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[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Crosby goes top shelf at Worlds

Crosby registers his first goal of the World Championships in vintage fashion.

Team Canada is off to a roaring start at the 2025 IIFH World Championships being played in Sweden and Denmark. Through three games, Canada sits atop Group A with a 3-0-0 record after blanking France 5-0 on Tuesday evening.

Helping lead the way for Canada is Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, back at the World Championships for the first time in a decade. Crosby was held off the scoresheet in the team’s opener against Slovenia before notching three assists against Latvia in the second game.

It took until the third game for Crosby to open his own goal scoring account, but he did so in vintage Crosby fashion.

WHAT A FINISH!

Sidney Crosby scores his first goal of the tournament to make it 3-0 Canada over France. #MensIIHFWorlds pic.twitter.com/VFTSg15ToT

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 13, 2025​

The only thing that could have made this more perfect is if Crosby went backhand instead of scoring on his forehand. Either way, French netminder Julian Junca, who plays in the Slovakian professional league, becomes the latest victim of a Crosby masterclass and will probably remember that moment for the rest of his life.

Prior to the goal against France, Crosby’s most notable highlight came when he dislodged the helmet of a Latvian skater in comical fashion in a post whistle scuffle over the weekend.

We got bad ass Sidney Crosby at World’s punching guys buckets off pic.twitter.com/ghY4cs9s3B

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) May 11, 2025​

It’s like a cartoon.

Crosby and Co. get Wednesday off before returning to action on Thursday against Austria.

Canada sits in prime position to make a deep run at the tournament, but they have two big tests on the schedule to wrap up group play coming next week with back-to-back contests against Finland and host Sweden.

One more quick note pertaining to Crosby and this tournament. Should Canada triumph and take home gold, Crosby would join Peter Forsberg, Viacheslav Fetisov, and Igor Larionov as the only players in hockey history to complete the Triple Gold Club twice.

(s/t Hooks Orpik for that nugget)

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/14...f-world-championships-france-triple-gold-club

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

2025 NHL Draft Rankings: #5 James Hagens

Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images

An exciting BC product checks in at number five

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

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. 5: James Hagens, 5’10” 177 pounds, C, Boston College (NCAA)​

The case of James Hagens presents a very interesting one for NHL teams. Hagens absolutely popped in the early days, he put up the best stats ever during the U-17 World Challenge in 2023 (21 points in seven games) and the U-18 tournament (22 points over seven games in 2024). He was decorated and continued the production party in 2023-24 in his NTDP season (102 points in 58 games) and early in the process was considered the front-runner to be the presumptive number one overall pick in this draft. His U-20 World Juniors (nine points in seven games) wasn’t record breaking but very strong in his draft minus one season.

Presumptions, however, have shifted in the last 9-12 months with many observers believing that at least Matthew Schaefer and Michael Misa have surpassed Hagens. Several others, like the McKenzie consensus ranking, show Hagens sliding a bit further into this fifth spot.

Hagens will likely be a top-5 pick, but just where he might be taken remains up in the air. There’s perhaps no small matter that his hometown team, the New York Islanders, won the lottery draft and get to select first. NYI was slotted 10th and this win puts them in position to at least consider their win to get moving up to get Hagens, if they want to break from conventional wisdom and forego the opportunity to add one of Schaefer/Misa. There’s no place for sentimentality at the top of the NHL draft, but the Isles’ surprising and fortuitous lottery win might just put them in “playing with house money” mode.

A bit of the shine has come off Hagens in the draft community due to his freshman season at Boston College where he “only” scored 37 points in 37 games. Playing at the 170ish pound range, there were concerns Hagens faded a bit down the stretch and needs more time to bulk up. There’s also the matter that Hagens was over-shadowed and marginalized at times by his two older linemates in former first round picks Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault, who scored 49 and 48 points respectively. There was only one puck to go around, and Hagens sometimes got lost in the shuffle compared to his assertive wingers who didn’t need much center help at that level based on their skills.

