Bottom six forward pot: Who knows! But perhaps and ideally: Vasily Ponomarev, maybe Sam Poulin, maybe even longer-shot of Tanner Howe, other cheap and new players
—As of this moment, Pittsburgh only has two forwards under contract for 2026-27 (Rust and Rakell). That builds in a great deal of flexibility for Kyle Dubas, who will be able to stake out in any number of directions by 24 months from now to construct his team as he sees fit. The Pens’ system isn’t that stocked at the moment with young players who could stick or have long-term futures in the organization. Could Drew O’Connor be extended and figure in here? Sure! Is O’Connor likely to be on the team 24 months from now? Well…probably not.
There is normally lots of movement at the bottom of the roster in the first place, and Dubas loves to swirl players at this level in and out of the team. The only thing to expect is that the future bottom of the lineup is completely unpredictable at this point.