# 2003–04 Pittsburgh Penguins season

The 2003–04 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the team's 37th season of play. For the third season in a row, the club placed last in the Atlantic Division and did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs. In an 18-game losing streak, they went 0–17–1 (one overtime loss). In the first 62 games, they were 11–42–5–4 for 31 points. In their final 20 games, they were 12–5–3–0, ultimately finishing with a 23–47–8–4 record for a last place finish. Their record losing streak would not be matched until the pandemic-shortened 2020–21 season by the Buffalo Sabres. By then, tie games would be out of the picture.

## Offseason

Head coach Rick Kehoe was fired on April 15, 2003. Team broadcaster and former Penguins player Eddie Olczyk was hired as his replacement on June 11.

## Regular season

The Penguins struggled defensively, finishing 30th overall in the NHL in goals allowed, with 303. They struggled in short-handed situations, allowing the most power-play goals in the League, with 84, and finishing 30th overall in penalty-kill percentage, at 77.24%. Furthermore, they allowed the most short-handed goals in the NHL, with 15.

### Final standings

Atlantic Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | PTS |
| 1 | 3 | Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 40 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 229 | 186 | 101 |
| 2 | 6 | New Jersey Devils | 82 | 43 | 25 | 12 | 2 | 213 | 164 | 100 |
| 3 | 8 | New York Islanders | 82 | 38 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 237 | 210 | 91 |
| 4 | 13 | New York Rangers | 82 | 27 | 40 | 7 | 8 | 206 | 250 | 69 |
| 5 | 15 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 23 | 47 | 8 | 4 | 190 | 303 | 58 |
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
Eastern Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | Z- Tampa Bay Lightning | SE | 82 | 46 | 22 | 8 | 6 | 245 | 192 | 106 |
| 2 | Y- Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 41 | 19 | 15 | 7 | 209 | 188 | 104 |
| 3 | Y- Philadelphia Flyers | AT | 82 | 40 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 209 | 188 | 101 |
| 4 | X- Toronto Maple Leafs | NE | 82 | 45 | 24 | 10 | 3 | 242 | 204 | 103 |
| 5 | X- Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 43 | 23 | 10 | 6 | 262 | 189 | 102 |
| 6 | X- New Jersey Devils | AT | 82 | 43 | 25 | 12 | 2 | 213 | 164 | 100 |
| 7 | X- Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 41 | 30 | 7 | 4 | 208 | 192 | 93 |
| 8 | X- New York Islanders | AT | 82 | 38 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 237 | 210 | 91 |
| 8.5 |||||||||||
| 9 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 37 | 34 | 7 | 4 | 220 | 221 | 85 |
| 10 | Atlanta Thrashers | SE | 82 | 33 | 37 | 8 | 4 | 214 | 243 | 78 |
| 11 | Carolina Hurricanes | SE | 82 | 28 | 34 | 14 | 6 | 172 | 209 | 76 |
| 12 | Florida Panthers | SE | 82 | 28 | 35 | 15 | 4 | 188 | 221 | 75 |
| 13 | New York Rangers | AT | 82 | 27 | 40 | 7 | 8 | 206 | 250 | 69 |
| 14 | Washington Capitals | SE | 82 | 23 | 46 | 10 | 3 | 186 | 253 | 59 |
| 15 | Pittsburgh Penguins | AT | 82 | 23 | 47 | 8 | 4 | 190 | 303 | 58 |
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast
Z – Clinched Conference; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