That brings the question NHL teams picking early will have to solve: is Hagens a big-time impact player in higher levels or is he more of a supporting piece that will require superior players around him? If a team picking within the first few picks leans more towards the former, Hagens could exceed his draft ranking here. If teams are more inclined to the latter, prospects some, any or all of prospects in Martone, Frondell and even Caleb Desnoyers could be drafted ahead of Hagens and leave the BC product around towards pick 5-6.

They said it​

NHL Central Scouting

”Hagens plays a pro-style game right now and has been impressive at every level displaying NHL skills and attributes with his hockey IQ being front and center. His vision, reads and skills are elite, and he executes plays with the composure of an NHL veteran. He deserves to be in the conversation as the top pick.”

Scouching

I think people have lost the plot a little bit with James Hagens over this season. You look at his production relative to other elite NHL prospects playing in the NCAA and it’s forgivable to think something went wrong, but in my view, Hagens has shown exceptional growth in his game at a difficult level of play in a tough role. Largely centring Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault, it seemed like their play styles didn’t quite resonate as expected to my eye. Leonard loves to possess the puck just as Hagens seems to, and it felt like Perreault had issues keeping up outside of being a complimentary give-and-go option with some finishing ability that Hagens was zipping past all night. Play just felt disjointed and strange a lot, but Hagens always looked great with an off-puck forechecking menace in Teddy Stiga just as he did last season at the U18s, and I would imagine those two are reunited next season if Perreault and Leonard jump to the NHL. Hagens specifically has shown consistently excellent metrics in many areas of my work. I would love to see him land more scoring chances for himself as he was one of the more infrequent shooters at the top end, but his wrist shot can be a tough one to stop when it comes out. Where he really shines is as a playmaker, with great success on the rush and in the offensive zone connecting with linemates and moving the puck where it needs to go. He’s quick on his feet, highly skilled, and highly creative. The thing that he’s really improved since he arrived at Boston College is the physical side of the game....He’s attacking puck carriers much more directly and throwing hits at a rate beyond names like Frondell, Bear, Martone, Nesbitt, and Desnoyers. He’s come a long way this year, and while I have him a shade behind the best in the class, he’s got a ton of potential to be a flashy, offensive second line centre with a growing level of grind to his game.

Daily Faceoff (Steven Ellis)

Hagens was the preseason No. 1 but has fallen partly due to some of the others finding unique ways to stand out. But Hagens has been ignored too much, in a sense. He had a point-per-game freshman season at Boston College while also putting up solid numbers en route to gold at the World Juniors. Add in record-breaking numbers at the U-17 World Challenge and U-18 World Championship and he’s easy to like. Hagens is smart, plays a great two-way game and can thrive with just about anyone. He has all the makings of being a No. 1 center on many NHL teams.

Sportsnet

Hagens is always in motion. He’s exceptionally difficult to check and contain. On the power play he floats around the offensive zone in an attempt to find open ice and get pucks to the net. In all situations he displays dogged pursuit of the puck along the boards and works to win back possession for his group.

Hagens ended up producing 10G-25A in the regular season. He also played a significant role for Team USA’s gold medal-winning team at the world juniors, contributing 5G-4A in seven tournament games. His elite element is what he provides offensively. I envision a top line, scoring forward at the NHL level who pushes the play with speed and skill.

The Athletic (Corey Pronman)

Hagens played well for Boston College this season. His production wasn’t as elite as some would have hoped after a sterling U.S. NTDP career, but he was still an important player on a great team. Hagens was also a go-to player for Team USA as they won gold at the World Juniors. He has a dynamic combination of skating and skill reminiscent of American centers like Logan Cooley and Jack Hughes. Hagens’ edge work is high-end and he’s extremely elusive in open ice. He makes a ton of difficult plays on the move and is a high-end playmaker. Hagens isn’t that big or physical, and can stay on the outside too much, but he gives a decent effort and coaches tend to lean on him. He has the potential to be a play-driving top two line center in the NHL.

