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[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Summer 2025 Tiers of Security for the Penguins

Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images

Lots of players could be in play this offseason

Memorial Day is the unofficial kickoff for summer and with summer comes the season of roster movement across the NHL. The league is focused on the playoffs at this point, but trades have happened this time of year in the past due to the quick turnaround coming up with the NHL draft (June 27-28) coming up just before free agency opens (July 1).

Here’s how the Penguins stand to enter the summer.

Tier 1: Safe as can be
Call this the Jeff Carter Memorial Area — all of these players are clear to come back to the Pens in 2025-26 if they want to do so, courtesy of clauses in their contracts. Not to mention that the team likely wouldn’t be thinking about roster movement for them in the first place.

Sidney Crosby - Crosby re-signed with the Penguins through 2027 because he wants to stay with the team that has been his team for 20 years. That’s the reality of the situation, as hard as that fact can be to accept for some out there.

Evgeni Malkin - Some speculation never ends, but the one constant all along has been Malkin saying that he has been planning to come back to the Penguins in 2025-26, the last season on his contract.

Kris Letang - Letang has a full no movement clause in his contract this year. Given his age (38), time remaining on his contract (three years) and recent heart surgery, it doesn’t look like he’s leaving the Pens in the near future.

Tier 1b: The $10 million question..
Stay tuned!

Erik Karlsson - Karlsson has a full no movement, so he could be up a notch if he wanted. But he doesn’t fit nicely in the “no doubter” area after getting called out by Dubas and going through two unsatisfying seasons it might be time to rehome him with a team that is in contention. There’s got to be a path for Karlsson to remain in Pittsburgh since he’s got a big salary and two more years to go on it

Tier 2: Young, valuable players
This group of players are either off limits or close, because the Pens know them well enough that they have more value playing for them in the future than they would compared to what a different team would give up in a trade

Ville Koivunen - After a great rookie season split between the AHL and NHL, the Pens have to be thrilled and excited to see more out of Koivunen next season.

Rutger McGroarty - McGroarty could well be the next Penguin captain one day with his leadership skills and personality. The Pens stayed patient in 2024-25 was a

Owen Pickering - Kyle Dubas traded Brayden Yager last summer, so never say never when it comes to flipping young players. But unless something materializes to help the team, it would seem a good bet that Pickering is kept to see how much he can grow into the crucial second pro season.

Tier 3a: Veteran core, but...
This tier is probably the key to the Pens’ off-season. These are valuable players but with the team in the midst of their rebuild/turnover, they also can’t be considered absolute locks to return to Pittsburgh next fall depending on how much the Pens steer into getting younger.

Bryan Rust - Rust’s full no movement clause expires on July 1 and he will have zero trade protection written into his contract at that point. He’s now 33 and coming off a career-best season of 30 goals and 65 points. The head may say it’s time to cash in and move on (especially with three more seasons to go on his contract) but even though Rust doesn’t have formal trade protection his all-around play, the heart might pull more towards his effectiveness and role as a key player making him one that will be hard to move on from.

Rickard Rakell - This situation is similar to the above with much of Rust’s writeup applying here. Rakell just turned 32 and just had a career-best season himself with 35 goals and 70 points. The price for another team to acquire him will be sky high, if it’s not met the Penguins look totally content to keep a great winger and take value from him on the ice helping the club in that regard for a while longer yet.

Tier 3b: Well these guys are also here
Veterans who aren’t a huge piece but find themselves just hangin’ around

Blake Lizotte - Lizotte was quietly effective as a fourth liner. He’s probably not a player that other teams are tripping over to add right now but also does no harm in coming back and doing his thing for a while longer.

Danton Heinen - At a $2.25 million salary, Heinen wouldn’t be off limits to move but coming off a meh season there’s no reason to expect much to change any time soon. He’s pretty much the definition of just being around, not going to hurt but not going to contribute a lot or make much of a target for another team to seek out.

Ryan Shea - The Pens like Shea in the new Chad Ruhwedel mold of a player who can be scratched as the extra defenseman for long periods and jump back into the lineup as needed.

Tommy Novak - An injury stopped Novak’s time with the Pens almost as soon as it started after just two games. The team sounded fairly excited to see what he can do but even though Novak is new to Pittsburgh, he doesn’t fit being a young player at 28 so this seems like as good of a tier as any for him at this point.

Tier 4: Who would want them?
Likely to be safe because it’s not like anyone outside the league is seeking them

Kevin Hayes - He carries a $3.57 million cap hit that is bigger than his on ice value. Hayes has a lot of intangibles but his effectiveness and role can be spotty. Other teams are going to have younger, cheaper and better options to go after.

Noel Acciari - Could there be a market for one of the slowest and least productive players in the league that also has a $2 million salary? Maybe deeper into next season. Acciari is a warrior on the ice and surely liked by more coaches than a critic would allow but does anyone want 82 games from him now?

Alex Nedeljkovic - Nedeljkovic is a platonic ideal replacement level goalie. He posts average-ish stats, can be a decent 1B/backup but also comes with a $2.5 million salary that won’t make him an appealing pickup for NHL teams.

Vladislav Kolyachonok - Didn’t get a ton of traction after being claimed on waivers. Though a different style of player, Kolyachonok could be this year’s John Ludvig as a 7/8 type of defenseman that tries to find staying power in the lineup and faces another trip to the waiver wire if he falls short, likely isn’t anyone another team is going to bother going out and acquiring via a trade.

Tier 5: Team would love to move on
And probably not for a huge return

Tristan Jarry - Perhaps Jarry could move into tier 3, but at this point who knows what the future holds for him. He got waived last season and still has three more years to go on a $5.375 million cap hit. Can the Pens ever trust him again? They might not have a choice if there’s no great trade options. But trying to find a swap with retention and/or taking back a bad contract makes sense for all parties to get a fresh start.

Ryan Graves - Season two in Pittsburgh was just as poor for Graves as the first. His cap hit at $4.5 million is onerous, the four seasons remaining on it are even worse.

Tier 6: Free Agent decisions
There’s about a month to go before free agency starts, none of these players have been re-signed just yet. Read into that at your own risk for how much or little of a priority they may be..

Philip Tomasino (RFA) - Tomasino scored some goals and added a little bit of pop, but his fit in the lineup is questionable with players like Koivunen and McGroarty stepping up. It makes sense to bring Tomasino back for another season but his foothold on a job can be questioned.

Conor Timmins (RFA) - Dubas is clearly very fond of Timmins, there’s not much question that the Pens will qualify the defender and sign him up for next season and see where it goes from there.

Connor Dewar (RFA) - Was Dewar just a throw-in by Toronto to clear cap space and a contract out? Pittsburgh has a surplus of fourth line players. Dewar’s younger than many of them and a perfectly fine fourth liner if the team wants to keep him.

Vasily Ponomarev (RFA) - Ponomarev is an interesting case because Dubas has frequently said they think he’s close, but he’s barely played NHL games and made minimal impacts when in the lineup. He’s young enough to want to hang on to for at least another year to see if it can click but the clock is starting to tick and nothing

P.O. Joseph (RFA) - Well, round two with the Pens was definitely something that happened. It doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of urgency to see much more.

Matt Nieto (UFA) - Unfortunately a pair of major knee injuries derailed Nieto’s time with the Pens. Now at 32 and looking longer in the tooth than that, this looks like the end of the road.

Matt Grzelcyk (UFA) - We’ll always have those 39 assists! Grzelcyk’s redemption season was uneven at best, the Pens could always look to bring him back to keep eating tough minutes but likely will seek more capable alternatives.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/25/24436971/summer-2025-tiers-of-security-for-the-penguins

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Mike Vellucci is a World Champion, and it’s officially “Penguins name a coach” week

Photo by EyesWideOpen/Getty Images

This should be the week there’s finally a Penguin coach named

It’s been almost a month since the Penguins moved on from Mike Sullivan on April 28th. Kyle Dubas recently said he planned to name a new head coach by June 1st, which believe it or not the start of June is just a few days away on Sunday. That should mean finalization on figuring out who the team wants to hire is coming within the next few days.