## Schedule and results

2003–04 regular season :
October: 2–4–3–0 (home: 1–2–2–0; road: 1–2–1–0), 7 Points
#OctVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPointsRecap
110Los Angeles Kings3–0Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (16,986)0–1–0–00Recap
211Pittsburgh Penguins3–3 OTPhiladelphia FlyersWells Fargo Center (19,035)0–1–1–01Recap
316Pittsburgh Penguins1–4Montreal CanadiensBell Centre (18,859)0–2–1–01Recap
418Detroit Red Wings3–4Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (13,421)1–2–1–03Recap
522Carolina Hurricanes1–1 OTPittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (10,425)1–2–2–04Recap
624New Jersey Devils2–1Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (11,281)1–3–2–04Recap
725Pittsburgh Penguins2–7New York IslandersNassau Coliseum (11,746)1–4–2–04Recap
829New York Islanders4–4 OTPittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (10,377)1–4–3–05Recap
930Pittsburgh Penguins1–0Chicago BlackhawksUnited Center (15,121)2–4–3–07Recap :
November: 3–8–1–1 (home: 2–3–1–0; road: 1–5–0–1), 8 Points
#NovVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPointsRecap
101Boston Bruins2–3 OTPittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (10,226)3–4–3–09Recap
114Pittsburgh Penguins2–4Toronto Maple LeafsAir Canada Centre (19,237)3–5–3–09Recap
127Pittsburgh Penguins3–6Florida PanthersBB&T Center (18,161)3–6–3–09Recap
138Pittsburgh Penguins0–9Tampa Bay LightningAmalie Arena (18,262)3–7–3–09Recap
1412Pittsburgh Penguins2–6New York RangersMadison Square Garden (17,960)3–8–3–09Recap
1514Pittsburgh Penguins2–1 OTBuffalo SabresFirst Niagara Center (18,002)4–8–3–011Recap
1615Florida Panthers3–2Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (11,004)4–9–3–011Recap
1719Minnesota Wild6–2Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (10,957)4–10–3–011Recap
1821Pittsburgh Penguins1–2 OTNew Jersey DevilsIzod Center (16,810)4–10–3–112Recap
1922Ottawa Senators1–2 OTPittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (11,233)5–10–3–114Recap
2026Philadelphia Flyers1–1 OTPittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (11,014)5–10–4–115Recap
2128New York Rangers4–1Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (15,908)5–11–4–115Recap
2229Pittsburgh Penguins3–4Carolina HurricanesPNC Arena (14,881)5–12–4–115Recap :
December: 4–8–1–2 (home: 4–3–0–0; road: 0–5–1–2), 11 Points
#DecVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPointsRecap
231Atlanta Thrashers3–4Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (9,576)6–12–4–117Recap
243Pittsburgh Penguins2–5Philadelphia FlyersWells Fargo Center (18,972)6–13–4–117Recap
256Pittsburgh Penguins3–4Edmonton OilersSkyreach Centre (16,839)6–14–4–117Recap
267Pittsburgh Penguins1–6Calgary FlamesScotiabank Saddledome (15,009)6–15–4–117Recap
279Pittsburgh Penguins3–4 OTVancouver CanucksRogers Arena (18,630)6–15–4–218Recap
2812Pittsburgh Penguins3–6Atlanta ThrashersPhilips Arena (15,039)6–16–4–218Recap
2913Columbus Blue Jackets3–5Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (11,989)7–16–4–220Recap
3016Buffalo Sabres1–2Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (10,554)8–16–4–222Recap
3118Pittsburgh Penguins1–2 OTCarolina HurricanesPNC Arena (11,028)8–16–4–323Recap
3220Atlanta Thrashers7–4Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (13,683)8–17–4–323Recap
3322Pittsburgh Penguins1–4Montreal CanadiensBell Centre (21,273)8–18–4–323Recap
3426Pittsburgh Penguins3–3 OTOttawa SenatorsCanadian Tire Centre (18,316)8–18–5–324Recap
3527New Jersey Devils2–0Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (12,139)8–19–5–324Recap
3629Chicago Blackhawks0–1Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (16,120)9–19–5–326Recap
3731New York Islanders6–1Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (11,939)9–20–5–326Recap :
January: 2–14–0–0 (home: 0–8–0–0; road: 2–6–0–0), 4 Points
#JanVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPointsRecap
381Pittsburgh Penguins2–3Nashville PredatorsBridgestone Arena (16,238)9–21–5–326Recap
393New York Rangers4–1Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (10,078)9–22–5–326Recap
405Toronto Maple Leafs5–0Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (10,216)9–23–5–326Recap
417Pittsburgh Penguins4–2New Jersey DevilsIzod Center (11,948)10–23–5–328Recap
428Pittsburgh Penguins1–3Boston BruinsTD Garden (12,914)10–24–5–328Recap
4310Montreal Canadiens8–0Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (15,286)10–25–5–328Recap
4412Pittsburgh Penguins2–1Philadelphia FlyersWells Fargo Center (19,542)11–25–5–330Recap
4513Tampa Bay Lightning3–1Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (10,039)11–26–5–330Recap
4616Pittsburgh Penguins2–4Minnesota WildXcel Energy Center (18,568)11–27–5–330Recap
4718Pittsburgh Penguins3–4Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (16,168)11–28–5–330Recap
4820New Jersey Devils3–0Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (10,146)11–29–5–330Recap
4922Pittsburgh Penguins5–6Ottawa SenatorsCanadian Tire Centre (16,777)11–30–5–330Recap
5024Colorado Avalanche5–3Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (16,704)11–31–5–330Recap
5127Tampa Bay Lightning6–2Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (9,391)11–32–5–330Recap
5229Pittsburgh Penguins1–5Tampa Bay LightningAmalie Arena (15,847)11–33–5–330Recap
5331Philadelphia Flyers5–3Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (12,965)11–34–5–330Recap :
February: 2–9–0–1 (home: 0–5–0–0; road: 2–4–0–1), 5 Points
#FebVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPointsRecap
541Pittsburgh Penguins1–4Boston BruinsTD Garden (15,692)11–35–5–330Recap
553Montreal Canadiens4–3Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (10,041)11–36–5–330Recap
5610Boston Bruins6–3Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (10,741)11–37–5–330Recap
5712Pittsburgh Penguins1–5Florida PanthersBB&T Center (15,863)11–38–5–330Recap
5814Pittsburgh Penguins2–3 OTSt. Louis BluesScottrade Center (19,812)11–38–5–431Recap
5916Toronto Maple Leafs8–4Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (10,527)11–39–5–431Recap
6018Pittsburgh Penguins3–4New York IslandersNassau Coliseum (13,570)11–40–5–431Recap
6120Florida Panthers2–0Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (11,917)11–41–5–431Recap
6222Ottawa Senators6–3Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (11,780)11–42–5–431Recap
6325Pittsburgh Penguins4–3 OTPhoenix CoyotesAmerica West Arena (14,712)12–42–5–433Recap
6427Pittsburgh Penguins2–4San Jose SharksSAP Center at San Jose (17,496)12–43–5–433Recap
6529Pittsburgh Penguins3–2 OTNew York IslandersNassau Coliseum (15,218)13–43–5–435Recap :
March: 8–4–3–0 (home: 5–1–3–0; road: 3–3–0–0), 19 Points
#MarVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPointsRecap
662New York Islanders3–3 OTPittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (10,821)13–43–6–436Recap
674Nashville Predators9–4Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (9,507)13–44–6–436Recap
686Mighty Ducks of Anaheim1–2Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (14,286)14–44–6–438Recap
697Pittsburgh Penguins7–4New York RangersMadison Square Garden (18,200)15–44–6–440Recap
709Dallas Stars0–4Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (10,302)16–44–6–442Recap
7111Pittsburgh Penguins3–2Toronto Maple LeafsAir Canada Centre (19,411)17–44–6–444Recap
7214Philadelphia Flyers3–3 OTPittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (10,907)17–44–7–445Recap
7316Washington Capitals1–4Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (10,982)18–44–7–447Recap
7417Pittsburgh Penguins1–6New Jersey DevilsIzod Center (13,239)18–45–7–447Recap
7519Carolina Hurricanes3–4 OTPittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (10,098)19–45–7–449Recap
7621New York Rangers3–4 OTPittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (12,307)20–45–7–451Recap
7723Pittsburgh Penguins5–2New York RangersMadison Square Garden (17,902)21–45–7–453Recap
7826Pittsburgh Penguins1–5Buffalo SabresFirst Niagara Center (18,333)21–46–7–453Recap
7927Buffalo Sabres2–2 OTPittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (12,964)21–46–8–454Recap
8030Pittsburgh Penguins2–4Washington CapitalsVerizon Center (13,417)21–47–8–454Recap :
April: 2–0–0–0 (home: 1–0–0–0; road: 1–0–0–0), 4 Points
#AprVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPointsRecap
812Pittsburgh Penguins3–2Atlanta ThrashersPhilips Arena (18,854)22–47–8–456Recap
824Washington Capitals3–4Pittsburgh PenguinsCivic Arena (16,124)23–47–8–458Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point)
  Overtime loss (1 point) :

