Blake Lizotte may not be the biggest name on the Pittsburgh Penguins' roster, but his impact during the 2025-26 season was anything but small. Standing at just 5'9" and 176 pounds, the undrafted forward from Lindstrom, Minnesota, proved once again that heart and hockey IQ can outweigh any scouting report.

Lizotte, who turned 28 in December, posted 19 points (7 goals, 12 assists) in 55 regular-season games before adding two assists in six playoff appearances. While those numbers might not jump off the page, his true value showed in the details—and in the team's performance when he wasn't on the ice.

Injuries interrupted his campaign twice: first a nine-game absence in December due to an upper-body issue, then a hand injury that sidelined him for the final 16 games of the regular season. That second absence proved costly. Before Lizotte went down, the Penguins boasted the NHL's second-best penalty kill at 84.5 percent. Without him, that rate plummeted to 68.3 percent—ranking 30th in the league.

Penguins GM Kyle Dubas called Lizotte an "extraordinarily reliable player" when signing him to a three-year extension in January, and the numbers back that up. Among 18 qualifying forwards, Lizotte ranked third in Corsi For percentage (52.84%), third in scoring chance percentage (54.75%), and fifth in expected goals for percentage (52.42%). His on-ice save percentage of 91.37 also placed fourth on the team, highlighting his responsible two-way play.

The one area where luck didn't follow? Finishing. Despite creating quality chances, Lizotte's line—often featuring Noel Acciari and Connor Dewar—struggled to convert. His 5-on-5 on-ice shooting percentage of just 7.92 percent ranked 17th among Penguins forwards, and his points-per-60 rate of 1.39 placed 15th. But with a cap hit of just $2.25 million through the next three seasons, the Penguins are betting that reliability and penalty-killing excellence will pay dividends when the bounces start going their way.