There hasn’t been much by way or news or notes in the Pens’ search in the last week, but that should change soon. Dubas is back from Europe with the World Championships concluded. It was a tough ending for Dubas, Sidney Crosby, Marc-Andre Fleury and Team Canada when they got tripped up in the quarterfinals. The glory ended up going to quasi-current Penguin assistant coach Mike Vellucci and former Penguin, Drew O’Connor and Pittsburgh native Logan Cooley who ended up winning gold with Team USA.

Front page news: TEAM USA JUST MADE HISTORY #MensWorlds pic.twitter.com/UG20JQdB85

— USA Hockey (@usahockey) May 25, 2025​

It was nice to see the team honor their friends Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau, and very fitting. Not many NHL players give up their time and make playing in this event, often in Europe and at the expense of their free time, a priority. Gaudreau, the US’s all-time leader in games and points, always did. It’s fitting the international 2024-25 season comes to an end with him celebrated.

Vellucci served as an assistant for the Americans, his name hasn’t been around much by way or news reports or speculation for the Penguin head coaching job. Dubas didn’t suggest Vellucci would be interviewing, unlike fellow 2024-25 assistant David Quinn who did get a look. Vellucci, along with assistant coaches Ty Hennes and Andy Chiodo, according to Dubas were at the end of their contracts after this season. (Quinn, who only joined Pittsburgh for this past season, still remains under contract with the Pens at the moment).

Dubas stated that the assistant coaches were all free to seek employment with other teams immediately but had the option to wait and interview for positions under the Penguins’ next head coach. Dubas emphasized that this approach was intended to provide a “clean slate” for the incoming head coach, which doesn’t sound too promising for the future statuses of the current coaches, especially ones like Vellucci that don’t currently have a contract for next season.

Quinn has interviewed with the Seattle Kraken, and per Elliotte Friedman is a finalist for that job along with Lane Lambert. Friedman noted that Washington Capitals assistant coach Mitch Love is expected to interview in Pittsburgh again this week.

Other reported contenders or at least coaches who have been mentioned with some involvement in the process in addition to Love include Jay Woodcroft, DJ Smith and Drew Bannister.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/26...and-its-officially-penguins-name-a-coach-week

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

2025 NHL Draft Rankings: #9 Victor Eklund

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

A small forward with skill who might just fall a little below this ranking...

Welcome back to our feature on draft profiles for projected top picks in the upcoming 2025 NHL draft. Catch up with the previous ones here:

No 1: Matthew Schaefer
No 2: Michael Misa
No. 3: Porter Martone
No. 4: Anton Frondell
No. 5: James Hagens
No. 6: Caleb Desnoyers
No. 7: Jake O’Brien
No. 8: Roger McQueen

For the rankings, we have turned to the venerable Bob McKenzie from TSN for his listing of players. McKenzie’s list is typically in-tune with the NHL, because his rankings are an average that comes from surveying 10 active NHL scouts. As such, the list is set as follows for players we will look to profile in the coming weeks to spread some awareness and knowledge for Pittsburgh NHL fans to get to know some of the top prospects.

No. 9: Victor Eklund, 5’11” 161 pounds, RW, Djurgardens (SHL)​

McKenzie’s midseason notes on Eklund succinctly tells the tale of one of the more interesting prospects in this draft:

The younger brother of San Jose young gun William Eklund, Victor is a sub-six-foot winger who plays a speedy, high-energy two-way game with a nice skill level. He projects as a top nine NHL forward who could elevate to top six.

Aside from being under 6’ and currently at a light 160 pounds, Eklund is everything teams want. He’s got great skill and really works all over the ice. Eklund had a comparable or perhaps even a better season in many regards to his teammate and fellow high draft peer Anton Frondell.

Broad Street Hockey talked about how Eklund’s ability for the “little things” to help drive and compliment Frondell.

we talked about Anton Frondell’s biggest weakness as a playdriver and in carrying the puck with a purpose through the neutral zone and into the offensive zone. Well, Eklund seemed to be the perfect linemate for a player like Frondell this past season. There are so many Djurgårdens highlights that see Eklund do all the little stuff mentioned above – strong skating through the neutral zone, pressure along the offensive boards, good stick work to force a turnover. Eklund, in my eyes, was the engine that made that line run on most occasions, and Frondell’s raw tools and goal-scoring ability were a beneficiary. That’s not to take away from Frondell (scoring tools/ability is important!), but to say that the fundamentals of Eklund’s game are some of the strongest in the draft class.

Eklund is getting lost in the shuffle at the top of the draft due to the preponderance of centers available at the top of this class. It’s possible, if not even likely, that several ranked below him (like defenseman Radim Mrtka and rising center Brady Martin, who we will profile later on) will hop Eklund on draft day.

In that realm, the best case scenario for Eklund might be to draw a comparable to Seth Jarvis, who was picked 13th overall in his draft class. Jarvis is also a sub-6’ forward who has fit in just fine and found his way around the ice to become a very quality young forward. Eklund has that potential and capability given his skills and play style. Some NHL clubs with high picks may look to prioritize other areas like a center, defender or some size but Eklund could make a team in the 9-13 range very happy down the line if he continues to develop and showcase his abilities like he did in 2024-25.

They said it​

The Athletic (Scott Wheeler)

The younger brother of Sharks first-rounder William Eklund, Victor gets above-average grades for his smarts, skill and skating, but he’s also a standout competitor who works and plays hard for a 5-foot-11 winger. He wins races. He keeps his feet moving. He gets inside body positioning. He can play the bumper or the flank on the power play. He finishes his checks. He’s got great edges and handles, and a quick and accurate wrister. And he plays an intuitive, heady game on and off the puck. I think he’s got the tools to develop into a nice top-six player in the NHL. He’s a smallish winger, but as with William, Victor has proven through smarts, skill, good feel for the game and determination — William was always a determined player, but Victor checks that box with even more emphasis — that he can make it work. I don’t expect him to get picked as high as his brother, who was drafted seventh by the Sharks in 2021, but he looks like a worthwhile top-10 candidate in this class to me. He’s a very good, likable hockey player.

Scouching

I’m not totally sure exactly how much scoring he’ll do in the NHL, but I could very easily see him being an insanely effective possession player that is a thorn in the opponent’s shoes with relentless physicality, pace, and speed that is tough to counter. He’s a heck of a shooter but his shot selection needs work. He’s a heck of a playmaker but his timing and ability to slow the game down a bit is also a little deficient. That said, he still drives very very good results in a pretty big role on a men’s team in Sweden. Continuously controlling about 2/3 of the possession and shot attempts from scoring areas while on the ice, Eklund is effective, hard-working, and will endear himself to fans very quickly. He’s very different to his brother William, but they could offset each other very easily should Victor land in San Jose. He’s an excellent open ice skater with huge efficiency everywhere, and the only real area that needs improvement is in the offensive zone especially with regards to his shooting. This is not an uncommon issue for young players playing in the men’s level, but it’s a roadblock to projectable scoring in the NHL. Nevertheless, I love Eklund, and I know the Djurgårdens crew does as well. I could see him slip on draft day like his brother did, but I could easily see him be undervalued like his brother was.

Daily Faceoff (Steven Ellis)

Eklund is so, so skilled. He makes things happen with the puck that very few can, and he’s got an excellent shot, to boot. I loved him at the World Juniors because it felt like he was always involved in the puck play. He might not be big at 5-foot-11, but he does have some decent strength. Defensively, he needs work, but it shouldn’t stop him from playing high in the lineup. His skating continues to get better to the point where it might end up being a strength of his in the NHL.