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Dick Tarnstrom | 80 | 16 | 36 | 52 | -37 | 38 |
| Aleksey Morozov | 75 | 16 | 34 | 50 | -24 | 24 |
| Ryan Malone | 81 | 22 | 21 | 43 | -23 | 64 |
| Milan Kraft | 66 | 19 | 21 | 40 | -22 | 18 |
| Rico Fata | 73 | 16 | 18 | 34 | -46 | 54 |
| Konstantin Koltsov | 82 | 9 | 20 | 29 | -30 | 30 |
| Ric Jackman$^†$ | 25 | 7 | 17 | 24 | -5 | 14 |
| Tomas Surovy | 47 | 11 | 12 | 23 | -8 | 16 |
| Tom Kostopoulos | 60 | 9 | 13 | 22 | -14 | 67 |
| Brian Holzinger$^‡$ | 61 | 6 | 15 | 21 | -27 | 38 |
| Drake Berehowsky$^‡$ | 47 | 5 | 16 | 21 | -16 | 50 |
| Mike Eastwood | 82 | 4 | 15 | 19 | -18 | 40 |
| Matt Bradley | 82 | 7 | 9 | 16 | -27 | 65 |
| Martin Strbak$^†$ | 44 | 3 | 11 | 14 | -11 | 38 |
| Lasse Pirjeta$^†$ | 13 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| Martin Straka$^‡$ | 22 | 4 | 8 | 12 | -16 | 16 |
| Eric Meloche | 25 | 3 | 7 | 10 | -6 | 20 |
| Brooks Orpik | 79 | 1 | 9 | 10 | -36 | 127 |
| Marc Bergevin$^‡$ | 52 | 1 | 8 | 9 | -8 | 27 |
| Mario Lemieux | 10 | 1 | 8 | 9 | -2 | 6 |
| Josef Melichar | 82 | 3 | 5 | 8 | -17 | 62 |
| Patrick Boileau | 16 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -16 | 8 |
| Landon Wilson$^†$ | 19 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 31 |
| Ramzi Abid | 16 | 3 | 2 | 5 | -5 | 27 |
| Dan Focht | 52 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -23 | 105 |
| Jon Sim$^†$ | 15 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -4 | 6 |
| Kelly Buchberger | 71 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -19 | 109 |
| Matt Hussey | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -1 | 0 |
| Steve McKenna | 49 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -10 | 85 |
| Rob Scuderi | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Matt Murley | 18 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -6 | 14 |
| Kris Beech | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Reid Simpson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Nolan Baumgartner | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -7 | 2 |
| Steve Webb | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 2 |
| Total | Total | 190 | 332 | 522 | — | 1,230 |

