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[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Roster moves of former Penguin players

Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images

Seeing what happened to some former Pens in the latest off-season free agency carousel

Welcome to another summer Saturday. The dust is starting to settle on the initial burst of free agency and teams are gradually gearing down to settle into their summers prior to the start of another hockey season in the fall.

What has happened with some former Penguin players? Let’s check in on some:

NHL.com has a list of this season’s free agents:

Group 3 Unrestricted Free Agents: Kasper Bjorkqvist, Nathan Clurman (signed: MTL), Matt Grzelcyk, Marc Johnstone (signed: Toronto of AHL), Matt Nieto, Colton Poolman.

Group 6 Unrestricted Free Agents: Mac Hollowell (signed: Yaroslavl of Russia), Jimmy Huntington (signed: SJS), Filip Kral (signed: Brno of Czechia), Mathias Laferriere.

Unrestricted Free Agents (did not receive qualifying offer): Raivis Ansons (signed: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of AHL), Emil Bemstrom, Connor Dewar (re-signed), Taylor Gauthier (signed: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of AHL), P.O Joseph (signed: VAN), Philip Tomasino (re-signed).

There hasn’t been too much surprising activity - both Connor Dewar and Phil Tomasino came back to the Pens. P.O. Joseph signed a one-year deal at league minimum ($775k) to join Jim Rutherford, Patrik Alvin and company with the Canucks where he could be back in a 6/7 type of role.

Of this list, Conor Timmins remains a restricted free agent with Buffalo after the trade from June’s draft sent him there.

Otherwise, not much movement. Matt Grzelcyk has found the same market almost two weeks into free agency as he did at the NHL trade deadline with nothing to write home about. Given his assist totals, it’s a bit surprising he hasn’t caught on anywhere yet but given the tape he’s had in the last 12-16 months with Pittsburgh and Boston, then again it’s not that surprising.

Looking deeper into Penguins from longer in the past..

Anaheim​

—The Ducks reportedly were interested in signing John Tavares, before the former Toronto captain re-signed with the Leafs. So Anaheim switched gears and got Mikael Granlund signed to a three-year contract with an average annual value (AAV) and cap hit of $7,000,000. The SJ/PIT Erik Karlsson trade didn’t work out for very many parties involved well, but Granlund sure was a winner to rack up a lot of points with the Sharks in a big role and play himself into a huge raise on this contract.

Carolina​

—Didn’t qualify Ty Smith, it looks like he remains as an unrestricted free agent. Smith could be on the Derrick Pouliot path of being a career AHLer. The Hurricanes also watched veteran goalie Dustin Tokarski go to free agency, where he also currently remains looking for his next stop.

Colorado​

—Said goodbye to short-time former Penguin (and short former Penguin) Matthew Phillips. Phillips went on to sign an AHL contract with San Diego.

Colorado also opted to not extend a qualifying offer to John Ludvig, who remains as a free agent.

Columbus​

—Is this the end of the line for Jack Johnson? Columbus let him go as a free agent, Johnson, 38, appeared in 41 games for the Blue Jackets last season.

Dallas​

—The Stars bid adieu to minor league goalie Magnus Hellberg. Hellberg has gone on to sign with Djurgarden of the Swedish league. The Stars also watched Cody Ceci go to free agency and cash in with a big contract with the Kings.

Edmonton​

—The Oilers gave a one-year contract to Kasperi Kapanen for 2025-26 worth $1.3 million to keep that party going.

Florida​

—The Panthers were the ones to sign Jesse Puljujarvi once the Pens cut him loose in the middle of last season. Puljujarvi played five regular season games (but none in the playoffs) and was with the AHL Charlotte Checkers in their deep playoff run this year. Puljujarvi decided to switch gears and is going overseas in 2025-26, signing with Geneve-Servette HC of Switzerland. So that’s how that story ends.

Los Angeles​

—Cody Ceci signed a four-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings on July 1, 2025, with an average annual value (AAV) of $4.5 million. Brian Dumoulin signed a three-year contract with the Kings featuring a cap hit of $4,000,000. Ken Holland, ladies and gentlemen!

Minnesota​

—Marc-Andre Fleury has retired. Probably. Five teams called his agent to see if he wanted to stick to the retirement, but at this point the 40-year old looks ready to move into the next stages of his life beyond being an NHL goalie.

New Jersey​

—Cody Glass wasn’t qualified by the Devils, but they decided to bring him back just the same with a two-year contract that retains the $2.5 million cap hit he played under last year. Not a bad little career revitalization for Glass last year between his stints in Pittsburgh and New Jersey.

The Devils also moved on from Daniel Sprong, who remains a free agent. Sprong, 28, will be looking for his ninth different team if he catches on (though he only scored one goal and added three assists in 21 games combined between Seattle and NJ last season).

New York Rangers​

—Signed Pouliot to a two-year contract for league minimum with a nice downside guarantee. Pouliot, as mentioned, has become a great AHL level defender and has been valued by organizations to help out down the depth chart.

Ottawa​

—The Sens brought on Lars Eller with a one-year, $1.25 million contract, with an extra $1 million available in performance bonuses. Not a bad deal for the 36-year old veteran after he quietly fizzled out back in Washington last season following the Pens trading him there.

Philadelphia​

—The Penguin-related news was off the ice with the Flyers by picking up Rick Tocchet as their head coach and then hiring Todd Reirden to be an assistant.

San Jose​

—The Sharks re-signed Colin White to a one-year deal. Jan Rutta’s contract ended and he remains as a free agent.

Seattle​

—Signed Matt Murray to a one-year contract, $1.0 million contract to re-join Jason Botterill. Gotta like this as a sneaky way for Murray to set himself up, Philip Grubauer has been among the shakiest NHL goalies in the past few years and there’s got to be a good chance that Murray gets the opportunity to play NHL games next season for the Kraken at some point, even though he’s their No. 3 goalie in the organization.

St. Louis​

—In perhaps one of the few team-friendly free agent signings, the Blues made a nice piece of business by signing Nick Bjugstad to a a two-year contract with the St. Louis Blues with an average annual value (AAV) and cap hit of $1,750,000. Bjugstad had a tough season last year with Utah (19 points in 66 games) but is only one-year removed from having a 22 goal, 45 point season with Arizona back in 2023-24.

Tampa​

—Said goodbye to a few former Penguins, Anthony Angello became (and remains) a free agent. Conor Sheary approached the Lightning to dissolve the last year of his contract in 2025-26 after spending most of it in the AHL to seek a better opportunity. It hasn’t developed yet for him, he’s still a free agent, worked out well for Tampa to get to wipe a $2 million cap hit off their books.

Toronto​

—Let Alex Nylander go as a free agent. Nylander only played five NHL games last season (no points) and any magic from his shocking 11 goal in 23 game stint with Columbus in 2023-24 looks like it has dissipated as quickly as it came on.

Utah​

—The Mammoth went 1-2 with bringing one former Penguin in and watching two leave. Brandon Tanev, 33, signed a three-year contract with an average annual value (AAV) and cap hit of $2,500,000, which isn’t the first time he was able to pull an impressive contract out of the UFA market. Bjugstad, as mentioned above, jumped to STL. And it looks like it might be the end of the road for 36-year old Robert Bortuzzo, who is now a free agent and was hinting at retirement at the end of the season.

Vegas​

—Reilly Smith signed a one-year contract extension with the Vegas Golden Knights on June 25, 2025, with an average annual value (AAV) and cap hit of $2,000,000 for the 2025-26 season. Nice for him, since Vegas is the place that he really wants to be after unsatisfying stints in Pittsburgh and New York.

Washington​

—Shortly after learning that Nik Ehlers didn’t want to play for them (ha ha), the Caps quickly shifted gears and announced that Anthony Beauvillier signed a two-year contract on July 3, 2025, that carries an average annual value (AAV) and cap hit of $2,750,000. That more than doubles Beauvillier’s salary from last season and gets him a second year as well and serves as another Penguin mid-career revitalization success story.

Winnipeg​

—Tanner Pearson signed a one-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets on July 1, 2025, with an average annual value (AAV) and cap hit of $1,000,000.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/12/24465890/roster-moves-of-former-penguin-players

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Friday Poll: Stay or go decisions, summer 2025

Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images

Who should be staying and going this summer?