Sportsnet (Sam Cosentino)

Another tenacious, fast-moving winger who thinks the game at a high level. He can turn on a dime, handle the puck in tight areas, and has a deceptive shot. Away from the puck, he can find open ice without sacrificing positional play.

—

Eklund is the type of player that scouts have fallen in love with and rave about, and it’s easy to see why. He is a very visible player and makes his team better all over the ice. In the broader scope, managers and decision makers will be a little more leery and slower to come around on. Eklund doesn’t play center, and he isn’t big. When a team has a top 3 or 5 or 10 pick they have to consider value and project what they could get when they have almost everything to choose from at the top of the draft.

That’s where a team like the Penguins at 11 or even as low as Detroit at 13 (two common landing places for Eklund in mock drafts) could benefit by sweeping up the “leftovers”. If you could re-draft the first round of 2020 today, where does Seth Jarvis (13) go now? Maybe eighth or ninth? It’s early but the same could be said for a team drafting Eklund in the 9-13 range ending up with a better NHL player than he was a top-end prospect on draft day.

Similarly, in a perfect world, the Pens would probably prefer to come away with a well-regarded center or defenseman with their pick this year, considering their prospect pool is shallow in both areas. However, there is a very good chance they will have Eklund around as a possibility to weigh against if they think he can translate his game into being a good enough option to take when they’re on the clock.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/26/24437041/2025-nhl-draft-rankings-9-victor-eklund

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Help us, help you? Potential trade pickups for the Penguins

Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images

Who could be this year’s Kevin Hayes or Cody Glass?

A look from Daily Faceoff about players that are available or could be on the trading block presents some interesting opportunities for a team like the Pittsburgh Penguins. Last summer the Pens used some of their cap space to bail out other teams. They took on Kevin Hayes and Cody Glass from St. Louis and Nashville respectively, as well as some draft pick compensation to free space up for teams to move on.

The NHL’s salary cap is finally over the hump from deflated revenue years early in the decade, but a $4 million increase only goes so far for contenders. There’s always an appetite for teams to move on from overpaid and/or underperforming players in attempts to reload and try something new. If the Pens operate like last year, they could be the beneficiaries. Pittsburgh has plenty of cap space for next season and nothing to really use it on (unless it’s time to get really aggressive..) which could make them brokers again to get paid to take on other team’s unwanted contracts.

Offseason mode activated for 28 teams. Time to cook.#Sabres JJ Peterka leads first Trade Targets board of the summer:https://t.co/jlq2E23dTy

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) May 27, 2025​

2. Chris Kreider

Left Wing, New York Rangers
Age: 34Stats: 68 GP, 22 G, 8 A, 30 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $6.5 million AAV
Scoop: It was undoubtedly a difficult year for Kreider, the career-long Blueshirt, who dealt with a mangled hand, vertigo and oh yes, the spotlight of a league-wide memo that indicated his GM was open to offers for him. Kreider is just 11 goals away from second all-time for the Original Six franchise and he isn’t interested in leaving. He has a 15-team ‘no-trade’ that could complicate things for Chris Drury. But if we’ve learned anything with Drury (see: Jacob Trouba), when he is motivated to make change, he’ll find a way to see it through.

It’s hard to believe but some speculated Krieder could still retain positive trade value, much the same way that the aforementioned Trouba actually still fetched the Rangers a mid-round draft pick. If that doesn’t come to pass - or if Kreider can manage to throw road blocks with his clauses, perhaps that will be different. Then again, since Kreider can block getting traded to about half of the league, perhaps Pittsburgh won’t exactly be on his clear list these days.

It’s probably unlikely this happens, and the Penguins will have valid reason to not want to help the Rangers’ plans at all if Pittsburgh is getting NYR’s 2026 first round pick, so don’t count on it from happening for a myriad of reasons. But on the surface, offloading Kreider to Pittsburgh for a bit fits the mold of similar moves made.

7. Erik Karlsson

Right Defense, Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 34Stats: 82 GP, 11 G, 42 A, 53 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $10 million AAV
Scoop: League sources are expecting Karlsson’s name to percolate as GM Kyle Dubas spools up a retool or rebuild to get Pittsburgh back on track. Karlsson has played two seasons in the Steel City and this one was better than the first. That $10 million cap hit will be difficult to navigate. But is there someone willing to give their blueline a shot in the arm with a capable quarterback? Karlsson turned back the clock at 4 Nations Face-Off.

It’s always interesting to get a league-wide perspective on how Karlsson is perceived. What happens here is anyone’s guess, but here’s to a reminder that very few teams actually heavily pursue big name/big salary players. The late Johnny Gaudreau was surprised that many teams sat out making him offers and he had to choose between Columbus and New Jersey. The last time Karlsson was on the market, a few teams kicked around on him but it was really only the Pens that made a serious play to get him (and it took several weeks/months to get a trade completed). The ability and eagerness for several teams to go out of their way to add huge salaries isn’t always there, no matter the cap outlook. It usually ends up being less interest and possibilities than you might think.

Such market forces could mean Karlsson and Pittsburgh have little other option than to keep one another for one more year. No guarantee, but an interesting thought to keep in mind as the summer goes along.

12. Elvis Merzlikins

Goaltender, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 31
Stats: 53 GP, 3.18 GAA, .892 SV%, 1 SO
Contract: 2 years remaining, $5.4 million AAV
Scoop: Are the Blue Jackets going to shake up their crease? When you look at Columbus’ season, they were felled not by their offense (eighth in goals) but by their inability to keep pucks out of the net. They ranked 25th in goals against – giving up exactly as many as they scored. Part of that is on what happened in front of Merzlikins. Part of that is on Merzlikins. He holds a 10-team, no-trade list.

Hypothetical theater: Tristan Jarry for Merzlikins, who says no? Merzlikins hasn’t been very good but acquiring him would trim off one year from the commitment Jarry has on his contract and almost identical cap hits ($5.375m for Jarry, $5.4m for Merzlikins). CBJ would need and have to think Jarry can rebound and play back towards his typical talent level to make it possible, which may or may not be the case.

14. Erik Haula

Center/Left Wing, New Jersey Devils
Age: 34Stats: 69 GP, 11 G, 10 A, 21 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $3.15 million AAV
Scoop: If there’s a list of disappointing seasons in New Jersey, Haula’s name will appear toward the top of it. The Haula Famer has typically been very consistent throughout his career, but he struggled to produce as the rest of the Devils‘ depth scoring dried up. He has the ability to play center, which is a nice versatile bonus, but if GM Tom Fitzgerald is beefing up his middle/bottom six forward group, Haula could be on the out.

Here’s one the Pens should be all over, to at least get a sense of out what is what. There’s double value here, if Haula is good in 2025-26, he’s definitely a candidate as a center to flip at the deadline for even more of a return. Pittsburgh can give minutes to a player like this to inflate his value and give him a great opportunity to get back on track. Even if the Devils wouldn’t pay a pick to clear Haula, if the price is right this could be a prime chance for the Pens to get low, pump up and sell for something a little better.

17. David Kampf

Center, Toronto Maple Leafs
Age: 30Stats: 59 GP, 5 G, 8 A, 13 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $2.4 million AAV
Scoop: With a late-season injury, Kampf really faded into the background, with coach Craig Berube opting to keep him out of the lineup for most of the Stanley Cup playoffs as a healthy scratch. Now, Kampf has two years left at a number that isn’t problematic, but probably still less than ideal for the Leafs. He is a quality utility player who competes, so they should be able to find a taker.