### Goaltenders

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Sebastien Caron | 40 | 37 | 2212:35 | 9 | 24 | 5 | 138 | 3.74 | 1179 | 0.883 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Jean-Sebastien Aubin | 22 | 17 | 1067:03 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 53 | 2.98 | 574 | 0.908 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Marc-Andre Fleury | 21 | 20 | 1154:02 | 4 | 14 | 2 | 70 | 3.64 | 675 | 0.896 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andy Chiodo | 8 | 8 | 485:37 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 28 | 3.46 | 260 | 0.892 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Brochu | 1 | 0 | 32:40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.84 | 19 | 0.947 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 82 | 4951:57 | 23 | 51 | 8 | 290 | 3.51 | 2707 | 0.893 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
$^†$Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only. $^‡$Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.

## Awards and records

* Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 1700 points for the Penguins. He did so in a 4–4 tie with the New York Islanders on October 29.

### Awards

| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (annual) | NHL All-Rookie Team | Ryan Malone (Forward) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Rookie of the Month | Marc-Andre Fleury (October) |
| League (in-season) | NHL YoungStars Game selection | Ryan Malone |
| League (in-season) | NHL YoungStars Game selection | Brooks Orpik |
| Team | A. T. Caggiano Memorial Booster Club Award | Ryan Malone |
| Team | Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Good Guy Award | Brooks Orpik |
| Team | Leading Scorer Award | Dick Tarnstrom |
| Team | Michel Briere Memorial Rookie of the Year Trophy | Ryan Malone |
| Team | Most Valuable Player Award | Dick Tarnstrom |
| Team | Players' Player Award | Kelly Buchberger |
| Team | The Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award | Rico Fata |
| Team | The Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award | Steve McKenna |

### Records

The team also set the NHL record for longest home losing streak, with 14 home losses.

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date |
| First game | Marc-Andre Fleury | October 10, 2003 |
| First game | Ryan Malone | October 10, 2003 |
| First game | Matt Murley | October 10, 2003 |
| First game | Rob Scuderi | February 12, 2004 |
| First game | Andy Chiodo | February 18, 2004 |
| First game | Matt Hussey | March 16, 2004 |