Well, we better get this Friday Poll in before something goes off and happens to make it unnecessary. Today’s topic, what to do in the trade market for the Penguins. Kyle Dubas and the Pens have the proverbial “for sale” sign out in the yard, they’re not going to move Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, but just about anyone else could be had by another team if the offer was right.

In several of those cases, the league won’t be lining up for the Tristan Jarry’s or Ryan Graves’ of the roster when it comes to their performance and hefty contracts. But several other names are at the top of mind when it comes to league-wide chatter about players that could be on the move.

Forwards Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell fit the bill, both coming off career seasons and both having exceedingly manageable salary cap hits. Another benefit is that both Rakell and Rust have three years remaining on their contracts — better than shopping in the free agent market where even marginal players like Connor Brown and Tanner Jeannot can secure 4-5 years worth of term and stars like Nik Ehlers and Brad Marchand signed on for six. More yet, Brock Boeser inked for the max of seven and Mitch Marner signed-and-traded his way to Vegas with an eight year deal. The perk of picking up a Rust or Rakell is less than half the commitment in time to a large free agent deal.

And then there’s the Erik Karlsson situation. It hasn’t gone as well as anyone would have hoped, but Karlsson is still a player that can score double-digit goals, put up 50+ points and play 23+ minutes per game at this stage of his career, while moving the puck through the zone and skating with more burst than just about anyone. The biggest hindrance to Karlsson has been his contract, but even that is becoming more manageable with only two years to remaining, added to the fact the Penguins have all the space and motivation in the world to retain a big chunk of the $10 million in cost if it means sweetening the return.

It leads to an interesting position. So let’s get to the polls

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/11/24465724/friday-poll-stay-or-go-decisions-summer-2025

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Feeder systems to NHL experiencing massive changes with alteration to CHL transfer agreement

Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images

If it feels like everything is changing in the lower levels of hockey, it’s because it is

The feeder leagues for hockey are currently undergoing a seismic shift. The biggest ripple was felt earlier this week when presumed first overall 2026 pick Gavin McKenna left Western Canada and the WHL to join up with Penn State. McKenna, of course, was financially induced to do so based on the new rules and laws about collegiate players graying the lines well past any sense of amateurism and made junior players eligible to play at American colleges.

In the past, the CHL (composed of the WHL, OHL and QMJHL) have held a stranglehold on teenage Canadian talent. McKenna shattered that forever, but he was hardly the first or only one involved in the exodus. 2025 first rounder Jackson Smith will join McKenna at Penn State, as will OHL star Luke Misa. First rounders and high draft picks Cayden Lindstrom, Cole Reschny and Malcolm Spence are going south too.

It’s a brave new world. The CHL is further getting picked apart since the NHL had previously been hands off about taking junior-eligible players out of those ranks and turning them pro. By an NHL-CHL transfer agreement, currently CHL players not retained on the NHL roster must return to their junior team if they are under 20 years old (by December 31 of that season) or have not completed four seasons in junior hockey — which is why someone like Owen Pickering stayed in Swift Current through the spring 2024, despite being drafted in 2022.

That too is about to be a thing of the past with news that NHL teams will soon be able to designate one 19-year old to be AHL eligible.

Sources say a new provision in the CBA will allow each #NHL team to place one 19-year-old CHL player in the #AHL per season.

One per organization per season and 18-year-olds are ineligible.

Begins in 2026-27 season.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 10, 2025​

This rule starting in 2026-27 closes the door on Harrison Brunicke being AHL eligible this fall as a 19-year old, but 2025 first round pick like Ben Kindel, Bill Zonnon, Peyton Kettles or Travis Hayes could be in Wilkes-Barre as a teenager.

That opens up new doors for the pros for younger players, and also shows what dire straits the Canadian juniors as we know them are really in. Previously in draft-1, whether it was Connor Bedard or Sidney Crosby or Mario Lemieux, Canadian proteges were always playing in the Canadian junior system during their draft year. McKenna’s decision, as plenty of more quality players flee (seriously just look at the list) shows how much of a sea change there is ongoing right this very moment.

Lots of change to keep up with and monitor, for now there won’t be anything immediate but it does appear that the CHL is weakening with their hold on 17-19 year olds, which will be to the benefit of the AHL and NCAA ranks as these developments continue.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/11...ges-with-alteration-to-chl-transfer-agreement

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins will start 2025-26 on the road against Rangers, Mike Sullivan

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The Penguins will start the season on the road and Mike Sullivan

The NHL announced the first day of the 2025-26 schedule will be Tuesday October 7th. The Penguins will be in action, seeing their old coach Mike Sullivan for the first time at his new home of Madison Square Garden.

The @NHL announced today the 2025-26 regular season will open on Tuesday, Oct. 7 with an opening night tripleheader broadcast exclusively on @ESPN in the U.S., and on @Sportsnet and @TVASports in Canada.

Details: https://t.co/WLxxY9oQtW pic.twitter.com/shEgb4FX9t

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) July 14, 2025​

From the league:

The National Hockey League (NHL) announced today the 2025-26 regular season will open on Tuesday, Oct. 7 with a tripleheader broadcast exclusively on ESPN in the U.S., and on Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada.

At 5 p.m. ET, the Chicago Blackhawks will face off against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Prior to the game, Florida will raise its second championship banner at Amerant Bank Arena.

Action continues at 8 p.m. ET, when the Pittsburgh Penguins face off against the New York Rangers in a Metropolitan Division matchup at Madison Square Garden.

Then, at 10:30 p.m. ET, the Colorado Avalanche will visit the Los Angeles Kings in a Western Conference matchup at Crypto.com Arena.

The complete 2025-26 NHL regular-season schedule is set to be announced on Wednesday, July 16, at 1 p.m. ET. In addition, at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday, NHL Network will air a one-hour special edition of NHL Tonight covering the schedule release, which will be hosted by Jamison Coyle, Mike Rupp and E.J. Hradek. The special edition programming will also stream on NHL.com. NHL Network will continue to break down the schedule during its regularly scheduled NHL Tonight show at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

The season starts on October aa after a seven-game preseason schedule that runs from September 22nd - October 3rd. We’ll find out on Wednesday what dates and locations the Pens will be playing for the other days of the season, but night one should be some fireworks to see the team meet up against their old coach.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/14...-26-on-the-road-against-rangers-mike-sullivan

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins set to play three games in September prospects challenge

Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

The 2025 Prospects Challenge will take place from September 11-15 in Buffalo.

Fans will get another look at some of the Penguins’ top prospects with a three-game event taking place this September in Buffalo, New York.

The Sabres announced the schedule of the annual Prospects Challenge on Monday.

We are headed to Buffalo for the annual Prospects Challenge this September! https://t.co/k8uTicj0hk

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) July 14, 2025​

Here’s a look at the dates and times for the three games the Pens’ prospects are set to play at LECOM Harborcenter’s KeyBank Rink in Buffalo.

---

Penguins’ 2025 Prospects Challenge Schedule​

Friday, Sept. 12

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Boston Bruins, 3:30 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 14

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 3:30 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 15

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Buffalo Sabres, 12 p.m.

---

The New Jersey Devils were also invited to the event.

The tournament will wrap up one week before the Penguins begin the 2025-26 preseason with a road game against the Montreal Canadiens.

The full rosters will be announced at a later date, according to the Sabres. The Penguins’ announced last year’s roster, featuring 14 forwards, eight defenseman and three goaltenders, on July 30.

The Pens finished the 2024 Prospects Challenge with an undefeated 3-0 record against the Bruins, Sabres and Senators. Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen, Avery Hayes and Tristan Broz were all standouts during last summer’s scrimmages.

Pittsburgh prospects also emerged from the 2023 event as unofficial champions after claiming a 2-1 record with a goal differential tie-break over the Sabres.

The 2025 edition of the challenge will allow the Penguins another look at some of the prospects the organization added during the 2025 draft picks. All 13 of the franchise’s selections, including first-rounders Ben Kindel, Bill Zonnon and Will Horcoff, were invited to the Penguins’ development camp earlier this month.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/15...-three-games-in-september-prospects-challenge

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Odds ‘n ends: Two important employees take promotions and leave Pens’ organization

Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images

DeFazio, Army move up the ladder in their professions

Felt right to pair these two little updates together. Two members of the Penguin organization are leaving for new jobs with other teams. Long-time assistant equipment manager Paul DeFazio is going to Columbus to be their top equipment manager it was announced today, and yesterday it was announced that ECHL Wheeling coach Derek Army was moving onto become an AHL assistant coach with the Colorado Eagles.

