(TNS) — The Penguins roster is likely not a finished product, even as training camp looms in just six weeks. Kyle Dubas figures to have at least one more move up his sleeve.

With the Penguins in a rebuild, their third-year president of hockey operations is still open to making trades that will add to his stockpile of future assets. And his history here shows he is capable of executing a blockbuster move late in the summer.

The seismic acquisition of Erik Karlsson? That happened two years ago this week.

So it is still quite possible we see the Penguins trade away one of Karlsson or veteran wingers Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell before camp opens in September.

As we wait to see if Dubas and the Penguins find a trade they feel is worth making before the season, let’s take a closer look at Pittsburgh’s roster as it stands today.

Sidney Crosby is still here and playing above an All-Star level — and as long as that is the case, there will be belief inside their dressing room that anything is possible.

But, to put it politely, there is a considerable number of questions with this group.

Here are five areas of interest with this roster beyond the lingering trade rumors:

Opportunity up front

The Penguins presently have a surplus of depth forwards — a topic we will touch on shortly. But Dubas is purposefully leaving the door ajar for rising prospects Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen, who are expected to start the season in Pittsburgh.

Even with Rust and Rakell still employed by the Penguins as of this writing, there are at least two openings for deserving youngsters within their top three lines. The favorites to earn early opportunity are McGroarty and Koivunen. Perhaps Tristan Broz or another forward prospect will stake a claim during training camp, as well.

The Penguins will be careful not to give McGroarty and Koivunen more than they can handle if they do make the club out of camp. But what they did in their cameos late last season suggested both are ready for an extended look in the top nine.

McGroarty had a goal and two assists with a plus-1 rating in five games before he blocked a shot on the penalty kill and suffered a foot injury that ended his season.

Koivunen, also a winger, tallied seven assists with an even rating over Pittsburgh’s final eight games this spring. He ended the NHL season on a five-game point streak.

Not so much on defense

Harrison Brunicke and Owen Pickering, the Penguins’ top two defense prospects, both have eyes on NHL roles this season. And hockey operations decision makers have signaled publicly the pair will get a chance to compete for a NHL job in camp.

But those two sure have a bunch of veteran roadblocks in front of them, don’t they?

Dubas acquired Matt Dumba and Connor Clifton in summer trades that also netted the team draft picks. Plus, he signed Parker Wotherspoon and Alexander Alexeyev in the first two days of free agency in the hopes of adding even more competition.

Throw in Jack St. Ivany, whom the Penguins still believe can fill a third-pair role in the NHL, and it is a crowded depth chart even if the team finds a taker for Karlsson.

That is not to say it will be impossible for Brunicke or Pickering to make the team.

Dumba and Clifton probably do not fit into their long-term plans and in theory can be sent to the minors to accommodate one of the kids. Wotherspoon, Alexeyev and Caleb Jones were brought in on cheap, short-term deals. And while Ryan Graves is a bounce-back candidate under new coach Dan Muse, he is running out of rope here.

The talent level on the left side of the blue line is significantly lesser than the right, benefiting Pickering. It will be disappointing if the lefty does not lock down a spot.

The road ahead is tougher for Brunicke, a righty. All he can do is give the Penguins his very best this fall and hope the business of the game doesn’t get in his way.

Two offensive X-factors

Neither NHL analysts nor Vegas oddsmakers view the Penguins as a playoff team in 2025-26 — justifiable considering Dubas has done little in terms of veteran additions after the Penguins posted their worst record since Crosby’s rookie year.

If the Penguins are to exceed expectations and push for a playoff berth, they will need difference makers to emerge. Ideally, the aforementioned prospects will do so. But among the veterans on the roster, how about Tommy Novak and Anthony Mantha?

You are forgiven if you forgot about Novak. The trade deadline pick-up played five periods in black and gold before he suffered a season-ending injury, posting zero points with a minus-2 rating. But, yeah, he is still here. And the Penguins are eager to see if Novak, 28, meshes well with Evgeni Malkin or can center their third line.

Mantha, meanwhile, arrives in Pittsburgh with questions about his health. He tore his ACL in November and is still not 100%, though he recently said he expected to be ready for the start of training camp. The one-year contract he signed in July accounts for that, with $2 million in bonuses tied to the number of games he pays.

The two are talented forwards who could provide the Penguins with needed depth scoring, something they have sorely lacked for the last couple of years. There is also a chance neither moves the needle for them, making this team top-heavy again.

Too many fourth-liners

In each of his three offseasons as the head honcho here, Dubas added multiple grinders to the mix. This year, the new guys are Justin Brazeau and Filip Hallander, plus Boko Imama and Connor Dewar were retained. They will join a crowded but underwhelming group that includes Noel Acciari, Danton Heinen and Kevin Hayes.

It will be interesting — though potentially inconsequential, as well — to see how things shake out in camp. There are only so many spots. Some will go on waivers.

Royal Rumble in goal?

With Alex Nedeljkovic shipped to San Jose, things were shaping up for there to be a compelling competition in the crease at training camp. Then Dubas went out and traded for a young goalie who just won the AHL playoff MVP award.

Arturs Silovs, 24, had highs and lows as he tried to break through with Vancouver. He gets an opportunity to earn a regular role here in a tandem with Tristan Jarry.

His acquisition raised eyebrows given the Penguins this past winter believed Joel Blomqvist, 23, was ready for the NHL. Blomqvist bombed that audition, though, and then was sidelined by an injury for the final two months of the AHL campaign. Now, Silovs arrives as another similarly aged goalie prospect to the organization.

With only 17 starts in the AHL under his belt, Sergei Murashov figures to be one of the goalies who starts 2025-26 down in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. But the Penguins remain high on the 21-year-old, who may possess the most upside among this trio.

And don’t discount Filip Larsson, 26, who had a fine debut season in Wilkes-Barre.

Pittsburgh won’t carry three goalies, so three masked men will feel disappointment.