—

Hagens would be a great prospect for the Penguins to add, but he surely will be off the board by the time they’re set to pick at 11th. There could be a far-flung scenario where Hagens slides a bit and is still on the board around 5-6 and Pittsburgh could trade up (especially if the Pens are given NYR’s 12th overall pick) but the chances of him getting a Penguin jersey on draft day is remote. Of more significance and a fun area to watch will be just where in the top-5 Hagens will hear his name called.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/14/24429376/2025-nhl-draft-rankings-5-james-hagens

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Aggravating ex-Penguins shining during playoffs

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images

Old faces in new places have been coming through better than they did in Pittsburgh lately

Whether the feelings stir emotions of sourness, chagrin, indignation or something a little more tame, former Penguins have been all over the place in recent days in the NHL playoffs. And not just any old, random ex-player but some attention-grabbing, high-profile failures in Pittsburgh have been making big time plays elsewhere at the most important time of the year.

Two nights ago, Mikael Granlund supplied all the offense Dallas needed by scoring three goals to help beat Winnipeg in a 3-1 game that also tipped the series 3-1 in the Stars favor. Granlund famously only scored one goal in 21 games with the Penguins after being acquired as a short-term rental in 2023.

Mikael Granlund’s 2nd goal last night looked eerily similar to his 4 Nations OT-winner against Sweden (plus, watch who Granlund hugs first ) pic.twitter.com/QJ1n44d7Nf

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 14, 2025​

Many with Penguin ties will never get over that, for good enough reason; or even believe that Granlund is a quality player since he was anything but that in the few months he played in Pittsburgh. Can’t argue the feeling but the Game 4 results speak for themselves, it’s just too bad he wasn’t able to do that for the Pens.

As if that wasn’t enough from the category of “unfulfilling former players” file, last night Kasperi Kapanen scored the only goal of the whole game in Edmonton’s 1-0 overtime win over Vegas.

KASPERI KAPANEN OVERTIME WINNER #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/QuYiJUuksY

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 15, 2025​

Kapanen’s case has been even more curious than Granlund’s. Kapanen has faded away to the fringes of the NHL — he was placed on waivers this season and was a healthy scratch for the Oilers all playoffs until the last two games. He was playing with some purpose, drive and enthusiasm when he got back into the lineup, as if sensing this might finally be his last chance. And, what do you know, last night’s goal shows he just might be starting to make the most of his talents.

Oh yeah, and since Toronto was getting blown out last night they turned to their backup goalie to close things out. It was none other than Matt Murray in the role, due to regular starter Anthony Stolarz’s injury. Murray appeared in his first NHL playoff game since 2020 with the Pens. Murray stopped six of seven shots. Murray went down swinging, literally, by showing some heart and getting in the faces of the treacherously villainous Panther players (they don’t seem to mind their roles of wearing the black hat when it comes with winning so many playoff games..)

Matt Murray cares more about this Leafs team than Matthews & Marner holy passion

pic.twitter.com/J3UtQTo7gU

— PuckEmpire (@puckempire) May 15, 2025​

The Pens may be out of the playoffs but some of their former players have been squarely in the limelight. What’s next, an Anthony Beauvillier or Jordan Staal hat trick tonight? That might not hit as squarely as managerial mistakes like Granlund and Kapanen getting their moments in the sun, but at this point it wouldn’t be surprising to see this week’s theme of former aggravating Penguin players showing up on the big stage.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/15...playoffs-kasperi-kapanen-pens-mikael-granlund

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

2024-25 season in review: Kris Letang

Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images

The 2024-25 season was probably the toughest on-ice season Kris Letang has had for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Vitals​

Player: Kris Letang
Born: April 24, 1987 (age 38 season)
Height: 6’0
Weight: 193 pounds
Hometown: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Shoots: Right
Draft: Third-round, 2005 NHL Draft, by the Pittsburgh Penguins
Acquired: Via draft
2024-25 Statistics: 74 games played, nine goals, 21 assists, 30 total points
Contract Status: Letang has three years remaining on a six-year, $36.6 million contract he signed prior to the 2022-23 season.

