- Pittsburgh Penguins forward Justin Brazeau has had an exceptional start to the 2025-26 season, scoring six goals and 12 points in just 12 games. For a player who signed in Pittsburgh after a stretch where he managed just two points in 19 games for the Minnesota Wild, that extremely productive stretch is significant for his hopes of establishing himself as someone who can have a long-term NHL career, something doubly important as an undrafted player. That’s what makes his recent upper-body injury so unfortunate, and today, Penguins play-by-play voice Josh Getzoff confirmed that Brazeau’s status is unchanged: he remains out with an upper-body injury. While the Penguins’ success has largely been driven (as it has been for about two decades) by its two star centers, this injury suffered by Brazeau is nonetheless a discouraging development for the team’s hopes of maintaining its positive momentum.
- Brazeau isn’t the only forward dealing with an injury. The team announced tonight that veteran Noel Acciari left the team’s contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs with an upper-body injury. Acciari appears to have suffered the injury on what was just his second shift of the game. While he hasn’t been a big scorer the way Brazeau has been so far this season, losing Acciari for any notable stretch of time would nonetheless pose a challenge for the Penguins. Acciari has been a key first-unit penalty killer during his time as a Penguin, leading all Pittsburgh forwards in short-handed ice time in 2024-25. Since Acciari’s arrival in Pittsburgh, the Penguins rank 14th in the NHL in penalty kill success rate, so if the veteran forward does end up missing more than just tonight’s game due to injury, first-year head coach Dan Muse will need to find a way to sustain his team’s positive momentum without a key special teams contributor.
Penguins Rumors
Evgeni Malkin Fined $5K
- Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin was fined $5K, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for slashing Winnipeg Jets defenseman Logan Stanley in the Penguins’ Saturday loss to the Jets. The play in question came as Stanley and Malkin were battling near a puck along the boards in the Winnipeg zone. Stanley shoved Malkin further away from the puck, and Malkin responded with a hard slash on Stanley’s hands. Malkin was also assessed a two-minute minor penalty on the play. Despite the unfortunate play in question here, Malkin has had an exceptional start to his 2025-26 season. As the Penguins have gotten off to a fast start, Malkin has registered 15 assists and 18 points in 13 games.
Brazeau Out With Upper-Body Injury
- Penguins winger Justin Brazeau is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, relays team broadcaster Josh Getzoff (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has been one of Pittsburgh’s top offensive performers in the early going this season, collecting six goals and six assists in his first dozen games. That outcome was something few would have seen coming considering he entered the campaign with just 29 points in 95 career NHL games. He has provided plenty of value already in the first season of a two-year, $3MM contract but that will be on hold for now.
Penguins Recall Owen Pickering
The Penguins announced Tuesday that they’ve recalled defenseman Owen Pickering from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The team had an open roster spot after placing Caleb Jones on injured reserve on Saturday, so no corresponding transaction is required.
Pickering, 21, was in contention for a roster spot for most of training camp but ended up being one of Pittsburgh’s final cuts. The 2022 first-round pick was once the club’s top defense prospect but has since been lapped by Harrison Brunicke. That has more to do with the latter’s emergence than a lack of development on Pickering’s part, though. The 6’5″, 201-lb lefty is technically no longer a rookie, having appeared in 25 NHL games last season. In his first taste of the big leagues, Pickering managed a goal and two assists for three points with a minus-five rating. His ice time was somewhat limited at 14:49 per game, but the smooth-skating rearguard got some looks on the penalty kill and had passable possession impacts at even strength. His 48.9 CF% and 50.0 xGF% were both slightly above what the Penguins managed when he wasn’t on the ice.
Brunicke’s emergence, plus an influx of veterans to Pittsburgh’s blue line depth this offseason, meant Pickering ultimately faced too much of a battle to win an NHL job, at least for the first few weeks of the season. He’ll now get what could be an extended look with Jones not expected back until Christmas. Pickering has shown out well in his first few weeks of play in the minors, scoring a goal and three assists for four points with a plus-four rating in seven games. That has the Penguins’ brass happy with how his two-way game has developed from last season, when he was more offensively reserved for the Baby Pens (a 2-11–13 scoring line in 47 GP) but still managed a +18 rating.
What’s certain is that the Penguins’ season-long bottom-pairing rotation won’t be changing anytime soon. They’ve settled into having Ryan Shea–Kris Letang and Parker Wotherspoon–Erik Karlsson duos as their top two pairings, but have cycled Brunicke, Jones, Connor Clifton, and Matt Dumba into third-pairing duties through their first 10 games. Brunicke and Jones were head coach Dan Muse’s obvious preference for the role, with each logging seven appearances, and Clifton and Dumba only managing three. With Brunicke, Clifton, and Dumba all being righties, there’s plenty of opportunity for Pickering to get a consistent run of games if Muse wants to keep an even left-shot/right-shot balance in his lineup.
