The Pittsburgh Penguins have produced an entertaining brand of mediocrity so far in 2026-27.

They’re good enough at scoring. They ranked 12th in the NHL in goals per game at 3.25. They also rank 20th in goals allowed at … 3.25 per game. Their goal differential entering their game Oct. 29 against Utah is exactly zero.

On any given night, they’re playing an up-and-down style that amounts to good television, but not much success in the standings. Only two teams in the Eastern Conference – Philadelphia and Columbus – had fewer than the Penguins’ 11 points in the standings entering play on Oct. 28.

Here’s USA TODAY’s look at the biggest questions facing coach Dan Muse and his club as the calendar flips to November.

Will the goaltending get better?

The Penguins rank 21st in save percentage at .888, which is not a great early return for allowing veteran Stuart Skinner to depart in free agency and investing in the young duo of Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov.

The former has seen most of the action and has been marginally better than the latter. Silovs has a goals against average of 2.87 compared to Murashov’s figure of 3.50. Silovs nevertheless still ranks a lowly 27th leaguewide in that category.

To be fair to these guys, the defense in front of them has not been great. According to Money Puck, only four teams have allowed more than the Penguins 23 high-danger shots against this season. If that continues, it would be too much for even a lot of really solid goalies to overcome.

Still, general manager Kyle Dubas was likely hoping for more. That’s especially true for Murashov, who’s been one of the team’s most heralded prospects for years. Last season with the team’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton minor league affiliate, he went 24-9 with a sparkling .919 save percentage and 2.20 goals against average.

That production was a major reason the Baby Penguins were able to advance to the Eastern Conference finals before falling to the eventual champion Toronto Marlies in six games.

It’s important that he takes steps toward being that player at the NHL level in the weeks and months to come, even if some rookie growing pains are to be expected.

When will the youth movement materialize offensively?

The Dubas regime has spent a lot of its energy rebuilding the team’s development system after predecessors hollowed out by trading draft picks for assets during the prime years for stars Evgeni Malki, Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and, later on, Erik Karlsson.

The Penguins have been a team in transition during that time. The stars are still around, but they’re supposed to be giving way to younger producers three-plus years into Dubas’ tenure.

It’s not exactly working out that way.

Those four players – all age 36 or older – rank among the team’s top six scorers. No one has more goals than the 40-year-old Malkin’s six.

Winger Nick Robertson, with six goals of his own, is the team’s top scorer who’s younger than 28, and he ranks seventh on the team overall.

Ville Koivunen has five points in 10 games after signing a lucrative eight-year extension with the team in the offseason.

Former first-round pick Ben Kindel has four points in nine outings after debuting with 18 goals and 17 assists as an 18-year-old in 2025-26. (Though, granted, he has dealt with a medical episode on the team plane earlier this month.)

We’re far from the point of needing to push the panic button on Dubas’ in-flight rebuild of this roster. Some positive steps forward in November would nevertheless be encouraging.

Will Dubas shake things up?

One of the ways to get more scoring from younger players is to create more opportunity for them on the active roster.

Young forwards Avery Hayes and Rutger McGroarty have been productive in the minor leagues this season with nine points each in six games for the Baby Penguins.

Hayes had five goals in 16 games with the Penguins last season. McGroarty has nine points in 34 NHL games over the past three seasons.

Both have helped the big club over the past week as Kindel, Malkin and Egor Chinakhov have navigated medical situations, but both are likely to be the odd men out as those guys return.

If the Penguins continue to languish in the standings, it’s fair to wonder whether Dubas will be aggressive in moving veterans not simply to recoup value, but to give Hayes, McGroarty and others a chance to step up and produce.

Crosby, Letang and Malkin likely aren’t going anywhere because of their sentimental value as Penguins lifers and members the core trio for three Cup victories in 2009, 2016 and 2017.

Karlsson, 36, could be a different story given his productive 2025-26 and strong start to this season. So could long-time forwards Bryan Rust (34) and especially Rickard Rakell (33), a consistent goal scorer who’s never been a part of a winner in parts of five seasons with Pittsburgh.

Trading any of them would risk making the team worse. Maintaining the status quo risks blocking the guys who could potentially change the dynamic in a positive way, creating an interesting dilemma for Dubas.