Monthly Splits​

via Yahoo!

The season started off okay, at least from an offensive standpoint, as Letang had seven goals and 16 total points in his first 34 games. And then things just progressively got worse each month after that, finishing with only 14 points (and only two goals) over the remaining 40 games.

Story of the Season​

Up until this season Letang seemed to be aging fairly gracefully. Was he as good as he was at his peak? Absolutely not. But he was still a top-level offensive player and was still doing his part to drive possession and help control the pace of the game. He was still very much worth his $6 million salary cap number and still looking like a strong investment.

This season a lot of that went away.

Rapidly.

It only got worse as the season went on. His offense started to decline and his defensive play became a huge liability. He started to show his age more than any other member of the core, and it really did not matter who his defense partner was.

Regular season 5v5 advanced stats​

Data via Natural Stat Trick. Ranking is out of 11 defensemen on the team who qualified by playing a minimum of 150 minutes.

Corsi For%: 49.1 (9th)
Goals For%: 45.1 (5th)
xGF%: 46.9 (9th)
Scoring Chance%: 47.8 (9th)
High Danger Scoring Chance%: 48.2 (8th)
5v5 on-ice shooting%: 8.23 (5th)
On-ice save%: .905 (5th)
Goals/60: 0.18 (5th)
Assist/60: 0.44 (6th)
Points/60: 0.61 (6th)

At his peak, Letang was an advanced stats monster that was always pushing the pace of play and helping the Penguins significantly outchance — and outscore — their opponents when he was on the ice. He was usually one of the best on the roster, and also one of the best in the entire NHL.

But along with his drop in offense this season, there was also a drop in his advanced metrics as he became one of the least efficient defenders on an already bad defensive team.

Charts n’at​

Via Advanced Hockey Stats and NHL Edge

Father time is undefeated and starting to get to the inevitable on Letang. His offensive impact took a big drop in his age-36 season in 2023-24 and that continued in a major way in 2024-25 at age-37. Getting old stinks. Letang’s average ice-time per game fell to 23:32, which is still a lot. It would be better served being adjusted down further, but the circumstance of the Penguins’ weak blueline demands their better players have to log more minutes. Still, it was the first time since 2009-10 that Letang had a season averaging under 24 minutes per game.

On the microstats there are things Letang still does well. He can retrieve the puck, he can support in-zone offense and generates shot and chance contributions pretty well. He’s clearly past peak and prime at this stage of his career but is still a decent player. One of his more interesting advanced stat quirks for years has been minimal even strength WAR impact while also shifting gears and offering a lot more on the penalty kill.

Letang still skates a lot and covers a ton of area. He’s also not shy to fire pucks on net.

Found this to be an interesting quirk that Letang scored more goals from the left side of the ice than he did from the right. That goes to illustrate how low percentage a shot the standard point shot from the strong side is, and also that planned plays in the offensive zone off faceoffs can be effective a few times a season.

Highlights​

Kris Letang - Pittsburgh Penguins (9) pic.twitter.com/azVjWnS6GL

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) April 9, 2025

Kris Letang - Pittsburgh Penguins (8)
Power Play Goal pic.twitter.com/pLCwZdnIOT

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) February 22, 2025

Kris Letang - Pittsburgh Penguins (6)
Power Play Goal pic.twitter.com/9okfqrpR4P

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) December 13, 2024

Kris Letang - Pittsburgh Penguins (5)
Shorthanded Goal
Empty Net Goal pic.twitter.com/rr45ngj1uo

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) December 8, 2024

Questions to ponder​

The questions for Letang are mostly about his future.

Not only with the Penguins, but as an NHL player in general. He underwent heart surgery after the season, which had a four-to-six week recovery time. Even though that obviously puts him in line to return for next season, that is still a scary situation for a 38-year-old player.

But assuming he is back on the ice at the start of the season, it is worth pondering how much longer he will want to be a part of the rebuild.