The Maple Leafs could use all the cap space they can get and Kampf was a healthy scratch at the most important time of the year. Kyle Dubas showed he could make transactions with Toronto by picking up Conor Timmins and Connor Dewar, and now Brendan Shanahan is out of the picture. If the Leafs wanted to hand Kampf (or Calle Jarnkork) over, a team like the Pens could easily accommodate if the terms were right.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/27...mors-pickups-for-the-penguins-rangers-toronto

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

2024-25 Season in review: Alex Nedeljkovic

Photo by Zak Krilll/NHLI via Getty Images

The season that was for the Penguin goalie

Vitals​

Player: Alex Nedeljkovic
Born: January 7, 1996 (age 29 season)
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 203 pounds
Hometown: Parma, Ohio, USA
Catches: Left
Draft: Round 2, Pick 7 (No. 37 overall) in the 2014 NHL draft by the Carolina Hurricanes
Acquired: Signed in free agency ahead of the 2023-24 season.
2024-25 Statistics: 38 appearances (35 starts), 14-15-5 record, .894 save percentage, 3.12 goals against average, 1 shutout
Contract Status: Nedeljkovic is signed for one more season before he is set to hit unrestricted free agency in 2025-26, carrying a $2.5 million cap hit for next season

Monthly Splits​

via Yahoo!

Nedeljkovic was injured at the start of the season but jumped right in playing in 11 out of the team’s 14 games from his debut on October 20th - November 16th. He saw his playing time drop in December, and in March through April, during stretches when the Penguins turned back to Tristan Jarry as the go-to starter.

Story of the Season​

Nedeljkovic started the season sidelined by an injury he suffered during preseason action. The Penguins split the first six games of the season between Tristan Jarry and rookie Joel Blomqvist.

Jarry had lost his starting job by the time Nedeljkovic returned. Nedeljkovic went on to make seven starts over a nine-game span between Oct. 20 and Nov. 7.

Unlike his performance at the end of the 2023-24 season, when he played well enough to help lead the Penguins within sight of the playoffs, Nedeljkovic’s numbers over that stretch (2-3-2 record, .883 save percentage, 3.1 goals against average) weren’t enough to let him hold onto his starting job.

Nedeljkovic returned to a regular starting role from January to early March, when Jarry went down for a conditioning stint in the AHL. That span was highlighted by Nedeljkovic becoming the first goalie in NHL to record a goal and assist in the same January game against the Buffalo Sabres.

The Pens still ultimately ended the season as the 2023-24 campaign began: with Jarry as the starter, and Nedeljkovic as his backup.

Regular season 5v5 advanced stats​

Data via Natural Stat Trick. Ranking is out of 35 goalies in the NHL who qualified by playing a minimum of 1,700 minutes.

Average goal distance: 20.24 feet (22nd)
Shots against/60: 28.02 (11th)
Saves/60: 25.28 (16th)
Save percentage: .902 (26th)
High-danger shots against/60: 7.72 (5th)
High-danger saves/60: 6.25 (5th)
High-danger save percentage: .810 (23rd)

Those last three numbers arguably sum up Nedeljkovic’s 2024-25 season: the Penguins’ struggling defense put him a lot of high-danger situations, and Nedeljkovic was often unable to answer.

Charts n’at​

Via Advanced Hockey Stats and NHL Edge

Highlights​

Ned standing tall pic.twitter.com/hLqerHBuRs

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 6, 2024​

NED pic.twitter.com/4BZY0GzuIL

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 29, 2024​

Ned is dialed pic.twitter.com/KIVlyQXYBy

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 18, 2025​

GOALIE GOAL! GOALIE GOAL! GOALIE GOAL! pic.twitter.com/SCwSAcVZg2

— NHL (@NHL) January 18, 2025​

So much love for Alex Nedeljkovic, NHL goal-scorer pic.twitter.com/fQu1kVaQZR

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 18, 2025​

NED SAYS NO! pic.twitter.com/wGoKHgGBMB

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 22, 2025​

Questions to ponder​

Neither Jarry nor Nedeljkovic were effective as a go-to starter for the Penguins last season. Can any of those options return for a stronger run in 2025-26, or will the Pens roll with a new option in net next fall?

Dubas indicated in April that Blomqvist, as well as minor-league starter Sergei Murashov, are going to get shots at the job in training camp.

“Can he take what he’s done here and then continue to stack it going into next year, and double that pressure with the fact that there’s two young guys that are going to be pushing?” Dubas said about Nedeljkovic on 93.7 The Fan, per Audacy’s Jeff Hathhorn. “That was the message we gave to Tristan and Ned. So this isn’t going to come as any surprise. Those guys are going to be given every opportunity to win jobs, as well.”

Ideal 2025-26​

Nedeljkovic returns to the form he displayed for the Pens at the end of the 2023-24 season, and the Penguins get reliable season-long goaltending for the first time in multiple years.

Bottom line​

The Penguins’ defense regularly exposed Nedeljkovic last year, and he wasn’t able to answer consistently enough to keep the starting job. He may have to audition for his roster spot in training camp this fall.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/27/24432780/2024-25-season-in-review-alex-nedeljkovic

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins next coach: Is Mitch Love the guy?

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

The Pens should be naming a new coach soon, Capitals assistant appears to be at the top of the chatter

The Penguins should be closing in on naming their next coach within the next few days and a few common names have been bandied about by national level reporters.

As the Penguins go through their final rounds of HC interviews this week, DJ Smith & Mitch Love remain among the frontrunners in Pittsburgh. Pens are meeting with Smith tomorrow or Friday.

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) May 28, 2025​

Per sources ; Jay Woodcroft, Mitch Love, and Marco Sturm are among the favorites as potential hires as HC for @NHLBruins @penguins and @SeattleKraken . #HockeyX pic.twitter.com/WC9CwBVOxV

— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) May 27, 2025​

For what it’s worth, every team-side source I’ve spoken to this week believes Mitch Love will be the next head coach of the Penguins.

— Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) May 28, 2025​

Mitch Love, current assistant coach of the Washington Capitals, is a frequently mentioned name, for the Pens and other job openings. Love is believed to be in the thick of things with the Seattle Kraken and their job opening, though that may or may not be going smoothly based on Seattle wishing to retain an assistant coach. Love is also involved with the Boston Bruins and their coaching vacancy — though unconfirmed reports (voiced by Cam Robinson, in the FWIW category when considering his input on the Pens’ news) have linked Marco Sturm more closely with the Bruins job.

Love, 40, has long been a rising star in the coaching industry. He spent two seasons as an AHL head coach from 2021-23 and has two AHL Coach of the Year awards to show for it. He’s spent the last two years as a Washington assistant coach, getting under the tree of Spencer Carbery (a heavy favorite to be awarded the Jack Adams trophy for NHL coach of the year this season).

You can get a little taste of his personality, outlook and general style in this clip talking about what the Florida Panthers do so well.

Here’s Mitch Love, a reported candidate for the #SeaKraken opening, breaking down the Florida Panthers success off of stick work in the offensive zone. pic.twitter.com/XsdOuNhlOT

— Mike Benton (@Benton_Mike) May 27, 2025​

Can’t gleam too much out of 45 seconds, but this is obviously a sharp hockey mind with the resume to back it up. Whether it’s Boston, Seattle or Pittsburgh, it seems like Love’s time is coming soon (perhaps even with multiple different options) for where he wants to take the next step. Within a few days we should know if that will be joining up with the Pens to coach Sidney Crosby in 2025-26.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/28/24438980/penguins-next-coach-mitch-love-dj-smith

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

On this date in Penguins history: Guentzel scores a Stanley Cup Final game-winner

Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Jake Guentzel scored one of his biggest goals as a Penguin on May 29, 2017.