Pickering gets elevated into an environment in Pittsburgh that’s brighter than anyone could have imagined a month ago. Expected to be bottom-dwellers, the retooling Pens have instead rocketed up to second in the Metropolitan Division with a 7-2-1 record while, with Pickering now in the fold, seeing all of their top five prospects have stints on the roster (including the IR-bound Rutger McGroarty).
Penguins Place Rickard Rakell On IR, Recall Ville Koivunen
10/27: Pittsburgh made Rakell’s move to injured reserve official on Monday evening.
10/26: The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that Rickard Rakell underwent a successful procedure on his left hand this morning, and the forward is expected to miss 6-8 weeks recovering. Just last night Rakell took a puck to the hand vs Columbus, was clearly bothered, and did not return.
It is a very tough blow for the team, who have come out of the gates looking much better in 2025-26, facing serious pressure to push for the postseason for the aging legends on their roster. Rakell in particular, who has been revitalized in Pittsburgh, headlined by a career high 70 points last year, has also been off to a great start with 8 in 9 games.
In a corresponding move, the Penguins recalled Ville Koivunen, who has already bounced back and forth between the NHL and AHL so far. The skilled 22-year-old forward, acquired in the Jake Guentzel trade, did not appear on the scoresheet in 2 games so far with the Pens, but jumps out with 11 points in just 6 games so far with AHL Wilkes-Barre. Now he, along with 18-year-old Benjamin Kindel could be in order for a larger role with Rakell sidelined. Kindel however, is nearing his 10-game threshold as a rookie, and it will be interesting to see GM Kyle Dubas’ plan for their 11th-overall selection last summer.
In particular for Rakell, the ailment is also especially unfortunate as it means he will miss the 2025 NHL Global Series in his home country of Sweden, as the Pens take on Nashville in mid-November.
In a critical season for the Penguins as they continue to teeter between win-now for their iconic players, and turning toward the future, the club is already being tested. Yesterday it came out that Caleb Jones, who had been playing well early in his Pittsburgh tenure, will miss eight weeks. Now a star, in the form of Rakell, is set to be absent for a similar timeline.
Caleb Jones To Miss Eight Weeks
After spending most of last season in the minors, Caleb Jones was off to a nice start to his season with Pittsburgh, playing largely a regular role on their third pairing. However, that early momentum will be on hold for a while as the team announced (Twitter link) that Jones has been placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury that will keep him out of the lineup for roughly eight weeks. He suffered the injury in the third period of Thursday’s victory over Florida.
The 28-year-old is in his first season with the Penguins after signing a two-year, $1.8MM contract with them in free agency, securing a one-way commitment despite his limited NHL action the year before. Jones has suited up in seven of eight games so far this season, picking up an assist along with 15 blocked shots and 10 hits in a little over 17 minutes a night of playing time.
Jones has 255 career NHL appearances under his belt over parts of eight seasons with five different organizations. When he has been in the lineup, it has typically been in the role he had with Pittsburgh to start the year, spending time on their third pairing with a bit of penalty killing action when needed.
With seven other healthy blueliners on their active roster, the Penguins don’t necessarily need to call anyone up to replace Jones on the roster. However, fellow blueliner Harrison Brunicke can only play in three more NHL games before a decision needs to be made about burning the first year of his contract. If they decide to send him back to junior, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a recall come within the next week or so, earlier if they decide they want to take more time before making that choice.
Penguins Suspend Emil Pieniniemi For Failure To Report To ECHL
The Penguins have suspended defense prospect Emil Pieniniemi indefinitely after he refused an assignment to ECHL Wheeling, the team relayed to Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports.
Pieniniemi, 20, was a third-round pick by the Pens in 2023. He was actually one of the first players from the class to sign his entry-level contract, doing so just over two weeks after the draft, but was loaned back to his native Finland for 2023-24 and posted a 2-4–6 scoring line in 38 games with Liiga’s Kärpät in his first real taste of pro hockey. Pieniniemi decided to make the jump to North America for 2024-25 but did so at the junior level instead of reporting to one of the Penguins’ affiliates, excelling with 60 points in 60 games for the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs.
He was hoping that would boost his organizational standing as he transitioned to the North American pros this year. He wasn’t expected to compete for an NHL job, but Pieniniemi likely hoped his offensive explosion in Kingston last year would help guide him into a regular job with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. That wasn’t the case. After being cut from Pittsburgh’s camp on Sep. 27 and assigned to WBS, he wasn’t in the AHL club’s camp for very long, either. He was sent down further to ECHL Wheeling on Oct. 5, but never showed up to Pittsburgh’s second-tier affiliate and was left off their opening night roster this week.
“Pieniniemi made it known to the team shortly after he was cut from Wilkes-Barre’s camp that he would not be going to Wheeling,” Haase reports. “The multiple team sources I asked were not aware of Pieniniemi’s current physical whereabouts.”