Of the three core players — Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Letang — seems to be the one that would be most likely to okay a trade and end up playing somewhere else, whether it be his hometown of Montreal, or a Stanley Cup contender.

If he is back with the Penguins, the main question then becomes — does he still have anything left in the tank, or was the 2024-25 season the beginning of the end for him as a top-four defenseman and positive contributor?

Ideal 2025-26​

Letang is probably never going to be the No. 1 defenseman that he was at his peak ever again, and his days as a top-pairing defender are probably over as well. He’s lost a step, he no longer has a regular partner that he and the Penguins can rely on and his defensive game has taken a huge step backwards. We need to go into next season with some reasonable expectations. If the Penguins can get something in the neighborhood of 40-45 points out of him and shelter him enough that his current defensive shortcomings are not as exposed they might still be able to get something of value out of him.

Bottom line​

No matter what happens this season or in future seasons, Letang is one of the giants of the Penguins franchise. Arguably the best defenseman the franchise has ever had (when you take into account longevity with the team) and a part of three Stanley Cup winning teams, while scoring a Stanley Cup clinching goal. He will forever deserve respect for his contributions. Nobody should want to see him go out struggling. So here is hoping Letang and the Penguins can figure out a way to get more out of him during the 2025-26 season.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/15/24430672/2024-25-season-in-review-kris-letang

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Crosby, Fleury have opportunity at making history at Worlds

Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images

The two greats closing in on impressive feats

27 players can claim membership in hockey’s Triple Gold club. Entrance requires winning an Olympic gold medal, a World Championships gold medal and a Stanley Cup. The last one being an ironic addition since it’s not gold at all. Anyways, so far, none of those 27 players are goalies.

Marc-Andre Fleury is looking to change that in his latest final hurrah with Team Canada over in the World Championships. Should Canada win the championship next weekend, Fleury will become the first goalie in the club. Fleury is playing well in the early going (against limited opponents), he’s 2-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .939 save% after yesterday’s 15 save on 16 shot win over Austria. Crosby has five points (2G+3A) in four games, including a slick goal against France. The team is 4-0, beating up on lesser lights like Austria, France, Hungary. The bigger tests are ahead with Sweden and the one-game elimination bracket coming up.

Already in that Triple Gold club, Crosby is looking for something even more exclusive. Now fully in the Jagr-ization stage of his older years, the Pens and Canadian captain seeks any and all opportunities to stay active and keep going. That’s led him to Europe and the opportunity to shorten his off-season and competitive inactivity with this tournament. It also comes with the possibility of a subtle accolade. A WC victory here would be the second of Crosby’s career. He already has multiple Olympic golds (2010, 2014) and Stanley Cups (‘09, 16, 17) so another title puts Crosby in the Double Triple Gold club that only currently has three members (Peter Forsberg, Igor Larionov, Slava Fetisov).

While projecting victories, if Crosby and Canada nab gold in Italy next February and then he goes onto win a few more WC’s, it’s conceivable he could even become the lone member of the Triple Triple Gold club as the only player in hockey history to complete the three legs of the club three times over. Long way to go for that yet, but it’s possible.

—

Neck guards are mandated in the IIHF, which could have presented a problem for Crosby since he doesn’t choose to wear one during NHL action. Luckily he found a solution from the past, somehow digging up an old friend that he wore 20 years ago.

Sidney Crosby is nothing but a creature of habit pic.twitter.com/Se9zoRczOP

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 12, 2025​

Sid confirmed it is indeed the same one. Somehow, one can’t strike the image of the greatest hockey player in the world rifling through an old hockey bag desperately searching for a piece of equipment exactly like what would happen to a beer league player rushing to get ready while late for an 11:00pm start when he can’t find one of his elbow pads or something.

svt sport asked him about the old neck guard
"i happened to find this 3 or 4 months ago"
"it's like an old glove" pic.twitter.com/WhX7HBxqR1

— kennedy (@penguinpain87) May 15, 2025​

Crosby and Fleury’s quest for success continues tomorrow against Slovakia. The tournament is entering its final week with quarterfinals on Thursday, semis next Saturday and then the championship game next Sunday. In America you can find all the Canada and US games on NHL Network.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/16...-have-opportunity-at-making-history-at-worlds

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

On this date in Penguins history: Crosby’s OT goal lifts Pittsburgh to ECF win over Tampa Bay

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Crosby scored a big-time overtime winner against Tampa Bay on May 16, 2016.