Six years ago today, Jake Guentzel scored one of his biggest goals as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, a game-winner in the opening game of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final.

It was 2017 and the Penguins were back in the Stanley Cup Final and again hosting Game 1 of the series. This time it was the Nashville Predators in town.

This Game 1 had a lot of similar vibes to the opening game of the series one year prior with the Sharks.

The Penguins came alive late in the opening period of the game with Evgeni Malkin, Conor Sheary, and Nick Bonino all scoring goals in a matter of less than 5 minutes, taking a 3-0 lead into the first intermission.

This would be the last we would see of the offense for a while.

Nashville slowly made their way back in the game as Ryan Ellis, Colton Sissons, and Frederick Gaudreau evened the game up at 3-3 as the Penguins went a staggering 37 minutes without a shot on goal.

Pittsburgh’s first shot on net after the 37 minute pause was a good one as Jake Guentzel broke the tie.

Guentzel’s 11th goal of the playoffs was the game-winner before Nick Bonino put the game on ice with an empty-netter.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/29...entzel-scores-a-stanley-cup-final-game-winner

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

2024-25 season in review: Danton Heinen

Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images

He is back for his second stop with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Vitals​

Player: Danton Heinen
Born: July 5, 1995 (29 years old)
Height: 6’2
Weight: 195 pounds
Hometown: Langley, British Columbia, Canada
Shoots: Left
Draft: Fourth-round pick in 2014 (No. 116 overall) by the Boston Bruins
2024-25 Statistics: 79 games played, nine goals, 20 assists, 29 total points
-28 games played, three goals, eight assists, 11 total points with the Pittsburgh Penguins
Contract Status: Heinen is signed through the end of the 2025-26 season with a salary cap number of $2.25 million.

Monthly Splits​

via Yahoo!

Say this for Heinen: He was remarkably consistent in his production throughout the season. Always one or two goals per month, never more than six points, never less than three points, and pretty much the same player from start to finish. Was it great? Not really. Was it awful? Not quite. But you knew what you were getting each month with very little variance.

Story of the Season​

Heinen’s 2024-25 season began with the Vancouver Canucks after signing a two-year, $4.5 million contract in free agency. His time with the Canucks was about what you expect to see out of Heinen based on his prior career where he provided some middle-six scoring and depth. Nothing that will change your season, but solid enough to be a regular in the NHL. Eventually he found himself back in Pittsburgh for his second stop with the Penguins. That happened when he was a part of the Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor to Vancouver trade, giving the Penguins another NHL forward that could fill out their roster for the remainder of the season (and potentially a future trade chip).

Regular season 5v5 advanced stats​

Data via Natural Stat Trick. The ranking is out of 17 forwards on the team who qualified by playing a minimum of 150 minutes.

Corsi For%: 52.1 (7th)
Goals For%: 54.5 (1st)
xGF%: 48.6 (12th)
Scoring Chance%: 53.3 (3rd)
High Danger Scoring Chance%: 44.6 (14th)
5v5 on-ice shooting%: 8.2 (8th)
On-ice save%: .923 (2nd)
Goals/60: 0.37 (13th)
Assists/60: 1.50 (2nd)
Points/60: 1.87 (4th)

There are only his numbers with the Penguins, and it is quite a mixed bag of results. His actual goals-for share was the best on the team after joining the roster before the trade deadline, and he had a pretty strong share of scoring chances. But the expected goals and high-danger chances were near the bottom of the team. He did not actually score a lot of goals for himself, but his play-making and point-production during 5-on-5 play were strong.

Highlights​

A SHORTHANDED SNIPE!!! pic.twitter.com/OHm1osUEz1

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 18, 2025

Questions to ponder​

The questions here really come down to what the Penguins can do to boost his trade value as much as possible. What sort of role is he going to get? Who is going to center his line? Can they put him into enough offensive situations to build up some goal and point totals so he can be flipped at the deadline for a mid-round pick?

They do not need to go out and sign too many Anthony Beauvillier types this offseason because they already have a couple on the roster in Heinen and Kevin Hayes.

Ideal 2025-26​

Heinen is going to be 30 years old when the 2025-26 season begins so there should not be any real secrets or surprises as to what type of player he is. He is your typical fringe middle-six winger that, if given 82 games, is probably going to score 14-16 goals, finish with 30-35 points, have some moments that make you think more is possible and some other moments where you get incredibly frustrated with him not producing more.

If he can give the Penguins something closer to the higher-end of his career averages they could probably get a Beauvillier-type of trade return for him at the deadline from a contender. That is probably the best possible outcome for everybody involved.

Bottom line​

Heinen is the type of forward you will find on a lot of rebuilding teams. NHL experience. Productive enough to stick in the NHL. Cheap enough to not crush your salary cap. The type of player you might be able to trade for a second-or third-round pick in the middle of the season.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/29/24438704/2024-25-season-in-review-danton-heinen

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Panthers/Oilers create first repeat Stanley Cup Final since Penguins/Red Wings

Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Oh, what a time it was!

The Edmonton Oilers dispatched the Dallas Stars in five games last night, easily shrugging aside those Stars the same way the Oil did to Vegas. It sets a date with destiny and a Stanley Cup Final rematch against the Florida Panthers.

History couldn’t have written a better script for Connor McDavid. Both Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby had to come back in a second year and dethrone the team that beath them in their first SCF. Now the chance is right there for McDavid to join them and fully cement his legend as one of the game’s all-time greats.

INSANE STAT

1983: Islanders beat Oilers in Gretzky’s first SCF
1984: Oilers beat Islanders in SCF and Gretzky wins his first cup.

2008: Wings beat Penguins in Crosby’s first SCF
2009: Penguins beat Wings in SCF and Crosby wins his first cup

2024: Panthers beat Oilers in…

— BarDown (@BarDown) May 30, 2025​

It’s remarkable how circumstances align in history for the great ones, kinda like how the puck seems to follow them around the ice.

One person who can’t be feeling so good this morning is Dallas coach Pete DeBoer. DeBoer pulled Jake Oettinger after a quick two goals against, and then see-sawed a little on putting the star goalie back in the game later on. He didn’t. DeBoer’s comment after the game was just as brutal.

Pete DeBoer provided his explanation for pulling Jake Oettinger early in Game 5 pic.twitter.com/qMJLFSeYm3

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) May 30, 2025​

Come to think of it, DeBoer would make a great internet commenter. Make rational thought followed by the all important “BUT” proceed spend 85% more time and energy contradicting the whole statement. Seen that one before.

Anyways, that fun thought aside, this Stanley Cup Final will revolve around McDavid and the Oilers’ quest to finally get to the top. McDavid has a whopping 143 points in 90 playoff games — 46 out of the 90 games have been multi-point performances. He hasn’t hoisted the chalice just yet but it’d be difficult to find an individual contributing more in what is such a team sport.

Could this be the year? The cards are falling in place for the areas McDavid can’t control. Improbably, Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard have rotated around and Edmonton’s found enough goaltending to take a 12-4 record this spring while going through the Western Conference. The loss to injury of Zach Hyman will be a big deal, but others like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have been massive this spring.

Florida is the champs, and like the champs of previous repeat SCF matchups, they are formidable. The Panthers have history to go for as well, looking to become only the third team in the NHL’s salary cap era (since 2005) to accomplish back-to-back titles. That, of course, would join the Penguins (2016-17) and Tampa (2020-21).

It’s interesting to note that Pittsburgh became the first repeat Cup champion in nearly 20 years (first since Detroit in 1997-98) only to see in the decade that follows that the feat could happen three times. That’s a hard trend to describe, do teams that make it to the top have that extra edge and ability to find ways when times are tight in future years? Is it all just random chance and coincidence to come out of the top end? It’s a fascinating question.