## Transactions

The Penguins were involved in the following transactions from June 10, 2003, the day after the deciding game of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 7, 2004, the day of the deciding game of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 21, 2003 (2003-06-21) | To Florida Panthers Mikael Samuelsson1st-round pick in 20032nd-round pick in 2003 | To Pittsburgh Penguins 1st-round pick in 20033rd-round pick in 2003 |
| August 25, 2003 (2003-08-25) | To Vancouver Canucks Johan Hedberg | To Pittsburgh Penguins 2nd-round pick in 2004 |
| November 30, 2003 (2003-11-30) | To Los Angeles Kings Martin Straka | To Pittsburgh Penguins Sergei AnshakovMartin Strbak |
| February 10, 2004 (2004-02-10) | To Columbus Blue Jackets Brendan Buckley | To Pittsburgh Penguins Pauli Levokari |
| February 11, 2004 (2004-02-11) | To Toronto Maple Leafs Drake Berehowsky | To Pittsburgh Penguins Ric Jackman |
| February 22, 2004 (2004-02-22) | To Phoenix Coyotes Future considerations | To Pittsburgh Penguins Landon Wilson |
| March 8, 2004 (2004-03-08) | To New York Islanders Steve Webb | To Pittsburgh Penguins Alain Nasreddine |
| March 9, 2004 (2004-03-09) | To Columbus Blue Jackets Brian Holzinger | To Pittsburgh Penguins Lasse Pirjeta |
| March 9, 2004 (2004-03-09) | To Vancouver Canucks Marc Bergevin | To Pittsburgh Penguins 7th-round pick in 2004 |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Via |
| July 31, 2003 (2003-07-31) | Kelly Buchberger | Phoenix Coyotes | Free agency |
| July 31, 2003 (2003-07-31) | Mike Eastwood | Chicago Blackhawks | Free agency |
| August 22, 2003 (2003-08-22) | Martin Brochu | Severstal Cherepovets (RSL) | Free agency |
| August 28, 2003 (2003-08-28) | Patrick Boileau | Detroit Red Wings | Free agency |
| August 29, 2003 (2003-08-29) | Drake Berehowsky | Phoenix Coyotes | Free agency |
| August 29, 2003 (2003-08-29) | Reid Simpson | Nashville Predators | Free agency |
| October 3, 2003 (2003-10-03) | Nolan Baumgartner | Vancouver Canucks | Waiver draft |
| October 22, 2003 (2003-10-22) | Steve Webb | Philadelphia Flyers | Waivers |
| March 4, 2004 (2004-03-04) | Jon Sim | Los Angeles Kings | Waivers |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team | Via |
| June 23, 2003 (2003-06-23) | Vladimir Vujtek | HPK (Liiga) | Free agency (UFA) |
| July 12, 2003 (2003-07-12) | Joel Bouchard | Buffalo Sabres | Free agency (UFA) |
| July 26, 2003 (2003-07-26) | Rob Tallas | HPK (Liiga) | Free agency (UFA) |
| July 29, 2003 (2003-07-29) | Ville Nieminen | Chicago Blackhawks | Free agency (UFA) |
| August 4, 2003 (2003-08-04) | Micki DuPont | Eisbaren Berlin (DEL) | Free agency (II) |
| August 7, 2003 (2003-08-07) | Mathias Johansson | Farjestad BK (SHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| August 20, 2003 (2003-08-20) | Richard Lintner | Djurgardens IF (SHL) | Free agency (II) |
| September 10, 2003 (2003-09-10) | Shawn Heins | Atlanta Thrashers | Free agency (UFA) |
| September 10, 2003 (2003-09-10) | Jason MacDonald | Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL) | Free agency |
| September 30, 2003 (2003-09-30) | Alexandre Daigle | Minnesota Wild | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 8, 2003 (2003-10-08) | Hans Jonsson | Modo Hockey (SHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| November 1, 2003 (2003-11-01) | Nolan Baumgartner | Vancouver Canucks | Waivers |
| November 18, 2003 (2003-11-18) | Jamie Pushor | Syracuse Crunch (AHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| November 23, 2003 (2003-11-23) | Kent Manderville | Timra IK (SHL) | Free agency (III) |
| May 13, 2004 (2004-05-13) | Patrick Boileau | Lausanne HC (NLA) | Free agency |
| May 19, 2004 (2004-05-19) | Michal Sivek | HC Sparta Praha (ELH) | Free agency |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term | Contract type |
| July 14, 2003 (2003-07-14) | Ryan Malone | 2-year | Entry-level |
| July 29, 2003 (2003-07-29) | Dick Tarnstrom | 2-year | Re-signing |
| July 31, 2003 (2003-07-31) | Rico Fata | | Re-signing |
| July 31, 2003 (2003-07-31) | Mario Lemieux | 1-year | Re-signing |
| July 31, 2003 (2003-07-31) | Toby Petersen | | Re-signing |
| July 31, 2003 (2003-07-31) | Rob Scuderi | | Re-signing |
| August 1, 2003 (2003-08-01) | Matt Bradley | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 1, 2003 (2003-08-01) | Milan Kraft | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 21, 2003 (2003-08-21) | Andy Chiodo | | Entry-level |
| August 22, 2003 (2003-08-22) | Sebastien Caron | 4-year | Re-signing |
| September 11, 2003 (2003-09-11) | Ramzi Abid | 1-year | Re-signing |
| October 3, 2003 (2003-10-03) | Cam Paddock | | Entry-level |
| October 6, 2003 (2003-10-06) | Marc-Andre Fleury | 3-year | Entry-level |
| April 7, 2004 (2004-04-07) | Ryan Whitney | 3-year | Entry-level |
| May 26, 2004 (2004-05-26) | Maxime Talbot | 3-year | Entry-level |
| June 1, 2004 (2004-06-01) | Erik Christensen | | Entry-level |

