce back and be a strong fantasy option who could hit 70 points if he played a full season. Rakell was definitely not the problem last season for the Penguins as he finished with the second-most points in his career. With 28 goals and 60 points, playing alongside the talent in the top-six of the Penguins helped and will do so again this season.
Malkin can’t be forgotten as he once again had a point-per-game season scoring 83 in 82 games. He’s recorded more points than games in 11 of the past 12 seasons and there’s no doubt he will do so again. With the linemates he will have and the power play, expect him to sit around 85-90 points and record a lot of penalty minutes. Outside of the top six, there are no notable names even worth streaming unless injuries start to really pile up.
Penguins Defensemen
The Penguins have got themselves a revamped defensive unit as Karlsson was the blockbuster this summer. This impacts Kris Letang negatively, but should even boost Karlsson. While it will be a lot to ask of the former San Jose Sharks defenseman to put up over 100 points and stay healthy again, leading all defensemen in points isn’t out of the realm of possibility. He showed he’s still elite when there are no injuries holding him back, and he is only 33 years old. He’ll run the top power play and have elite forwards to help him produce points. Karlsson is one of those defensemen who won’t be there in round 3. He’s given no reason to have a huge drop-off in points from last season.
Letang was mentioned as someone whose fantasy value will go down, and that’s because he will be pushed to the second power-play unit. He will still play a lot at five-on-five and benefit from getting lots of ice time with the top six. He won’t go as high in the draft either, but if Karlsson does get injured, Letang’s value will skyrocket.
Related: 2023 Fantasy Hockey Team Preview: New Jersey Devils
After these two, the Penguins don’t have a lot to look at in terms of players with any fantasy value. Pierre-Olivier Joseph or Ty Smith could be ones to keep an eye on if there are injuries. But don’t waste a pick in the draft or too much energy on them early on.
Penguins Goalies
Tristan Jarry has been the Penguins’ starter and will continue to be this season. He just got a new five-year deal and his worst season has seen him have a .909 save percentage. Jarry has finished seventh in Vezina Trophy voting (twice) at his best. When he hasn’t, he’s still finished with 20 or more wins and a couple shutouts in those seasons. He is a great and underrated fantasy option this season, especially with the additions of Ryan Graves and Smith.
Alex Nedeljkovic will be the backup goalie this season after Casey DeSmith was shipped off. Nedeljkovic had a very troublesome start to last season, but his splits pre- and post-stint in the AHL are very interesting. While his numbers were horrible before getting sent down, he put up a .920 SV% in six games to end the season after being recalled. I don’t think we will see either of those extremes from Nedeljkovic, but he should be able to provide stable goaltending as the backup. He’s a streaming option at best to start the season.
The Penguins will be a fun team to watch and one where you will want to have players from this season in fantasy hockey. The offense could explode and you want to benefit from that. Next up in the 2023 Fantasy Hockey Team Previews is the Washington Capitals.
Make sure to check out all of our Fantasy Hockey Team Previews as they roll out over the coming weeks!