Patrick Damp is a web producer for CBS Pittsburgh. A Pittsburgh native who grew up watching KDKA-TV, Patrick studied journalism at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After half a decade in sports communication, Patrick decided to pursue his dream of working in journalism in his hometown and joined the CBS Pittsburgh team in 2019.

As the 2025-26 Pittsburgh Penguins season approaches, it's certain to be a different experience for fans of the club.

In the past couple of years, under the guidance of President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas, the Penguins have undergone plenty of change, including trades, new coaches, and plenty of new players.

For the past three seasons, the Penguins' season has ended after game 82 as they missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs after 16 straight years of qualifying.

Now, the Penguins find themselves in a position they haven't been in since the early 2000s: rebuilding.

In April, in an unexpected announcement, the Penguins parted ways with Head Coach Mike Sullivan after nine seasons.

During his tenure as head coach, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in consecutive years in 2016 and 2017, and Sullivan holds the record for winningest coach in franchise history with 409 wins and became the 14th coach in NHL history to win 400 or more games with one franchise.

"Mike is known for his preparation, focus, and fierce competitiveness," Dubas said at the time. "I was fortunate to have a front-row seat to his dedication to this franchise for the past two seasons."

Just days after Sullivan and the Penguins parted ways, he was hired by Metropolitan Division rival, the New York Rangers.

"Mike's track record and success in the NHL and internationally speak for itself, and I look forward to seeing him behind the Rangers bench," owner James Dolan said. "I would like to welcome Mike back to the Rangers organization."

Sullivan spent four seasons as an assistant coach of the Rangers from 2009 to 2013.

About two months after breaking from Mike Sullivan, the Penguins hired Dan Muse as the 23rd head coach in franchise history.

Muse most recently served as an assistant coach for the Rangers, and prior to that, he was an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators.

As the Penguins continue their rebuilding process, the hiring of Muse showed their commitment to player development as he spent time as a coach in the NCAA, USHL, and with the United States National Team Development Program.

"What separated Dan was his ability to develop players, win at all levels where he has been a head coach, and his consistent success coaching special teams in the NHL," Dubas said. "From his success in developing college and junior players, to his impactful work with veteran players during his time in the NHL, Dan has shown a proven ability to connect with players at all stages of their careers and help them to reach their potential."

Along with Muse, the Penguins hired former center Nick Bonino as an assistant coach. The full coaching staff includes assistant coaches Bonino, Todd Nelson, Mike Stothers, and Rich Clune.

Kyle Dubas and his staff were busy in late June during the NHL Entry Draft as they made 13 total picks across the seven rounds.

Three of those 13 picks were made in the first round as the Penguins would select forward Benjamin Kindel 11th overall, forward Bill Zonnon 22nd overall, and forward William Horcoff 24th overall.

Read Here: 2025 Pittsburgh Penguins Draft Tracker

The summer is often a busy time for NHL teams, making trades and signing free agents, but for the most part, the Penguins remained relatively quiet.

On the opening of free agency on July 1, the Penguins made a trade, sending goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2028 third-round pick.

They also made a couple of smaller signings, re-signing forwards Philip Tomasino to a one-year, $1.75 million deal and Connor Dewar to a one-year, $1.1 million deal.

Also joining the team was a free agent forward and defenseman. Defenseman Caleb Jones signed a two-year, $900,000 per year deal, and forward Justin Brazeau signed a two-year $1.5 million per year deal.

On July 2, they signed forward Anthony Mantha to a one-year, $2.5 million deal. They also added another defenseman, Alexander Alexeyev, to a one-year $775,000 deal.

The Penguins also traded for some big-league help about a week later.

On July 10, they sent defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok to the Dallas Stars in exchange for defenseman Matt Dumba and a 2028 second-round pick. The 31-year-old Dumba counts for $3.75 million against the salary cap and is set to become a free agent at the end of the upcoming season.

After sending Nedeljkovic to the Sharks, the Penguins sent Chase Stillman and a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Vancouver Canucks for goaltender Arturs Silovs.

Silovs is coming off a Calder Cup championship in the American Hockey League, where he was also named playoff MVP, putting together a spectacular run for the Abbotsford Canucks.

The Penguins' summer of change hasn't just been for the hockey operations staff or the roster.