Adding new talent to the Hockey Operations team!

Aron Augustitus has been promoted to video coach and Cam Briere, Paul DeFazio, Inar Treiguts, Ty Eigner and Anthony and Matthew Donskov join the organization in various roles.

https://t.co/ypdxLRg5GU pic.twitter.com/sQ6fxCp58m

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) July 15, 2025​

From the Blue Jackets:

DeFazio served in various capacities in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization for 27 years, including as an assistant equipment manager with the Penguins from 2018-25 as well as from 2001-13. He was also the head equipment manager of the American Hockey League’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for five seasons from 2013-18

Coworker Jon Taglianetti got the Penguin job when long-time manager Dana Heinze retired in 2022. Columbus will now be hoping for the “Teddy Richards bump” from when Florida hired an assistant Penguin equipment manager and that’s worked out with Richards getting his name on the Stanley Cup a couple of times.

All the people in that role work so hard to keep the wheels turning and in place, the Pens will be different without DeFazio moving forward, but it certainly sounds like a great step for him to get the opportunity at that role in Columbus.

Sidney Crosby is class personified

(h/t @Aportzline) pic.twitter.com/Ml28CBM9qR

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) July 15, 2025​

There was another bittersweet departure from the organization as well:

BREAKING: Wheeling Nailers’ HC Derek Army has taken a new position with the @ColoradoEagles as their Assistant Coach

We wish him and his family good luck in this new chapter!

Read more here: https://t.co/vk2sOCvbKB#SteelTheMoment pic.twitter.com/SHXsOuN1A7

— x - Wheeling Nailers (@WheelingNailers) July 14, 2025​

Army, 34, has done great things at his role with Wheeling since 2021. He’s now promoted to work with — get this — head coach Mark Letestu who will be in charge of the AHL Colorado bench.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/15...s-take-promotions-and-leave-pens-organization

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

The biggest summer trades of the past for the Penguins

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Looking back at some big deals

As we sit around waiting for potentially another big Pittsburgh Penguin summer trade to unfold, why not go back through the history books and remember some other big trades in franchise history.

The summer is a great time for NHL teams to reshape their teams. The Penguins have been as active as anyone else, with results all over the map. All of Craig Patrick, Ray Shero and Jim Rutherford — the three Stanley Cup winning managers of the team — have made major moves in the summer. Some were smash success. Others...well not so much. No one gets ‘em all right in the end.

June 14, 1978: Dave Burrows for Randy Carlyle — Carlyle won the franchise’s only Norris Trophy to date and stuck around for six seasons.

June 16, 1990: A second round pick for Joe Mullen — the internet says Calgary was looking to move a 33-year old Mullen due to think his best days were behind him, and boy did that work out for the Pens. Good ol’ Slippery Rock Joe was fourth on the team in 1991 playoff goals and his 42-goal, 87-point season in 1991-92 helped position the Pens for a second Stanley Cup. He would go onto be in Pittsburgh as a player or coach through 2005-06 (save a 37-game stint in Boston in 1995-96).

July 29, 1994: Rick Tocchet and a second round pick for Luc Robitaille — For as big of an impact as Tocchet made, he was a Penguin for barely two years. By 1994, the Pens’ emerging dynasty was snuffed out and Pittsburgh had to switch gears and try some new things. That meant getting a little more skilled and less powerful with this trade, which the trade tree for this one ended up working out well for a while to come —as we’ll soon see.

August 31, 1995: Penguins trade Luc Robitaille and Ulf Samuelsson to New York Rangers for Sergei Zubov and Petr Nedved — You have to love and miss the frequency of trades in the ‘90s. It only took one year after getting a future Hall of Famer in Robitaille before the Pens traded him right back out. (As we’ll see, they’d move Zubov in one year as well, Nedved would hold out and be traded two years later for Alexei Kovalev). This was a great trade, the lasting memory of 1995-96 for the Pens is of the ‘Score Lords’ and then those damn rats, but Nedved put up a 99-point season that year. Robitaille would go onto get his mojo back in the late ‘90s and early 2000’s but was in the midst of a strange mid-career slump at this point (he only scored 23 goals and managed 69 points with the Rangers).

June 22, 1996 – Sergei Zubov for Kevin Hatcher — When the Pens said they wanted “Hatcher” back in order to send Zubov to Dallas, at first the Stars thought they meant Derian, their captain and best defender. Shockingly, it was Kevin that was the Pens’ target. Zubov and Mario Lemieux were oil and water so that had to be resolved, but it didn’t end up in the best way for Pittsburgh.

July 11, 2001: Penguins trade Jaromir Jagr to the Washington Capitals for Kris Beech, Michal Sivek, Ross Lupaschuk and $5 million dollars — This one is like the Red Sox selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees (aside from the part where Jagr disappointed in Washington). The Pens had to make a move and did acquire three solid prospects, none of which ever truly amounted to much. The money helped the team stay alive, though, but was the start of some truly dark and uncertain days before the NHL had a salary cap or the Penguins had a functional modern arena.

June 22, 2012: Penguins trade Jordan Staal to the Carolina Hurricanes for a first-round draft pick, Brian Dumoulin, and Brandon Sutter — Staal remains beloved, but in hindsight it’s probably a good thing that he declined the Pens’ big contract offer. Fitting in under the cap and maintaining a deep team was a big problem that would have been worse if Staal had a huge cap hit too. Pittsburgh did well to get three pieces back, and of course the least heralded one at the time (Dumoulin) ended up being the longest-lasting and most impactful.

June 27, 2014: James Neal traded for Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling — Jim Rutherford’s first major move was a step back in skill but set the tone of how he wanted to shape his team with the relentless drive of Hornqvist. This trade had a pretty decent “backfire” chance had Neal kept producing and Hornqvist was so freakin’ special but it ended up going well for the Pens, highlighted of course by Hornqvist scoring a Stanley Cup winning goal with a broken hand late in Game 6 IN Nashville (Neal had one goal, no assists in that series).

July 1, 2015: Penguins acquire Phil Kessel from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a first-round pick, Kasperi Kapanen, Nick Spaling, Scott Harrington, and a third-round pick — the trade that launched a thousand memes. For all the fervor surrounding Kessel and teammates or coaches or Toronto media members he drove crazy, for a few hours a day he was a quiet guy who just loved to play hockey (and was very good at it).

July 16, 2022: Penguins traded John Marino to the New Jersey Devils for Ty Smith and a 2023 3rd-round pick — This move was seen as a multi-faceted revamp of the Penguin defense (that also saw Mike Matheson traded to Montreal for Jeff Petry) and did not work out for the Pens. Smith only played nine NHL games with Pittsburgh, his career hitting reverse after making it to the NHL as a 20-year old with New Jersey in 2021. Pittsburgh was skittish about Marino and his big contract might have been stagnating, but it turned out not so good.

August 6, 2023: Penguins acquire Erik Karlsson (three‑team trade with San Jose and Montreal) — A messy trade with complicated feelings, which might be the best way to sum up a lot of Karlsson’s stint in Pittsburgh. It was a last gasp effort to jolt the Penguins back into contention. It didn’t work out, but not without the best of intentions or efforts.

August 22, 2024: Penguins traded forward Brayden Yager to the Winnipeg Jets for forward Rutger McGroarty — This will be a tremendous trade to watch develop in the future. Yager was Kyle Dubas’s first draft pick with Pittsburgh but was dealt for a more NHL ready and potentially slightly better overall prospect in McGroarty. But that last part is no guarantee one year out.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/16/24467791/the-biggest-summer-trades-of-the-past-for-the-penguins

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Pittsburgh Penguins 2025-26 regular season schedule released

Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images

Finding out when and where the Pens are playing next season

The NHL announced the full schedule for the 2025-26 regular season. Here’s what the Penguins are working with.

Hockey fever? We’ve got the cure.