Pieniniemi has already been paid his $95K signing bonus for this season. However, he won’t be earning his $82.5K minor-league salary while suspended. He still has two years left after this one on his ELC since his lack of NHL playing time in 2023-24 or 2024-25 caused the deal to slide twice. Any further disputes could lead to Pieniniemi landing on unconditional waivers and seeing his contract mutually terminated, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Evening Notes: Brunicke, Crozier, Hurricanes
The Penguins announced tonight that young defenseman Harrison Brunicke will not play tonight versus Anaheim. Brunicke has looked the part in his first three NHL games, notching a goal, but at just 19-years-old, the Penguins are taking it easy with their key prospect. Although fans may be disappointed, the silver lining is that Kris Letang could return. New Head Coach Dan Muse emphasized the need to put Brunicke along with fellow youngster Ben Kindel in positions to succeed, and given his strong pedigree coaching across junior, collegiate, and professional hockey, it seems the Penguins have the right eyes on their young prospects, as they face a fascinating crossroads which will play out this season.
Elsewhere across the league:
- The Lightning have announced mid-game that defenseman Max Crozier will not return due to injury. The 25-year-old more unassuming player, who has spent most of his professional career in the AHL after being drafted 120th overall in 2019, has been off to a great start for Tampa Bay this season with three assists in as many games. Further details on the severity of the injury are unknown at this time.
- On today’s episode of Bleacher Report’s Insider Notebook, Insider Frank Seravalli said that the Carolina Hurricanes are watching the waiver wire closely for goalies, and that it would be no surprise if the team made some sort of move for one. Thankfully for the team, Frederik Andersen has won both games so far, but given his injury history, along with Pyotr Kochetkov’s inconsistency and current injury, the Canes could be looking for more stability. Carolina claimed Brandon Bussi on waivers earlier this month, but as a 27-year-old yet to debut in the NHL, and with AHL numbers which don’t necessarily jump off the page, GM Eric Tulsky could have another trick up his sleeve soon; especially if the team wants to reach new heights come spring.
Penguins’ Kris Letang Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury
The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that defenseman Kris Letang will miss Sunday’s practice due to a lower-body injury. He has been designated as day-to-day, though the specifics of his injury haven’t been revealed. Letang only played a couple of shifts in the third period of Pittsburgh’s Saturday loss to the New York Rangers. Head coach Dan Muse told the media, including Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that Letang is being evaluated further to find the extent of his injury.
Letang kicked off his 20th season in the NHL last week. He has yet to score through three games played, but has managed a plus-three and one penalty, while receiving over 21 minutes of average ice time once again. Letang is certainly far psat his prime years, but he’s stayed a productive piece of Pittsburgh’s blue-line well through his 30s. He scored nine goals and 30 points in 74 games last season, though that line was marred by a minus-15. His 2023-24 campaign was more well-rounded, with 51 points and a plus-13 in 82 games played.
Pittsburgh will face a tough question if Letang isn’t ready for their next game on Tuesday. He has operated directly behind fellow future-Hall-of-Famer Erik Karlsson, helping the Penguins hold down a blue-line that also features Parker Wotherspoon and Ryan Shea in the top-four. Top prospect Harrison Brunicke has played well behind Letang on the depth chart, and could be due a chance to shine should the veteran need to sit out.
Pittsburgh is also carrying Matt Dumba and Connor Clifton as healthy scratches through the early season. Dumba scored 10 points in 63 games with the Dallas Stars last season, while Clifton managed 16 points in 73 games with the Boston Bruins. Both players are right-shot defenders, putting them in the right spot to battle for bottom-pair minutes should Letang step out.
Kris Letang Being Evaluated For An Undisclosed Injury
Only having one shift in the third period of tonight’s contest against the New York Rangers, many began to wonder if Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang was dealing with an injury. That is indeed the case. According to Seth Rorabaugh of The Tribune-Review, Letang is being evaluated for an undisclosed injury.
Despite missing a few games last year due to injuries, Letang hasn’t dealt with any serious issues since suffering a stroke early in the 2022-23 campaign. Since returning, he’s appeared in 95.2% of all potential contests for the Penguins.
In the offseason, the Penguins indicated that they’d like to limit Letang’s usage this season. However, before tonight’s game against the Rangers, in which he played 15:29, Letang has averaged nearly 25 minutes a game, leading the team by a significant margin.
- On the other side of tonight’s contest between the Penguins and Rangers, the winning team is dealing with a defenseman injury of its own. After only appearing in 6:35 of tonight’s game, the Rangers announced that blueliner Carson Soucy left the game due to an upper-body injury. There could be cause for concern given the nature of the injury. Attempting to hit Penguins forward Rickard Rakell, Soucy missed the body check completely, flying awkwardly into the boards.