Jason Spezza said Nicholas Robertson and other young players will have chances to establish themselves as NHL players as the 2026.27 campaign unfolds. The Penguins open in Philadelphia, where the first lineup will start a season built around in-season competition for roles.
“I think there's going to be plenty of opportunities for young guys to establish themselves as NHL players as the year goes on,” Spezza said. He added that the Penguins want to inject youth into the lineup and must use those players when they are ready and when they are going to help the team.
Philadelphia opens the 2026.27 campaign
Blake Lizotte said starting in Philadelphia is something both sides wanted. “Coming off last year, and starting in Philly, is something that I think both sides were kind of hoping for. It's fun,” he said. Lizotte also described the new season as “a chance internally to start that first building block, if you will, to build towards the end of the year.”
The opening night setting matters because the Penguins are not treating the lineup as fixed. Spezza’s message points to a roster that will keep changing as younger players push for time during the season, rather than waiting for a distant future window.
Dan Muse and the foundation
Dan Muse and his staff helped lay down a strong foundation last season, when the Penguins returned to the playoffs after low external expectations. Trevor van Riemsdyk called it “an awesome year” and said people expected the group to fall off, but the young players contributed alongside the superstars.
That same season ended with a six-game loss to the Flyers after the Penguins fell into a 3-0 series deficit. Kyle Dubas added a handful of pieces over the summer, which leaves the start of the 2026.27 campaign focused less on the roster’s final shape than on which young players can earn their way in.
Sidney Crosby and the unknown
Sidney Crosby said “last year was probably exceeding a lot of people's expectations,” and added that the group should have “a lot of belief” after what it went through. For newcomers, he said, the opportunities in front of them are part of what the team should aim for together.
Erik Karlsson said, “I’m most looking forward to the unknown,” then framed the season around figuring out early what the team needs to work on and what it already does well. For Nicholas Robertson and the other young players, that leaves one practical test: when they are ready, can they turn those chances into NHL jobs?