Nine years ago today, Sidney Crosby scored one of his biggest playoff goals of all time when he propelled the Penguins to an overtime winner against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 of the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals.

The Penguins entered Game 2 of the series after dropping a tough Game 1 at home against Tampa Bay and were looking to avoid falling into a 0-2 hole after previously being swept in the Conference Finals in 2013.

It was a hectic first period as Matt Cullen and Phil Kessel gave the Penguins a 2-0 lead in the first half of the opening frame, but Tampa Bay wouldn’t go quietly as Anton Stralman and Jonathan Drouin leveled the score before the first intermission.

The second period came and went with no goals.

The third period also came and went with no goals.

The game was headed to overtime and it felt like this one could go on for a while without anyone breaking the tie.

But that couldn’t have been farther from the truth once overtime got underway as Sidney Crosby called game just 40 seconds into sudden death.

It still to this day looks like Crosby’s shot managed to bend space and time the way it curved its way into the back of the net.

Crosby ended an 8-game goal drought when tying the series for the Penguins, sending things to Tampa tied 2-2.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/16...al-lifts-pittsburgh-to-ecf-win-over-tampa-bay

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

2025 NHL Draft Rankings: #6 Caleb Desnoyers

Photo by Dale Preston/Getty Images

The top ranked Quebec product checks in for the 2025 draft

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

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. 6: Caleb Desnoyers, 6’1” 178 pounds, C, Moncton (QMJHL)​

The top prospect from Quebec has set himself up to be a potential top-5 pick. Caleb Desnoyers offers an intriguing package for NHL teams. Desnoyers profiles as a center with skill, creativity and good drive. He’s a well-rounded player that coaches love for his compete level and all-around ability. Desnoyers’ ceiling may vary from person to person but a common theme is that he should be one of the “safer” picks with a floor of being some level of an NHL contributor.

a

They said it​

Scouching

In many areas his analytical profile is very strong with great playmaking ability, great shot assist generation, landing a lot of scoring chances on his own and running play up the ice well. He’s physical and benefits from offensive zone turnovers with the best of them. Analytically the only hole there is his shot selection with 56% of his attempts coming from the perimeter, so I’m sticking my neck out here a little bit. I just believe that translating him to the NHL is a tough thing to do and I’m not sure what I’d be comfortable doing with him there if not a third line centre, but a very good one at that. I find that Desnoyers isn’t particularly proactive but is very good at being reactive, and in my opinion that limits your NHL potential, especially on the defensive side of the puck. His skill is good but not great, he’s decently quick but doesn’t really escape from pressure well, and I find that he greatly benefits from linemates and sloppy opposition through his apt positioning and quick thinking

Sportsnet

Continues to impress with his professional approach to the game. He’s the type of player a coach can trust in any situation.

The Athletic (Corey Pronman)

Desnoyers was one of the best players in the QMJHL this season as a leader on the top team in the league. The No. 1 pick in his QMJHL Draft, he checks every box for what you want in an NHL center. He’s tall and fast and makes a lot happen with and without the puck. Desnoyers displays excellent skill and playmaking ability. He creates offense on the move, off the perimeter and at the net. He has great creativity as a playmaker, while also being a detailed two-way player. Desnoyers can be trusted to check top players as he has a physical edge in his game and gives a high effort every game. He has the potential to be a No. 1 center who can play in any situation.

Daily Faceoff (Steven Ellis)

Desnoyers is a safe bet to become a two-way, top-six forward. I like his physical play, even though he’s not huge. I think he’s a great playmaker and he’s one of the smarter centers in this draft. Desnoyers might not be the flashiest, but at the very least, but he does so many intelligent things with the puck every night. Desnoyers is a guy you can win with, having done so at various international tournaments already. That ability to stay calm and collected under pressure – and still perform to a high level – matters to NHL teams.