Introducing the 2025.26 Penguins schedule, brought to you by our teammates at @UPMC. pic.twitter.com/i8GSDaFG2t

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) July 16, 2025​

As already known, the season kicks off in Manhattan against Mike Sullivan and the Rangers on October 7th. The Penguins will head back home to meet the New York Islanders for the home opener two nights later on October 9th.

Some more from the team:

Following its home opener, Pittsburgh will play its first weekend home game of the season on Saturday, Oct. 11 against the Rangers before departing on their annual California road trip through Anaheim (Oct. 14), Los Angeles (Oct. 16) and San Jose (Oct. 18).

In November, the Penguins will go international for the NHL’s Global Series to play two regular-season games against the Nashville Predators at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden on Nov. 14 and 16. Due to the Global Series, the Penguins will not host or visit the Predators during the regular season.

The month of December includes a season-long five-game homestand against Anaheim (Dec. 9), Montreal (Dec. 11), San Jose (Dec. 13), Utah (Dec. 14) and Edmonton (Dec. 16). Beginning with a game on New Year’s Day against the Detroit Red Wings, the Penguins play nine home games in January and early February prior to the 20-day break for the Winter Olympics from Feb. 6-25. March marks the Penguins’ busiest month of the year with a season-high nine home games and 17 total games.

To view the complete 2025-26 schedule, which is presented by UPMC, click here. Broadcast information will be released at a later date.

Beginning on Saturday, Oct. 11 with a matchup against the Rangers, the Penguins will play 21 weekend home games at PPG Paints Arena on either a Friday night (1), Saturday (13) or Sunday (7), accounting for 53% of all home games.

Information regarding Penguins season memberships, 12-Packs and priority deposits for premium rentals and group experiences can be found here. Single game ticket on sale information will be announced at a later date. Fans can sign up for Penguins emails here to receive updates and a ticket presale opportunity.

Pittsburgh’s schedule features some noteworthy home games that fans will want to circle on their calendar:

November 6 vs. Washington: Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin go head-to-head in the first of three matchups this season between the two generational talents.

November 26 vs. Buffalo & November 29 vs. Toronto: The Penguins are home for the holidays as they host the Buffalo Sabres for the team’s annual game on the night before Thanksgiving, then the Toronto Maple Leafs pay a visit to PPG Paints Arena on the Saturday following Thanksgiving.

January 15 vs. Philadelphia: It’s the Battle of Pennsylvania as the Penguins host their cross-state rivals in their first of two visits to Pittsburgh.

March 24 vs. Colorado: Cole Harbour natives Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon face off when the Colorado Avalanche come to town for a Tuesday tilt.

April 4 & 5 vs. Florida: Pittsburgh hosts the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers in back-to-back home games in April.

The Penguins’ schedule has 16 sets of back-to-back games, beginning Oct. 27-28 when Pittsburgh faces the St. Louis Blues at PPG Paints Arena then travels to Philadelphia for a matchup against the Flyers.

The Pens only host the Islanders once this season, on the aforementioned opening night. And Pittsburgh only visits Washington DC one time (Sat Apr 12) so if you want to see potentially the last Crosby/Malkin vs. Ovechkin game on the road, that would be the one. Ovechkin’s potential final visit to Pittsburgh could also double as the possible last Malkin home game on Friday April 11.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/16...uins-2025-26-regular-season-schedule-released

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Trade ask “remains high” for Rust, Rakell, Karlsson

Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images

If a team wants to add a Penguin player, it’s going to cost them

It’s now deep into July and the Penguins are still sitting on all their veterans. They haven’t made a major trade since the draft. Time is going by but we’re still waiting to see what might be the next shoe to drop as Kyle Dubas works to reshape the roster and set the club up for success in the future. The lack of culminated trades doesn’t mean that there hasn’t been a flurry of talks and attempts behind the scenes.

The asking prices for Rust, Rakell, and Karlsson all remain high as the Penguins look to retool (w/ @frank_seravalli) pic.twitter.com/rGRtXg7cnW

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) July 15, 2025​

The surprising thing about the market being so quiet — Penguins or otherwise — is that several teams are sitting out there with holes to address and presumably the ambition to match.

Frank Seravalli: Still in the market, still in the mix for a top six forward: Red Wings, Maple Leafs, Flames, Canucks, Rangers, Devils, Capitals, Blues, Kraken and Kings - Bleacher Report

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) July 15, 2025​

One thing becoming clear is the news is likely to break out of nowhere, with little notice or build up. Watch it be a trade of Rakell/Rust to not even one of the 10 teams named above believed to be in the market for an upgrade. (Then again, with so many different names listed that might be covering enough bases..) Anyways, news about the Pens these days goes from hearing absolutely nothing to then seeing a completed piece of business come out of left field. This is by design from Dubas.

every penguins rumour this summer: dubas could make this move, but also, he might not...

every penguins move this summer: zero advanced warning, no rumours whatsoever

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 14, 2025​

guy was mentored by lou. pittsburgh media and insiders in general are having to basically guess what the front office is doing because nothing is getting out.

Sullivan firing? no
Muse hiring? no one had heard of him
Pens' draft picks? no
Free agents? no
Dumba/Silov trades? no

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 14, 2025​

Dubas doesn’t have any leaks on his side. He’s very old school like that, media doesn’t get hints or directives about what is coming down the pike. It’s just nothing, nothing, nothing and then boom something happens.

As of now, we’re still in one of those “nothing” areas. That could change at the snap of a finger once some team out there steps up and meets the price for a Penguin player on the trade block.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/17/24468859/trade-ask-remains-high-for-rust-rakell-karlsson

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

The Penguins have to keep (or pay) somebody

Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images

There is still the matter of the NHL’s salary floor to contend with when it comes to potential trades.

The NHL offseason still has, roughly, six more weeks to it before training camps begin and there continues to be trade speculation surrounding the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Who will go. Who should go. How much will go.

While they have not made a true blockbuster move just yet, the Penguins have been active this offseason in terms of the quantity of transactions. They made a lot of draft pick trades, they added Connor Clifton, they added Matt Dumba’s salary to gain a future draft pick, they made an interesting trade to acquire goalie Arturs Silovs from the Vancouver Canucks. They made some short-term free agency signings that could potentially be flipped in March for even more draft picks or prospects.

Even though they might be mostly done on the free agent market, there is still something else looming on the trade market.

We just do not know what, or how much, or what it will look like.

Defenseman Erik Karlsson, forwards Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell and goalie Tristan Jarry are the four names most talked about in hypothetical trade talks, and there are a lot of thoughts on what the Penguins could or should do with them.

It is a good bet that somebody out of that group is going to be playing hockey for somebody else next season.

But it is also a good bet that not all of them will be playing elsewhere, and that at least one of them, and most likely two or three of them, will still be in Pittsburgh when the season begins.

Not necessarily because the Penguins are not interested in tearing everything down to the foundation as part of this rebuild (and I am still not convinced they are interested in that), but mostly because the Penguins are going to have to pay SOMEBODY to play hockey for them this season.

As of Thursday the Penguins sit $13 million below the NHL’s salary cap ($95 million) with an $82 million cap number. That would be one of their lowest payrolls (relative to the salary cap) in more than two decades.

But they are also only about $12 million above the NHL’s salary cap floor ($70 million) after taking on Matt Dumba’s contract in last week’s trade with the Dallas Stars.

Just for reference, here are the salary cap numbers of the four most talked about trade candidates:

• Erik Karlsson: $10 million
• Tristan Jarry: $5.3 million
• Bryan Rust: $5.125 million
• Rickard Rakell: $5 million

Based on the team’s recent roster moves over the past year-and-a-half it should be a safe assumption that any trades the team makes are going to focus on acquiring younger, cheaper players, prospects, or draft picks.

So let’s just pretend, just for laughs, that the Penguins are able to find a taker for Karlsson and trade him, and then trade one of the two forwards as well.

That’s over $15 million coming off the books if no salary is retained.

That would drop the payroll down to $67 million, which would be $3 million below the salary floor.

That means the Penguins would, at a minimum, either need to retain over $3 million in salary on those hypothetical deals (which is possible given that they have all three of their salary retention spots available to them), or take on at least $3 million in return as part of the trades, or find another $3 million in salary elsewhere just to stay above the floor.

Those numbers obviously increase if an additional player is traded.