Last year’s Edmonton/Florida series went the distance for all seven games. It ended up as heartbreak for McDavid, captured on camera for all to see. After a full year, both clubs are back. The Panthers either get b-2-b and a place in hockey history as one of the great clubs of this era, or the Oilers finally get back to the top for the first time since 1990 and break the 32-year drought of Canadian teams going after the Stanley Cup. You couldn’t script it any better than that, especially framed through the lens of watching McDavid try to finally take that next step to the very top.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/30...at-stanley-cup-final-since-penguins-red-wings

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Sidney Crosby, Marc-Andre Fleury featured in next season’s Amazon documentary

Photo by Chris Tanouye/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images

There will be Penguin presence in the next Amazon documentary

Earlier this week, the NHL and Amazon announced a second season renewal of their ‘FACEOFF: Inside the NHL’ program. The popular first season had intense action and lockerroom looks at Connor McDavid and the Oilers up through Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, including capturing the dejection afterwards when McDavid was named the Conn Smythe winner literally as he was processing the dejection.

There won’t be that level of emotion around this time, but Sidney Crosby has been named as one of several players who will be featured. Count Ottawa Senators star forward Brady Tkachuk as being one of the many excited to see behind-the-scenes look at Crosby.

“Just seeing the behind the scenes as not just hockey players but us as people,” Brady Tkachuk said as he joined the Amazon Upfront event in Toronto on Thursday. “I’m really excited to see Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury and their preparation for a game and who they are as people. When you are competing against them it’s always battles against them but to see them, what they’re like and what they do and to see what kind of people they are, it will be really awesome.”

Some more from the league:

Steve Mayer, NHL president, content and events, said Season 2 will go “even deeper.”

“Season 1 of FACEOFF really struck a chord,” Mayer said. “We promised a behind-the-scenes look at the best hockey players in the world, and the response was incredible. We followed players through unforgettable moments — welcoming a new baby, the pressure of a Game 7, and everything in between.

“For Season 2, we’re going even deeper: more players, more access and more emotion. From the global stage of the 4 Nations Face-Off to the pressure-packed life of a team president and the heartbreak of a team dealing with devastating loss — it’s raw and real. You will truly go inside the NHL.”

The full roster of players for Season 2 is Quinton Byfield (Los Angeles Kings); Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins); Fleury (Minnesota Wild); Thomas Harley (Dallas Stars); Seth Jarvis (Carolina Hurricanes); Wyatt Johnston (Dallas Stars); Kopitar (Kings); Monahan (Columbus Blue Jackets); Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs); Mikko Rantanen (Stars); Shanahan (Hockey Hall of Fame inductee); Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators); Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers) and Werenski (Blue Jackets).

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/31...y-featured-in-next-seasons-amazon-documentary

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins sign Mikhail Ilyin to entry level contract

Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Exciting promising forward signs up

There were some whispers that Russian forward Mikhail Ilyin had chose to re-sign in Russia instead of going with the Penguins at this time. Turns out that was incorrect, the Pens were able to sign Ilyin today.

The Penguins have signed forward Mikhail Ilyin to a three-year entry-level contract.

His contract will begin in the 2025.26 campaign and will run through the 2027.28 season.

Details: https://t.co/2vxH7t5SHQ pic.twitter.com/CySGyQmHEy

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 31, 2025​

There’s some talk that Pittsburgh could still be loaning Ilyin back to the KHL for this season, but getting him under contract and on board in the near future is a boon to the organization.

From the team:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Mikhail Ilyin to a three-year entry-level contract, it was announced today by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas.

His contract will begin in the 2025-26 campaign and will run through the 2027-28 season.

Ilyin, 20, spent the majority of the 2024-25 season with the Severstal Cherepovets of the KHL, Russia’s top professional league. The 6-foot-3, 191-pound forward appeared in 64 regular-season games where he recorded seven goals, 23 assists, 30 points and was plus-9. Ilyin’s assist and point totals were new single-season career highs and ranked third overall on Severstal.

His 30 points during his 19-year-old season (turned 20 in February 2025) makes him one of just eight players in KHL history to accumulate 30-plus points in a single campaign as a teenager, and ties the Cherepovets team record set by 19-year-old Pavel Buchnevich in 2014-15.

The native of Cherepovets, Russia has spent the past three seasons in the KHL with his hometown club, where he made his professional debut as a 17-year-old. In 150 career regular-season games, Ilyin has tallied 19 goals, 42 assists, 61 points and is plus-22. He’s suited up for 10 career KHL playoff games, notching five assists.

Ilyin has also spent parts of the last four seasons with the Almaz Cherepovets of the MHL, Russia’s top junior league, where he picked up 40 points (8G-32A) in 55 regular-season games.

Ilyin was drafted by Pittsburgh in the fifth round (142nd overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft.

Ilyin is a very exciting young prospect, he’s got some bonafide playmaking chops. Usually in Russia young players get very minimal ice time but Ilyin found a big role with Cherepovets. He repaid them with a lot of production.

Mikhail Ilyin hits 30 points on the season! He wins a battle on the forecheck, uses his body, and delivers a perfect pass to set up the goal. Hard work pays off. pic.twitter.com/sZn7paRHj7

— Pens Prospects (@pensprospects_) March 20, 2025​

Mikhail Ilyin scored a goal this morning in the win over Yekaterinburg.

This is a typical Ilyin goal, smart decision with the puck, look for the extra pass, and puts it in the net when he needs to.

He has 4 pts (2G,2A) in his last 5 games.#LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/2njM0m99Qv

— Pens Prospects (@pensprospects_) February 22, 2025​

Based on his age and impressive production in the KHL, some models really, really like Ilyin.

I have Mikhail Ilyin and everybody else drafted over the past 35 years!

Ilyin had a nice season in the KHL in his D+1 and is trending to improve on it this year (hasn't played enough yet to update).

21 games played in the KHL in his draft year too. Bit surprised it took until… https://t.co/oEzu9vt1Cd pic.twitter.com/cE3IcErFUH

— Byron Bader (@ByronMBader) September 25, 2024​

Signing a Russian player at age-20 is a coup for the Penguins. This signing is similar in surprise to getting Sergei Murashov last summer. Murashov at least came to prospects camp and had some comparison and familiarity to weigh in his decision between staying in the KHL a little longer or jumping over to the NHL. Ilyin is different in that he’s not yet had the opportunity to come to Pittsburgh or directly work with anyone with the Penguins outside of the calls and scouting outreach.

Ilyin ranked 11th last season on the Top 25 Under 25 within the Pens organization due to the immense talent and strong early career success he’s found in Russia.

It’ll be interesting to see how Ilyin’s game translates as he starts the North American portion of his career. He’s demonstrated real skill and ability to produce offense in the KHL, and the Penguins aren’t exactly stocked with a ton of NHL ready young forwards (outside of Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen, anyways). As with any prospect, it will come down to how Ilyin looks in camp and measures up to the rest to see where he belongs. That might include starting out in the minor leagues, but based on his talent and results in a pro league so far, it might not be too long before Ilyin proves ready to make an impact in the NHL.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/31/24440743/penguins-sign-mikhail-ilyin-to-entry-level-contract

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Clock ticking on Penguins relinquishing rights to draft pick today

Photo by Justin Berl/NHLI via Getty Images

Cooper Foster’s sign or leave day is today

Today’s June 1st date is relevant in the NHL calendar for signing certain draft picks, specifically those selected in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft who are playing in North American leagues (e.g., OHL, WHL, QMJHL, NCAA, or USHL).

Cooper Foster, a 2023 sixth round draft pick out of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and one of Kyle Dubas’s first draft picks with the Penguins is set to have his rights expire today if he’s not signed by the Penguins by 5:00pm.

