4 Big Questions for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2020-21

3. What will the Bottom-Six look like in 2020-21?

If there is one thing that really concerns me about this team then it is scoring depth. Oh sure, the Pittsburgh Penguins still have franchise icons Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and a returning Jake Guentzel, and hopefully Kasperi Kapanen can get his Visa issues taken care of. But, once you get past Jason Zucker, the depth sort of falls off.

The Pens will hope to get more from Jared McCann, who recorded 35 points (14 G, 21 A) in 66 regular-season games in 2019-20, but is Mark Jankowski really worth a third-line roster spot?

The fourth-line looks iffy, although Brandon Tanev had a really good season last year with a solid 25-point (11 G, 14 A) campaign before the shutdown, while Teddy Blueger might be one of those typical diamond in the rough draftees.

But, who’s going to step in to that last spot? Will it be Sam Miletic, Josh Currie or Frederick Gaudreau? Drew O’Connor and Anthony Angello are also on the Taxi Squad, so they could be names to watch when it comes to filling that bottom-six.

As top-heavy as the Penguins are, there are just so many question marks in the bottom-six and it severely hurts their depth, which was one of their biggest strengths in their back-to-back Stanley Cup runs.

If the Pittsburgh Penguins are to compete in what is a stacked East Division in 2020-21, then they will need certain players to step up and take on key depth roles throughout the season.