In the cases of Karlsson and Jarry, I would assume any hypothetical trade would either see the Penguins retain some salary or take another bad contract back in return. So the money might pretty easily balance out. But the bottom line is this: They can’t just jettison everybody for draft picks or prospects or cheaper players to go full tank mode, because too much money going out with any money coming back will drop their cap number down too far.

With the salary cap increasing so much this season there are not many teams in desperate need of dumping salaries. So it may not be as easy to make more Dumba/Kevin Hayes/Cody Glass type of trades.

Perhaps retaining more salary in a Karlsson or Rakell trade, or taking on another team’s bad contract as part of the trade, can increase the return in terms of draft picks or prospects.

Maybe they swap Jarry for somebody that has a comparable contract.

But there still has to be some money involved somewhere. It can not just be straight salary dumps.

This is why I am not convinced the Penguins are going to completely empty the roster this offseason. There are a lot of reasons to keep some of these guys around and not be in a hurry to trade them, especially in the cases of Rakell and Rust. Not only are they still good players that could hypothetically still be somewhat productive players two or three years from now, but they don’t have to rush a trade for financial purposes. It’s not like they need the salary cap space. They can afford to be patient and wait for the right return. It also helps to still have good players that give a damn around a young roster and can bring some credibility. Nobody wants to become Chicago or Detroit or Buffalo.

Either way, when the 2025-26 NHL season begins the Penguins are going to have some players on the NHL roster making real money. It’s just a matter of who they will be and where they come from. Because if they want to trade any combination of the aforementioned four players (or any other big contract), there is going to have to be some money, somewhere, coming back.

The roster could look dramatically different than it does right now if they have to acquire more salary.

Or it could look very similar to what it does right now.

My bet would be more toward the latter. One of those players probably goes at some point. Maybe two of them. It will not likely be all of them.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/17/24469208/the-penguins-have-to-keep-or-pay-somebody

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Friday Poll: Which young player will take the next step?

Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Casting our eyes to the future in today’s Friday poll

Harrison Brunicke got the nhl.com treatment with a nice profile by Wes Crosby.

Brunicke 'going to do whatever I can' to make Penguins' opening night roster https://t.co/EtiduIIz0T

— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) July 17, 2025​

Worth a read in full, here’s a part:

Brunicke wants to be in that room by the time Pittsburgh opens its regular season at the New York Rangers on Oct. 7.

“As far as my mindset and my play, my goal is to stay here this year,” Brunicke told NHL.com on the first day of prospect development camp. “So, I’m going to do whatever I can to make that happen.”

He’ll have a shot. Brunicke made an impression at training camp last year, just after being selected in the second round (No. 44) of the 2024 NHL Draft.

In his first camp, Brunicke did well enough to work alongside defenseman Marcus Pettersson for a bit before being sent back to Kamloops of the Western Hockey League.

To some, that would have been a surprise. Brunicke wasn’t projected to be picked that high. He’s now considered one of the Penguins’ more promising young defensemen, alongside Owen Pickering (selected No. 21 in the 2022 NHL Draft).

Brunicke didn’t care if he was considered a reach.

“Just kind of ignore it,” Brunicke said. “You’re going to get criticism for the rest of your career. It’s all kind of outside noise. But like I said, wherever you get picked, no matter where it is, you just have to keep working hard and see how far it can take you.”

The momentum could have quickly stalled. Brunicke broke his wrist in a practice on Nov. 10, keeping him out until January. He finished last season with 30 points (five goals, 25 assists) in 41 games for Kamloops.

“It’s pretty exhausting mentally, just having to deal with that,” he said. “So, just doing as much as you can away from that injury, whether it’s my wrist, my foot, whatever. Just trying to get as much as you can throughout the course of your injury.”

Brunicke (6-foot-3, 195 pounds) earned a shot with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, having two assists in 10 regular-season games there and two points (one goal, one assist) in two games during the Calder Cup Playoffs.

“If you watch his games in Wilkes-Barre, there was growth,” Penguins director of player development Tom Kostopoulos said. “Like, it took off. It was impressive how he grew and the games in the playoffs, he looked very confident for a young kid. So, we’re really excited about the potential he’s got to be a really good two-way defender with some offensive upside.”

The AHL was immediately challenging.

“Credit to him, he figured it out quick,” Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach Kirk MacDonald said. “Came in initially and, you know, he had junior habits where you can just skate by people and hold on to the puck for a long time. I thought he did a really good job the last couple regular-season games. And in the playoff stint, he was moving pucks quick, jumping into the rush.”

Brunicke’s star continues to rise, he was clearly a lot more advanced than the rest of the young prospects in town earlier this month at the development camp. Come September he will be right in the mix and push the conversation about whether his NHL debut should be happening in October.

This won’t be the only young player looking to make waves in training camp. Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen did so well at the end of the 2024-25 regular season that it would be a disappointment if both aren’t regulars (and contributors) to the NHL club next season. Owen Pickering and Joel Blomqvist are looking to take the next steps in their respective career. It used to be rare that the Penguins had even one young player legitimately in the running to make their team on a yearly basis. Now there are several. The question is, who is the primary focus to keep an eye on?

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/18/24469388/friday-poll-which-young-player-will-take-the-next-step

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins’ 2025-26 Schedule by Month: October

Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images

Previewing what will be the opening month of the NHL regular season

We’re less than 85 days until the NHL regular season opens back up. As usual, we start this feature of breaking the Penguins’ season into months by looking at October. Autumn will be in the air and the skates will be cutting through the ice once again. The Pens finish up their preseason schedule by October 3rd after playing their last one with a home tune-up game against the Sabres.

Month: October
Number of games: 12
First Game: October 7th
Home-Road: 5-7
Conference Breakdown: 6 vs. East/6 vs. West
vs. Metro Division: 5
Back-to-Backs: 1

The theme of this year’s schedule for the Penguins is very much a Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday one. Pittsburgh has a couple of Friday games as the year goes on, but they almost never play on Monday’s or Wednesday’s. They almost always play on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. Just a little early heads up if you want to schedule other events in your life accordingly.

The big event this month is smack dab at the front. A nationally televised game in New York is big at any time, doubly so when it serves as opening night and the first meeting of Mike Sullivan going up against Sidney Crosby for the first time. To a lesser degree, it’s Dan Muse getting his first action as an NHL head coach in the arena where he was an assistant the past few years. Big game. The next game is the Pittsburgh home opener, followed by Sullivan getting the opportunity to knock out his first trip back to PPG Paints Arena as an opposing coach.

After that sure-to-be-emotional first week of the season, the Pens will be ready for a getaway. Luckily the schedule seems to note that and affords them something of a reset by making a trip to California early in the year. It’s never a bad time to go out that way, but this trip usually seems like it’s scheduled in January for the Pens (a better team to leave Pittsburgh for the sun). They’ll knock it out early this season, and for the first time in seemingly ever — there are no back-to-back games on that trip.

Similar to the 2024-25 season, the Pens play 12 October games and in the exact same manner of having a five home/seven road split in the season’s first month. Very unlike last season, where there were only two divisional games against Metropolitan foes, the Pens start right off with rival matchups fast and furious. The first three games of the season alone are NYR-NYI-NYR then later on in the month there is a visit from the Blue Jackets and a trip to Philadelphia.

Competition-wise, it might seem like not that challenging on the surface. Yes, there is that trip to Florida looming, but only four of the month’s 11 unique opponents made the post-season last year (FLA, MIN, STL, LAK). None besides the Panthers won a round. Then again, almost everyone on the schedule this month, save for San Jose, has aspirations to be involved in the playoffs next spring. Teams like Vancouver and Anaheim and the Islanders will be looking to get off to good starts to position themselves for the long road ahead.

October represents almost 15% of the season and should give the Pens a pretty good indication of where they stand. Early November looks very, very challenging at first glance with the first games of the month being: @WIN, @TOR, WSH, @NJD and LAK. October, on paper and a few months away, looks a little more manageable. 2025-26 might be a matter of how long the players and coaches can keep the wheels on for the season, and based on the schedule they might be able to have some luck with a decent enough start.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/18/24469301/penguins-2025-26-schedule-by-month-october

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Who could the potential surprise players for the Penguins be in 2025-26?

Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Looking for some happy thoughts on a summer weekend

Taking an optimistic spin on a summer weekend, who are some players that could step up next season and do a little more than what might be commonly expected for the Pens last season? We went about one for three last summer on this area - Blake Lizotte had some moments of looking better than the average fourth liner but Sam Poulin didn’t amount to much (seven NHL games, zero goals and one point) and Brayden Yager got traded away before he had the chance, even though he needed more seasoning in juniors.

Who could be some surprise players for the Pens this season? Could is a very hopeful word but let’s give it a go:

Who it won’t be​

Let’s start with who won’t be making much of an NHL impact

Sergei Murashov - Murashov has a lot of talent but many on the internet are putting the cart before the horse when it comes to typical goalie development time. Murashov just turned 21 in April, you know how many U-22 goalies started a game in the NHL last season? One, Minnesota’s Jesper Wallstedt (who at 22-years old only started all of two NHL games). Two other youngsters in Seattle’s Nikke Kokko and Detroit’s Sebastian Cossa each played one NHL game, but did not start, and that was one singular game only. As of today, Pittsburgh still has Tristan Jarry, Joel Blomqvist and Arturs Silovs to block Murashov’s NHL path. Finding space to have a good AHL season in 2025-26 will keep Murashov on schedule, NHL action is still far off for a goalie still so young. Gotta slow the roll and tap the breaks on any fantastical thought about Murashov riding in on a white horse and making an NHL impact this season.

Any 2025 draft pick - Just don’t see any training camp surprises coming this year the way Harrison Brunicke made a serious run out of no where at an NHL roster spot at age-18 last fall. Then again, there’s something to be said about the nature of surprises in that one doesn’t see it coming...But this time around all the players the Pens drafted are very green and need more development time at lower levels, it would be absolutely stunning if any of them showed anything close to immediate NHL readiness.

Potential surprise players​

Filip Hallander - Hallander is back in the organization after two years. He was compensated well (getting $775,000 regardless of playing the NHL or AHL) but figures to have a shot to make the NHL club. Given the excess forwards by signing players like Anthony Mantha and Justin Brazeau and not yet trading anyone like Noel Acciari or Kevin Hayes, it might be tough for Hallander to find a lineup spot out of camp. But Hallander was the SHL forward of the year and is known to be a strong two-way player. Then again, other recent SHL forwards of the year are NHL washouts or non-factors like: Oscar Lindberg, Antti Suomela and Max Veronneau so maybe too much stock shouldn’t be placed in that award. If the Pens get anything at all out of Hallander it will be a bonus and something more than could have been expected a few months ago.

Harrison Brunicke — would it be a complete shock if Brunicke makes a run at a roster spot? No, he’s on the radar to do that in a way that wasn’t expected last season. But any time a 19-year old second round pick is even in the running that should be worthy to point out as a bonus type of addition. The Pens can’t be counting on Brunicke to come in and make the team, but if he shows up and is one of their best six defenders, he’s going to make the club. Given the state of the Pens’ blueline, that doesn’t feel like a big stretch. How the team might handle so many of their defensemen being right handed (Karlsson, Letang, Dumba, Clifton, and maybe Brunicke) will be more interesting though. Usually teams don’t have enough right shot defenders, but the Pens are the exact opposite. For the moment, anyways.

Alexander Alexeyev - related to the above, someone is going to have to step up and be assigned a role on the Pittsburgh blueline. Alexeyev has his limitations but also a strong analytic profile in his small sample. He played pretty well at times in Washington but never could quite carve out a strong niche or role on that team. If he plays well in Pittsburgh, there should be a job to have. Don’t expect an All-Star but for a guy who rightfully could be considered on the very fringe of making the NHL club or not, maybe he ends up being a bigger part of the team than might be evident in the summer.

Arturs Silovs - The one thing with goalies is ya never know when one could heat up and provide a high level of play out of the blue. Silovs has had a pedestrian looking career in the NHL so far, but is coming off being named the AHL playoff MVP for his excellent run with Abbotsford to the Calder Cup, showing if nothing else a decent amount of talent tantalizingly close to the big league. Silovs has a low bar to clear from what Alex Nedeljkovic put up in two seasons (two goalies per 32 teams is 64, take the top-64 goalies via minutes played and Nedeljkovic ranked 55th in 5v5 save%). Joel Blomqvist doesn’t require waivers to be assigned to the AHL, so presumably the path is wide open for Silovs to at least get a crack at playing in the NHL to start the season. It probably won’t be as glorious as the days of Johan Hedberg as far as a minor league goalie coming out of no where to emerge as a quality NHL option — but at this point who can say Silovs won’t? The nice thing about summer is any and all possibilities are on the table until the puck drops.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/19...rprise-players-for-the-penguins-be-in-2025-26

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Sidney Crosby and Paul Skenes describe meeting each other for the first time

Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images

Two former No. 1 overall picks. Both Pittsburgh superstars.

At the time of writing, Pittsburgh Pirates ace pitcher Paul Skenes, 23, is starting in his second consecutive MLB All-Star Game, doing so after representing the Pittsburgh ball club the first time during his sensational, National League Rookie of the Year-winning campaign last season.

Not many professional athletes, let alone average Joes, know the pressure that comes with the label of being a first overall draft pick.

Luckily for Skenes, he landed in a city where the pro hockey team also drafted a generational superstar with the No. 1 overall pick of the draft.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby finally got the chance to meet the pitcher who has taken Major League Baseball by storm at Pat McAfee’s “Big Night Aht” event at PPG Paints Arena earlier this year.

“I’ve been following him,” said Crosby.

Crosby is listed at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, whereas Skenes is a hulking brute of an athlete at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds. And Skenes’ size was the first thing Crosby took note of.

“First thing that stands out, he’s a big guy,” Crosby said. “If he’s pitching from the mound, I mean, the ball is coming out of his hand like, 10 feet closer. He’s that tall. And he already throws it super hard.”

“Then, seeing how mature he is, you can tell he takes it really serious, he has a lot of pride in his game. You see the highlights of him getting ready for games, all the different stuff he does, and then his performances speak for themselves. But I think you don’t get to that level without putting in a lot of hard work and having a mature approach. I think he’s got that.”

Being that the No. 1 overall pick and presumptive face of the franchise can bring many mental hurdles for athletes to overcome. Crosby believes Skenes has the intangibles to accomplish what’s in front of him.

“It’s probably challenging, but at the same time, I think it’s a good challenge. He’s the right guy to want that challenge, invites that challenge,” Crosby said. “I think the coolest thing is just how much pride he has in being part of Pittsburgh. He’s a guy that wants to win, and I think between him and Andrew McCutchen, I don’t think you could have two better guys to try to build a team around. Those two guys, that’s pretty good.”

Skenes also recognized Crosby’s 20 years of greatness as the face of the NHL and the modern face of the Penguins, adding that he will look to Crosby as something of a role model moving forward.

“He’s a guy that kind of transcends the sport, I think. It’s such a huge honor to be able to have a city know you, and for you to be beloved by the city,” Skenes said. “So, being here forever and winning and doing all that, but also just the type of person he is – that wouldn’t happen unless you’re just an A-plus person.

“It sets an example for people that are in my position and all of our positions to hopefully follow, just because he’s such a unique person, and the city of Pittsburgh has embraced him that way. So, definitely looking up to him now, I’m going to be looking up to him for a while.”

Even as Skenes remains in the infancy of his professional career, while Sidney Crosby is on the back nine, both players seemingly share a mutual respect for one another, being in a select brotherhood of No. 1 overall picks who can create magic and carry an unmistakable aura in their respective sports.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/16...nguins-pirates-sidney-crosby-paul-skenes-meet

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Examining the Penguins goaltender logjam

Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

With Arturs Silovs now in the mix, the Penguins will need to find a solution to the logjam in net.

Last week, the Pittsburgh Penguins boosted their goaltending depth by acquiring Arturs Silovs from the Vancouver Canucks. This move came less than two weeks after shipping Alex Nedeljkovic to the San Jose Sharks, seemingly clearing up the logjam that developed at the position across the Penguins system.

Now with the addition of Silovs into the mix, that same logjam has returned just with a new face. Just by looking at the depth chart as it sits now, common sense says the Penguins will need to make another goaltender trade at some point this summer to once again sort out the depth chart.