Foster’s OHL numbers haven’t much gone anywhere — the center had a 53 point season in 2024-25 for Ottawa after putting up 52 points for the club in 2023-24.

Foster, who turns 20 next week, would be eligible to be selected again the 2025 NHL draft should he not end up with the Penguins.

There hasn’t been a lot of news or buzz and hanging out until deadline day likely doesn’t seem promising for his prospects in Pittsburgh.

To help mitigate this, the Pens have signed Avery Hayes to an NHL contract and this could be an example of why Foster won’t be given a chance to turn pro in the Pens’ organization.

Pittsburgh has an August 15th deadline for players who have gone through college and graduated, with 2020 sixth round draft pick Chase Yoder falling in this category. Yoder is the only player whose rights with the team set to expire on 8/15 now that defender Daniel Laatsch was signed earlier this spring.

Pittsburgh signed Brayden Yager from their 2023 draft class, but traded him last summer to Winnipeg for Rutger McGroarty. The team has also signed defender Emil Pieniniemi, who figures to turn pro full-time next season. The Pens still retain the NHL rights to Russian prospect Mikhail Ilyin and also unsigned 2023 European seventh round draft picks Kalle Kangas and Emil Jarventie.

The team has been busy signing up 2024 draftees as well. Finn Harding and Chase Pietila got NHL contracts earlier this spring, top draftees in Harrison Brunicke and Tanner Howe have already affixed their signatures to contracts, so there won’t be any 6/1 deadlines next season for the Pens.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/1/...uins-relinquishing-rights-to-draft-pick-today

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins head to Buffalo for last scouting of 2025 at the NHL combine

Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images

Important week that will be mostly out of the spotlight

It’s an important week for NHL teams, even though it’s mostly unmonitored. The NHL’s draft combine kicks off today in Buffalo and lasts through June 7th.

From the league:

“The NHL Combine is a rite of passage on a player’s path to the NHL and is an event that NHL clubs and prospects look forward to participating in,” NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr said.

The combine, which will run June 2-7, gives the 32 NHL teams physical and medical assessments of the top prospects ahead of the 2025 draft at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on June 27-28.

“The NHL combine is the final showcase event before the NHL Draft,” Marr said, “and it’s a week full of interviews, medicals, and fitness testing where the players get to interact with NHL personnel and the NHL clubs get to learn as much as possible about the future stars of our game.”

There will be 58 forwards, 27 defensemen and five goalies attending the combine. All are listed in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings of North American and International skaters and goaltenders.

NHL Central Scouting will again provide an app for all attending prospects to download to their mobile devices, containing all the information they need to navigate the gamut of interviews with NHL teams and medical and fitness testing.

Teams can conduct 1-on-1 interviews with prospects at KeyBank Center from June 2-6. The medical examinations will take place June 4, the Maximal VO2 test on June 6, and the remaining seven of the 11 fitness tests will be at HarborCenter on June 7 (standing height/wingspan, horizontal jump, force plate vertical jumps, bench press, pro agility test, pull-ups, Wingate Cycle Ergometer test).

No player can test until clearing the medical screening.

The last sentence looms large and could have a big impact on the top of the draft. Roger McQueen is a top prospect but was limited last season by a serious back injury. Based on his size and skill, scouts would rank him in the top-3 or easily top-5 this year if only going with on ice activity. NHL teams can’t draft on that alone, and will need to see how his medicals go and what their doctors make of McQueen’s prognosis in the future. That outcome will decide if McQueen is available for the Pens at pick 11, but the information gleamed could potentially make him a pass for them as well.

Here are the 90 players invited:

Here are the 90 names invited to the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo this week. pic.twitter.com/CYoy6dyXkf

— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) June 1, 2025​

Dubas and company will have to cast a wide net, they could be able to draft several of these players. The Pens are set to pick 11th, 59th, 73rd, 84th and 85th, barring any trades on draft dat. They could also be given the Rangers’ 12th overall pick this year, should NYR choose.

Most fans link pro combines with the NFL, where performance in key drills (such as the 40 yard dash) could make or break the draft position of players. But those at the NFL combine are usually 20-22 years old and very close to finished products, physically speaking — at least compared to the 17-18 year olds at the NHL combine that have many years to go before developing the strength and experience necessary to make an impact at the NHL level.

In that way, while the NFL combine keys in on physical performance and where the player is right in this moment while the NHL combine is more broad and about getting to know the prospect, seeing their personality and getting a sense of what they could project into becoming. There’s still stress, pressure and importance to show well, but it is a slightly different type of event than the famous NFL combine. As The Athletic put it:

The NFL Scouting Combine features college football players on the cusp of becoming professionals. As such, a participant who blows up stopwatches in Indianapolis could hear his name called sooner at the NFL Draft.

In comparison, an NHL combine performance does not usually influence when a player is selected. It is an early snapshot of data that will be accumulated for years, in most cases, before NHL entry. The intelligence teams gather during interviews preceding testing is just as important, if not more so.

The primary value is for teams to initiate an informational foundation. Once a club drafts a player, it adds more data at post-draft development camps, preseason testing and year-end physicals throughout the player’s career, all with the intent of maximizing performance.

“There’s not a ton there that’s predictive of future NHL success. We recognize that,” Neeld said. “But I look at it more as: What information would you want to know about a player that you’re about to make an investment in?”

No one ranked in the 40’s or 50’s is going to have a great turn on the bike for the dreaded VO2 max test and end up as a first round pick as a result, unlike the way a wide receiver or cornerback could run a 4.2 40 and end up rocketing up the board. That’s not the way this process works in hockey. This week’s reports and news will tell teams if it’s a good medical idea to draft Roger McQueen with a high first round pick and help plant the seeds on their targets, but mostly in quiet and off-the-radar ways. It’s important work but not much to track or follow until the pay offs happen on draft day and then years beyond.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/2/...-for-last-scouting-of-2025-at-the-nhl-combine

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

2025 Stanley Cup Final preview, prediction

Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images

A rematch for the ages

Well after a 2-0 Conference Final prediction (finally!), we’re up to a 9-5 series record in the 2025 playoffs. Not the best, but let’s try to close out the season and finish strong.

It might seem like forever in between series (but what if I told you that this break between Conference Final and Stanley Cup Final happens similarly almost every year due to unpredictable CF end dates and kowtowing to rightsholders’ wishes*) but we have made it. The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are right back where they were last year, ready to pick up after a 2-1 Game 7 victory by the Panthers sent Connor McDavid and the Oilers into the abyss.

(*However, having two days off in between all but two of the games, even when travel sometimes isn’t required, which could make the series last up to 17 days? Not as cool or necessary!)

Now the question shifts to whether or not it will be a budding Floridian dynasty or the obvious story of redemption - which in a truly poetic twist gives McDavid the chance to join Sid and Wayne at paying back the team that beat them in the Final one year later. Could it be that sweet and neat of a finish to bring today’s mega-star into hockey immortality? Depends on who you ask.

• Opta Analyst: 55% chance Florida
• The Athletic Model: 55% chance Florida
• The Athletic anonymously sourcing 22 NHL coaches and 18 team executives: 21-19 Edmonton
• NHL.com writers: 8-8 split

It’s pretty close! Modeling and data tends to favor the Panthers — Florida has the more consistent goaltender, and Edmonton will have to deal with the injury-loss of Zach Hyman, whose season is over. Those two factors push what otherwise would be a tight series into Florida’s favor to many, and they should be meaningful.

Then again, it may not matter that much. Because Edmonton has McDavid, who looks singularly focused on doing whatever it takes to become a Stanley Cup champion. Many thought coming into the Dallas series that the Stars had the better goalie, and that didn’t work out so well for them because that “better goalie” had the task of stopping Edmonton. That’s proven to be the issue so far. McDavid put up nine points in the five games, which while impressive enough on its own, doesn’t capture his dominance on the puck.