Reports surfaced that team legend and former owner Mario Lemieux's ownership group was interested in buying the franchise back from Fenway Sports Group.

The group of Lemieux, Ron Burkle, and David Morehouse sold the Penguins to Fenway Sports Group in 2021 for just under $1 billion.

Fenway Sports Group has stated that they are interested in selling a minority share of the club, but the offer put forth by The Lemieux Group to reacquire the team outright was "well below" what FSG would be asking for.

Along with interest from The Lemieux Group in reacquiring the team, the Chicago-based Hoffmann Family also emerged as a potential buyer of the team, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

In 2019, David Hoffmann, founder and chairman of the Hoffmann Family of Companies, bought the ECHL's Florida Everblades.

According to Friedman's report, the price FSG is expecting is in the $1.75 billion range, nearly twice the price they paid for Penguins in 2021.

As of now, Fenway Sports Group remains the owner of the Penguins.

The Penguins will take the ice at the UPMC Lemieux Complex on Thursday, September 18, to begin training camp. Not long after that, they'll open the preseason on the road against the Montreal Canadiens on September 22. After that, they'll play six more preseason games against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, and the Buffalo Sabres.

Three of the team's preseason games will be at PPG Paints Arena: Friday, September 26 at 7 p.m., Saturday, September 27 at 7 p.m., and Friday, October 3 at 7 p.m.

When the Penguins report to Cranberry for training camp, several practices will be open to the public, and you can see a full schedule of events on the Penguins' website right here.

Following a cryptic post from the Pittsburgh Penguins and NHL super-agent Allan Walsh, many wondered if the Penguins were planning to recognize, honor, or even retire the number of legendary goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

Just one day later, on September 12, the Penguins announced they had signed Fleury to a professional tryout.

As part of the announcement, the team said that Fleury would practice with the team at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex on Friday, September 26, and then play part of the team's preseason game on Saturday, September 27, against the Columbus Blue Jackets at PPG Paints Arena.

Fleury spent the 2024-25 season with the Minnesota Wild, and at the conclusion of their season, he announced his retirement. He ended his career with the second-most wins among goalies in the history of the National Hockey League.

It's believed that following the September 27 preseason game, Fleury will hang up the pads for good, retiring as a Penguin, the team that drafted him first overall in 2003.

The season begins with meeting an old friend. The Penguins will head to New York City and Madison Square Garden to face off against the Rangers and Mike Sullivan.

That game will be played at 8 p.m. on October 7 and will be broadcast on ESPN.

The Penguins, along with the season opener against the Rangers, will be highlighted on national broadcasts 16 times throughout the 2025-26 season, and will face off against rivals such as the Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, and New York Islanders.

Other highlights from the Penguins' schedule include an early California road swing the second week of the season, when they'll play in Anaheim, Los Angeles, and San Jose.

In November, the Penguins will play the Nashville Predators in Stockholm, Sweden, on November 14 at 2 p.m. and again on November 16 at 9 a.m.

Also in November, the Penguins will host their annual Thanksgiving Eve game on November 26 at PPG Paints Arena.

Get a full breakdown of the Penguins' schedule right here.

One of the first promotions the Penguins announced this offseason was the reestablishment of the Penguins Hall of Fame. The team inducted its inaugural class in 1992 and intermittently inducted members of the organization through 2013.

Since 2013, however, it has sat dormant.

This summer, the team announced that not only would 10 new members be inducted over the next three seasons, but the Penguins Hall of Fame would finally get a physical space, which will be located in PPG Paints Arena's main concourse.

Being inducted into the Penguins Hall of Fame over the next three years will be six former players and four hockey operations members.

The players are goaltender Tom Barrasso, center Ron Francis, forward Jaromir Jagr, winger Chris Kunitz, defenseman Larry Murphy, and winger Kevin Stevens.

Among the builders are coach and director of personnel Scotty Bowman and former general managers Eddie Johnston, Jim Rutherford, and Ray Shero.

The first induction ceremony will take place on October 25 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Penguins will also have more than 40 unique promotions this season, including the Big Three Legacy Bobblehead Series, which will feature bobbleheads of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang.

On January 31, the Penguins will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Stanley Cup-winning team by giving all fans in attendance a replica championship ring.

There will also be several special theme nights throughout the season.

Pittsburgh Penguins 2025-26 season preview: What fans need to know before the puck drops