As of July 20th, the Penguins have five goaltenders on NHL contracts in the system. Tristan Jarry, Joel Blomqvist, Arturs Silvos, Sergei Murashov, and Filip Larsson. Three of those names played NHL games last season, while all five saw AHL action in some fashion. In fact, after how 2024-25 played out for Tristan Jarry, it’s mildly incredible we are still talking about him as a Penguins goaltender this summer.

When they moved Nedeljkovic earlier this month, it seemed the goaltending situation had been mostly sorted out. They were going to hold onto Jarry as the No. 1 heading into the new season with Blomqvist settling in as the backup at the NHL level.

It’s apparent the organization views Murashov as the future in goal but he’s not quite ready for the leap, so he was going to get more development time in the AHL with Larsson serving as the backup and possibly the emergency callup to the NHL if needed.

Silovs being added to the mix now complicates what seemed to be a rather clear cut depth chart in between the pipes for the Penguins. What further complicates matters for the Penguins is Silovs comes with pedigree, both at the AHL level and some at the NHL level. In leading the Abbotsford Canucks to the Calder Cup last month, Silovs was unconscious in goal, posting a .931 save percentage and 2.01 goals against on his way to winning playoff MVP.

While not proven at the NHL level where plenty of questions still remain regarding Silovs, he did have an impressive stint with the Canucks back in 2024 when he was pressed into action after Thatcher Demko and Casey Desmith were lost for the playoffs. Silovs stepped up and helped the Canucks push the eventual Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers to seven games.

It’s a very small sample size for Silovs in the NHL, and overall it’s been a mixed bag, but he’s shown he can hold his own. If you’re putting together the Penguins goalie depth chart at this moment, he likely slides into the backup role behind Jarry which was seemingly going to be Blomqvist until last week.

That leads to the ultimate question surrounding the Penguins and their goalie depth as this time. What’s the next domino to fall?

Logic says they will make another trade before the season to break the logjam in goal, but the options for a trade boil down to just two real candidates. Silvos and Murashov are certainly not going anywhere any time soon. Larsson has no real trade value and moving him doesn’t actually solve the greater problem. \

That leaves just Jarry and Blomqvist, the two everyone thought were going to be the duo leading the Penguins into the 2025-26 season. If you took a poll of the fan base, a large majority are likely to say move Jarry at the earliest convenience. Easier said than done given his contract and the state of his play for most of last season. Blomqvist is the easier deal to move but there is little trade value there as well, plus he’s still young and has only had a cup of coffee at the NHL level.

In the end though, the Penguins best efforts to clear this logjam in goal appears to lie in moving either Jarry or Blomqvist out. Penguins fans certainly have a preference, and I’m sure Dubas does as well, but until it happens we can only speculate.

Either way, the dam will have to break at some point with Silovs now in the fold and the ever emerging presence of Murashov on the horizon. It feels like only a matter of time until there is a solution offered up by Dubas and the Penguins front office.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/21...silovs-larsson-nhl-ahl-trade-canucks-playoffs

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins’ 2025-26 Schedule by Month: November

Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images

Checking out what the Pens will see this season in the month of November

We found in our analysis of the Penguins’ schedule in the month of October that the NHL season’s first calendar month looks fairly manageable. Let’s check out what could be a much more challenging month for how November 2025 has been set up.

Month: November
Number of games: 12
Home-Road-Neutral: 6-4-2
Conference Breakdown: 6 vs. East/6 vs. West
vs. Metro Division: 3
Back-to-Backs: 3

The big feature of the month of November is fit around the middle of the month. In between four days off on each side, the Pens go to Stockholm Sweden for two games against the Nashville Predators. (Sidenote: sort of a bummer to not have a Pens game in Nashville this season in one of the top road cities on most people’s lists.)

That trade-off comes with playing two European games for the Pens’ first international* regular season games since a trip to Stockholm in 2008. Both teams won a game. The Pens and Preds have a shared international history — the two clubs met for two NHL regular season games way over in Japan in 2000.

(*International as in beyond Canada in the standard league cities, obvs)

Another note is the increase in competition compared to October. The Pens open the month of November with five-straight 2024-25 playoff opponents, including last season’s top regular season team in both the West (Winnipeg) and East (Washington). There’s also trips to Toronto and New Jersey involved, the latter typically a house of horrors for Pittsburgh over the years. It’s not going to be an easy road, particularly in the early going of November and will be a real challenge getting into the heart of the season.

The annual tradition of the home game on Thanksgiving Eve is in place once again. The Pens are 8-2-2 in the Sidney Crosby era when playing at home the night before Turkey day. They’ll be looking to fatten that record up against Buffalo that kicks off a three-game-in-four-days stint to end the month.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/21/24471466/penguins-2025-26-schedule-by-month-november

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Another year, another Anthony redemption attempt for the Penguins

Photo by Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images

This year’s free agent signing has a lot in common with last year

This summer, much like last summer the Penguins made a free agent signing with a lot of similarities. Both involved former first round picks, both were forwards hailing from Quebec. Both players had at least one 20-goal NHL season in their history, but both had bounced around playing for three different teams in the previous two seasons after signing contracts worth over $15 million and disappointing. In that realm, both were already one step beyond the typical standard second chance.

Heck, both even have the same first name of Anthony.

The Pens’ 2025 redemption case, Anthony Mantha, will be looking to walk in the footsteps of 2024’s successful revitalization of Anthony Beauvillier. The latter ended the season in the playoffs and signing a multi-year deal worth over $5 million in totality, while also bringing Pittsburgh back a better draft pick than many expected (second round).

It won’t be easy for Mantha, coming off a torn ACL and surgery to repair it last November.

“It’s been a long time. I should be ready for camp,” Mantha said in speaking to the media yesterday. “That was my main goal when I did get surgery. It’s going to be almost 10 months post-op at the start of camp, so I should be all set and running. I’ll be ready. That’s the ultimate goal, and that’s exactly what I told Pitt when we were talking to each other over the summer.”

Modern science and sports physio has made a short turnaround time for athletes to return from major injuries, Mantha re-iterated that he plans to hit the ground running.

“I need to really get back into it, really focus and play my best hockey from camp on,” said Mantha, who has put more of an emphasis on defense over the past couple of years, while still doing what he does best in the offensive zone. “If I have a good chance at shooting the puck, I’ll shoot it. I won’t think twice about it.”

Saying the right things is one thing, it remains to be seen how Mantha will perform on the ice. A knock on him has always been getting his output to match his immense skillset and the promise that a 6’5”, 235 pound player who can skate and has good hands could potentially do.

Mantha had 24 and 25 goal seasons with Detroit in 2018 and 2019 then scored 38 points in 43 games in the 2019-20 COVID season. He was in his mid-20’s and potentially looking like an impact player at the NHL level and then it didn’t really launch. A trade to Washington had him middling and left the Caps wondering how to get the most out of him. Mantha only recorded 24 goals in his first three seasons with the Caps (114 games), but then broke out with 20-goals in 56 games in a contract year of 2023-24. That helped boost him up enough to be moved as a trade deadline piece for Vegas.

That stint ended up being another step back, Mantha played in Games 1-3, and the Golden Knights were left so unsatisfied that they made their big deadline pick a healthy scratch for Games 4-7 in the rest of the series that they would lose and turn him out into free agency. Mantha signed with Calgary, looking against for redemption but suffered the ACL injury in the early going of 2024-25, bringing us up to the current day.

“For me, it’s to bring the best hockey I can... find some confidence, and make things happen.”

Realizing the journey he’s been on for the past few years, that statement hits a little harder. Anthony Mantha has spent a decade in the NHL playing over 500 games and produced 300 points. That alone is impressive, he’s lived out the dream of any hockey player and made a mark on the biggest stage. He’s made over $35 million in his career, more money than most could dream of. Yet with all these accomplishments, he still comes with an air of unfulfilled potential. As a player he’s been knocked at times floating or not giving his best performances. He’s got the talent, but hasn’t shown the drive at all times to impress all observers. There seems to be that hidden layer to tap into to draw out even more.

The Pens will look to do that. Their big Anthony success story only scored 13 goals and 20 points in 63 games last season, he didn’t exactly set the world on fire. But he proved himself in a variety of roles up and down the lineup and doing whatever it took at any phase of the game on power play, penalty kill or even strength, left or right wing, playing with Sidney Crosby or enduring a healthy scratch - and everything in between.