Stars-Oilers Statcap

McDavid was on another level, contributed to over 20 scoring chances per 60 mins, which has never been done in a series that I've tracked. Stars had a chance to flip the series in Edmonton but couldn't score & got counter-attacked to hell in Game 3. pic.twitter.com/MvdZEUd5rQ

— Corey Sznajder (@ShutdownLine) June 2, 2025​

And while Hyman’s unavailability for this series is a valid and obvious talking point, it shouldn’t erase what Edmonton is getting out of maybe the forgotten No. 1 overall pick in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. According to tired, conventionally accepted talking points heading into that series, Dallas had the better depth players. It didn’t work out that way on the ice. Nugent-Hopkins, in the chart above, contributed to more scoring chances than anyone on the Stars last series. Nugent-Hopkins matched McDavid with nine points against the Stars, RNH is up to 18 this playoff in 16 games.

No one on Edmonton bucked the prevailing wisdom more than Stuart Skinner. After giving up five goals in his first game back in the net in Game 2 due to Calvin Pickard’s injury, Skinner would go onto inexplicably heat back up. Here’s his game log from Yahoo

Yeah, that’ll do to give up five total goals over four games. Do that for this Edmonton offense and it will result in victories.

All of that is part of what makes Edmonton a fun team. They defy expectations, and surprise you with performances out of left field, all the while the two main engines of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl bring exactly what is expected seemingly every shift, period, game and series. Edmonton’s failed on some redemption cases — Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner are barely in the lineup — only to see different depth performances like Evander Kane and Corey Perry pitch in big time . Their best defender in Matthias Eklholm was out for most of the playoff and it barely made an impact. Jake Walman, Brett Kulak and Evan Bouchard stepped right into pick up all of the slack. The goalie carousel spins until it magically starts working. The Oilers take what seems like it should make sense about them, and flips it around 180 degrees.

They’ll need every bit of that logic-defying run of luck and performance to take down the champs.

The Panthers have been constructed wonderfully for playoff hockey. They’ve got some high draft picks and then augmented it by an endless wave of external pickups, with Seth Jones and Brad Marchand being the latest adds. Both were OK enough on the surface but have fit into the machine brilliantly, just as Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe and Matthew Tkachuk and Evan Rodrigues did before them. Somehow even spare parts like Nate Schmidt and Nikko Mikkola are transformed into legitimately helpful players within the machine known as these Panthers. It’s astounding to see the synergy to which the players mesh into what Paul Maurice wants and how it all just works so seamlessly.

It’s an endless credit to the management and coaching of Florida to make three straight Stanley Cup Finals. In 2010 the Penguins looked pretty spent trying the same. Hell, in 2017 going back-to-back the Pens virtually sputtered to the finish with the tank on E, if we’re being honest. Florida barely looks phased, even after playing more games in this three-year stretch than any team in NHL history.

2025 has been an excessively home-heavy playoff in the NHL. Per The Athletic, this year the home teams have won 61.3% of games. It was only 51.7% in the 2021-24 postseasons. Yet, the buzzsaw known as the Panthers doesn’t care where games are - Florida is 8-2 on the road this playoff, and they haven’t just won they have a +27 goal differential on the road. Naturally in the year where every home team is winning, this Panther team asserts their dominance by being good enough to not fall into that trap. That’s something to remember with Edmonton having the home ice “advantage”. (If history is our guide, it may be worth pointing out FLA was only 1-2 last year’s SCF in Oil country, with a much better 3-1 SCF record at home).

If the stars of McDavid and Aleksander Barkov manage to largely wash one another out, the third line battles are always interesting matchups. A big key to FLA’s success has been the Marchand’s line with Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell tipping the scales. Edmonton’s isn’t as vaunted, the returning-from-injury Connor Brown was working with Adam Henrique and Trent Frederic in recent practices. If it comes down to which third lines elevates, the safe bet is Florida.

Of course, hockey being hockey, the biggest x-factor is always goaltending. Sergei Bobrovsky has been considered inconsistent but he’s really locked in lately. Twisting the sample size to the most charitable of his last nine games, Bobrovsky has a .944 save percentage and as many shutouts as losses (2) to go with seven total wins.

Bobrovsky had a sort of Stanley Cup Final reminiscent of Marc-Andre Fleury in 2009. Bob had a .899 overall save% against the Oilers but he conceded 0, 1, 3, and 1 goal(s) in the games that Florida won, proving the Fleury method works where it is OK to have a stinker or two if the goalie can lock down and give four good (or even really good) performances around them.

When you weigh it all up, how does it shake out? Hopefully with a great series. Either result sets up some monumental storylines — you get McDavid bulling his way to the top while breaking Canada’s 32-year Cup drought or the Panthers staking their claim as one of the best teams in the modern NHL era. It’s always the joy of a career to win a Stanley Cup under any circumstances but this one is set up to be a real doozy.

In the end, well, I guess I’m a sentimentalist. McDavid scored the OT game winner at 4 Nations a few months ago, but he’s really going to etch his place in history if Edmonton gets four more wins. Here’s to thinking the story of paralleling Crosby and Gretzky of getting over SCF heartbreak by beating the very team that beat you is too good not to happen, while giving another marathon series a fitting goodbye to the 2024-25 season. Prediction: Oilers in 7.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/4/24442724/2025-stanley-cup-final-preview-prediction

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Unsurprisingly, it’s going to be a full clean out of the Pens’ coaching staff

Photo by Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Quinn, Hennes moving on from Pittsburgh

The news isn’t unexpected, but is falling into place that the Penguins will have a completely different coaching staff next season. David Quinn and Ty Hennes are joining Mike Sullivan in New York. Mike Vellucci got announced for a job in Chicago last week.

And there is word Dave Quinn and Joe Sacco are in the process of joining Mike Sullivan’s staff in Manhattan

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 5, 2025​

The last major piece of the puzzle is goalie coach Andy Chiodo. Pens GM Kyle Dubas said all assistant coaches were free to seek other employment immediately upon the firing of Sullivan in April, which seems to be a pretty good indication of future prospects to remain in Pittsburgh.

Paired with the Pens hiring NYR assistant Dan Muse, the Pittsburgh-Rangers unofficial and informal coaching “trades” should be completed with Hennes and Quinn joining Sullivan. (Of course, NHL teams can’t formally trade or receive compensation for coaching changes, and haven’t for a decade, but that last little detail is sometimes lost in the weeds).

It shows how much change will happen from last season to next. Hennes had been with the Pens since the 2018-19 season, first in the role of a skills coach that worked with the team in practices on small area drills, skating and developing offensive strategies and techniques. He was well-liked enough by Sullivan to eventually earn a promotion into a full on assistant coach that helped during games behind the bench by 2022-23.

Quinn only spent one season in Pittsburgh, but at least helped the Penguin power play improve from from 31st in the league (14.6%) to 10th in the NHL (24.3%) while he was in charge of the group. Quinn reportedly interviewed and was considered for the head coaching job, but opts to follow his longtime close, personal friend Sullivan in his coaching journey.

All of that is to be expected, head coaching changes tend to lead to complete overhauls of the coaching staffs from top to bottom. Pittsburgh enjoyed a long period of stability with Sullivan and company behind the bench for several years and now is turning the page to move on with a new group of suits directing the team for the future.

There’s been no news yet of who will join Muse on the new-look Penguin coaching staff but that will come in time. The team is currently gearing up for the NHL Scouting Combine and won’t even have an introductory press conference for Muse this week. Once priorities and focus shifts back to PA after the combine they should be making progress about hiring for the open positions on staff.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/5/...-ty-hennes-david-quinn-rangers-pittsburgh-nhl