### Other

| Player | Date | Details |
| Eddie Olczyk | June 11, 2003 | Hired as head coach |
| Tom Barrasso | June 18, 2003 | Retired |

## Draft picks

Pittsburgh had 11 picks in the 2003 NHL entry draft.
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 1 | Marc-Andre Fleury | Goaltender | Canada | Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL) |
| 2 | 32 | Ryan Stone | Center | Canada | Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) |
| 3 | 70 | Jonathan Filewich | Right winger | Canada | Prince George Cougars (WHL) |
| 3 | 73 | Daniel Carcillo | Left winger | Canada | Sarnia Sting (OHL) |
| 4 | 121 | Paul Bissonnette | Defence | Canada | Saginaw Spirit (OHL) |
| 5 | 161 | Evgeni Isakov | Left wing | Russia | Severstal Cherepovets (RSL) |
| 6 | 169 | Lukas Bolf | Defence | Czech Republic | Sparta Prague (Czech Extraliga Jr.) |
| 7 | 199 | Andy Chiodo | Goaltender | Canada | Toronto St. Michael's Majors (OHL) |
| 7 | 229 | Stephen Dixon | Center | Canada | Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL) |
| 8 | 232 | Joe Jensen | Center | United States | St. Cloud State University (WCHA) |
| 9 | 263 | Matt Moulson | Left wings | Canada | Cornell University (ECAC) |

### Draft notes

* $^a$ The Florida Panthers' first-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a June 21, 2003 trade that sent a 2003 first-round pick and a 2003 second round pick to the Panthers in exchange for a 2003 third-round pick and this pick.
* The Penguins' first-round pick went to the Florida Panthers as the result of a June 21, 2003 trade that sent a 2003 first-round pick and a 2003 third-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for Mikael Samuelsson, a 2003 first-round pick and this pick.
* The Penguins' third-round pick went to the Florida Panthers as the result of a June 21, 2003 trade that sent a 2003 first-round pick and a 2003 third-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for Mikael Samuelsson, a 2003 first-round pick and this pick.
* $^b$ The Florida Panthers' third-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a June 21, 2003 trade that sent Mikael Samuelsson, a 2003 first-round pick and a 2003 second round pick to the Panthers in exchange for a 2003 first-round pick and this pick.
* The Penguins' fourth-round pick went to the Columbus Blue Jackets as the result of a March 15, 2002 trade that sent Jamie Pushor to the Penguins in exchange for this pick.
* $^c$ The Boston Bruins' fourth-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a March 11, 2003 trade that sent Ian Moran the Bruins in exchange for this pick.
* The Penguins' fifth-round pick went to the San Jose Sharks as the result of a February 9, 2003 trade that sent Shawn Heins to the Penguins in exchange for this conditional pick.
* $^d$ The New York Islanders' fifth-round pick (from Philadelphia Flyers) went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a March 9, 2003 trade that sent Randy Robitaille the Islanders in exchange for this pick.
* $^e$ The New Jersey Devils' seventh-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a March 19, 2002 trade that sent Stephane Richer to the Devils in exchange for this pick.

## Farm teams

The AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins finished third in the East Division with a 34–28–10–8 record. They defeated the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Philadelphia Phantoms and the Hartford Wolf Pack to win the Richard F. Canning Trophy as Eastern Conference Champions. They were swept by the Milwaukee Admirals in the Calder Cup Finals.
The ECHL's Wheeling Nailers won the Northern Division and the Eastern Conference with a record of 51–17–4. They lost to the Reading Royals in the first round of the playoffs. Pat Bingham won the John Brophy Award as the ECHL's coach of the year.