Such is likely the future of this year’s Anthony, coming off that knee injury it might require a little more time than advertised to get him to the top of his game. If there’s been anything learned from Mantha’s career so far it’s that there will be some ups and downs, stops and starts with moments of dazzling brilliance sprinkled in.

“Luckily enough, Pitt came through, and I think gave me a great opportunity and great deal from the start of free agency,” Mantha said. “It was hard to look past them, and I’m just excited to join the Penguins.”

Likewise, it’s hard to look past Mantha, based on his physical appearance alone. That will make him a big target to see if this season’s Anthony redemption attempt ends up being as successful for all parties as last year’s ended up.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/22...demption-attempt-for-the-penguins-lineup-2025

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins’ 2025-26 Schedule by Month: December

Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images

The Penguins will ring in the holiday season with a nice mix of games, including a five-game homestand.

Continuing our month-by-month look at the Pittsburgh Penguins’ schedule, December’s slate of games starts and ends with a Metropolitan Division battle and includes a season-long five-game homestand against the Anaheim Ducks (Dec. 9), the Montreal Canadiens (Dec. 11), the San Jose Sharks (Dec. 13), the Utah Mammoth (Dec. 14) and the Edmonton Oilers (Dec. 16).

Note: White = Away Game; Black = Home Game

Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins’ December 2025 schedule

Month: December
Number of games: 14
Home-Road-Neutral: 7-7-0
Conference Breakdown: 8 vs. East/6 vs. West
vs. Metro Division: 2
Back-to-Backs: 2

This month’s slate of games is pretty evenly spread out heading into the holiday break, with only one two-day break in between games outside of the shutdown.

A three-game trip against an always-gritty Flyers team and two 2025 playoff teams in the Lightning and Stars isn’t the easiest way to start the month.

December’s schedule also includes several teams the Penguins are seeing for the first time this season, including Tampa, Dallas, Montreal (who they play three times over 10 days), Utah, Edmonton, Ottawa, Chicago and Carolina.

The middle of December, heading into Christmas, features a five-game swing against Canadian markets, kicking off with another Sidney Crosby-Connor McDavid go-around. However, if recent history is any indication, the Penguins may want to ask Santa for an early gift, as Pittsburgh has won only one of its last eight games against McDavid and Co. dating back to 2019.

The Penguins return from their holiday break with a trip to the Windy City to play against Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks before closing out 2025 with a home matchup against the Hurricanes.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/23/24471885/penguins-2025-26-schedule-by-month-december

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Let’s remember some guys: Pittsburgh Penguins edition

We are going to remember some guys that played for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Let’s remember some guys.

You’ve probably taken part in this game at some point in your sports fandom, whether it be on social media, or at a bar with your friends or just hanging out somewhere and talking about sports. Maybe even at a game.

The way it works is it is just a wholesome, back-and-forth exchange of random — emphasis on random — players from 10 or 15 years ago. Or more. You do not always need a story to go with it, you just need the name. Then you all remember it and say, “oh yeah, I remember that guy.”

Because it is the middle of the offseason and the Pittsburgh Penguins have not made any more trades for us to talk about, we are going to remember some guys. Only I am going to add in some random anecdotes or stories that I have or can think of.

When playing “remember some guys” the key is to not remember players that are too good or even were on too good of a team;

Jaromir Jagr is not a remember a guy.

Alexei Kovalev is not a remember a guy.

Martin Straka may not even be a remember a guy.

Guillame Lefebrve is a remember a guy.

Dan Focht. Jeff Toms. Ramzi Abid. Kent Manderville. Ric Jackman. Eric Meloche. Vladimir Vujtek. Matt Hussey.

Shawn Heins is also a remember a guy. The big thing I remember about Shawn Heins is that he was 29 years old when he was acquired in the middle of the 2002-03 season, had a booming slap shot and everybody went nuts because his last name was Heins and he wore No. 57. He may have scored a goal at some point.

Ian Moran is a guy you remember, not only because he played forward and defense, but specifically because he was responsible for the greatest Ice Time cover of all time, which I still own for some reason.

Rico Fata is also a guy you remember. I have told this Rico Fata story before on Twitter a couple of times — and ended up getting blocked by the one and only Rico Fata for it, for some reason — but I am going to tell it again.

Shortly after the Penguins traded Kovalev to the New York Rangers for a package of players that included Mikael Samuelsson and Fata, I went to a game against the Phoenix Coyotes with my dad. It was the first game after the trade, and Fata was in the lineup. It was pretty apparent from warmups and the first shift of the game that he had a different gear in terms of speed than every other player on the ice. He was just FAST. He was also one of those guys whose feet were seemingly too fast for his hands, and he would have some issues controlling the puck and making plays with it.

This greatly angered the random guy sitting next to us in the E balcony of the Mellon Arena.

Every time Fata would fumble a puck this guy would just mutter “oh my God” to no one in particular.

Every time it happened his “oh my God” would get louder and louder.

“Oh my god. OH MY GOD. OH. MY. GOD. OH! MY! GOD!”

Finally at some point in the third period after another fumbled puck, the guy put his hands up to his mouth and screamed as loud as he could, “would somebody please go to Play It Again Sports and get Rico Fata a used set of hands.”

Those words have stayed with me to this day and are the first things I think of when I think of Rico Fata.

That, and a game early in the 2003-04 season when he scored two goals in a game against the Detroit Red Wings, completing a third period come-from-behind win in a game the Penguins had absolutely zero business winning.

I remember Tomas Surovy and thinking he was going to be a legitimate top-line player. Now I look back at his numbers and see that he scored like 12 goals in a season.

I remember Randy Robitaille. What I remember most about Randy Robitaille was, senior year in high school Adam Student Rushing a game with my childhood best friend, Corey Cauffiel, and hanging out next to the players parking lot hoping to collect autographs. I have a jersey that is weirdly signed by most of the 2002-03 team hanging in my bar room. It is a monument to remember some guys. Anyway, Randy Robitaille was signing a bunch of stuff for people and was super chill, just chatting with everybody and hanging out. Then the guy standing next to us made the mistake of asking, “are you related to Luc?” The smile immediately went away from Robitaille’s face as he stared daggers at the man, before firmly — but still somewhat respectfully — saying “......NO.”

He probably had that question a lot.

I remember Hans Jonsson, who was taken 286th overall in his draft class and then eventually made it to the NHL. I remember thinking “this guy is going to be awesome.”

The common denominator in all of these guys is the played for the rebuilding Penguins teams in the early 2000s in the era between Jaromir Jagr and Sidney Crosby.

Now that the Penguins are entering another rebuilding phase there is going to be some serious “remember some guy” potential for players currently on the team, or that played on the team this past season. So let’s try to look ahead 15 or 20 years and think of who we are going to be looking at from this era and remembering some guys.

Noel Accairi has real remember a guy potential.

Emil Bemstrom. Connor Dewar. Vincent Desharnais. Vladislav Kolyachonok is definitely a guy you will remember.

Connor Timmins. Justin Brazeau. Alexander Alexeyev. Parker Wortherspoon feels like a remember a guy already and he is still on the team (and has not even played a game yet). Blake Lizotte. Anthony Mantha.

All of these players are potentially guys you will remember.

Thank you for remembering some guys with me.

Who are some guys that YOU remember? Let’s talk about them in the comments.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/24/24473500/lets-remember-some-guys-pittsburgh-penguins-edition

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

A new look coming for PensBurgh in August

Our coverage remains the same but with a new look

In just a couple of weeks, PensBurgh is switching to a new platform as part of SB Nation’s network-wide move to a new publishing platform. This will change the look of the site and also make it faster and more reliable on any device you use. This is an upgrade.

When you land on the site, it will look cleaner – less clunky, with more white space, a better ad experience with faster load times – but will still have all the usual articles, analysis, and news by all the folks you know.

Community discussion and content created by you will be more prominent in the new design. The best comment threads will be easy to find, and staff and commenters alike will be able to start conversations whenever they like with a brand new tool.

We’re planning on an early August reveal, so we wanted to give you a heads up. You’ll hear more from us when it’s almost here. The site will look a little different, feel a little faster, and, most importantly, have a bigger role for you, the community.

So, stick around and check it out!

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/7/24/24472217/a-new-look-coming-for-pensburgh-in-august