The Hockey Writers

Desnoyers is able to put up these numbers largely because of his extremely deceptive playmaking. He can pass from anywhere on the ice, constantly looking to find his teammates in high-danger areas. The only slight knock on him here is that he can work to improve his passing efficiency. He’s a risk-taker in this way, but his failures usually just lead to clears to the neutral zone. Nevertheless, Desnoyers is super smart and skilled as a passer, both inside the offensive zone and off the rush. He could seriously flourish in this area at the professional level.

It’s not just passing that makes Desnoyers an offensive threat. His shot isn’t that powerful, but converting at almost 20% efficiency in both the regular season and playoffs must mean something. It does, as his hockey IQ shines a bit here as well. He jams home loose pucks in the net front and presents himself as a target when the defense breaks down.

While Desnoyers’ offense is easy to rave about, he holds his own in all three zones. He’s strong in transition and capable as a puck-carrier, and is involved defensively. While his frame could use a bit of rounding out, he still wins board battles, shows physicality, and forces turnovers. He could be more dominant, but as is, these are areas to feel good about. Desnoyers is an elite play-driver, as well.

There’s some belief that Desnoyers isn’t a high-upside prospect. This is not the case. He has arguably the brightest mind in the 2025 class, which has made him very productive offensively and effective in all three zones.

—

As far as the Penguins specific view on this pick goes, Desnoyers will surely be gone by the 11th pick. The bigger issue moving forward for the Pens may be the fact that the Philadelphia Flyers pick sixth - right in the wheelhouse of when Desnoyers might come off the board. Pittsburgh would need to trade up to have the chance to draft Desnoyers in June, it is far more likely over the years they will be seeing him as an opponent, be it in Philadelphia or elsewhere.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/17/24431550/2025-nhl-draft-rankings-6-caleb-desnoyers

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Where are they now? Pensburgh 2020 Top 25 Under 25 update

Photo by Derek Cain/Getty Images

What happened to the top young players in the Penguins’ organization five years ago? Checking out where they are at today

Five years makes for a natural fitting point to check in on things, and five years ago is already 2020 — if you can believe that.

To get your mind right, back in those days there wasn’t much to Pittsburgh’s prospect pool as the team chased banners. Jim Rutherford traded all the first round picks from 2015-2020, aside from 2019’s selection of Sam Poulin. (Which, in hindsight, he might as well have traded for a boost..). The Pens were lean, The Athletic ranked them 30th out of a then 31 NHL teams, though that lens put a cap on players at 22-years old or younger and naturally the Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25 continues up a few years further.

Now that five years have ticked away, let’s see what happened to the players.

#25: Radim Zohorna

Zohorna was a complete unknown at the time, having just been signed in 2020 as a 24-year old player that spent his whole career at that point in the Czech league. Zohorna’s size and skill were not too bad but his pace and consistency were not there to merit a lengthy NHL career. He played 68 career games over two stints with the Pens, with trips to Calgary and Toronto mixed in. He was a great player at the AHL level but it ended at that point. In 2024-25, Zohorna played in the Swiss league. He’s signed for next season with a Swedish team.

#24: Judd Caulfield

Caulfield, a former fifth round pick of the Penguins in 2019, never played a pro game with the Pittsburgh organization. His rights were traded in 2023 to Anaheim for a fellow minor league player, Thimo Nickl. Caulfield, now 24, has played the last two seasons for AHL San Diego, scoring 25 points in 67 games in 2024-25. He is an impending restricted free agent this summer.

#23: Will Reilly

Reilly, a seventh round pick in 2017, spent two years in the Pens’ organization split between AHL Wilkes and ECHL Wheeling from 2020-22. He left as a free agent and bounced around a little, winning the ECHL’s championship Kelly Cup in 2024 with the Florida Everglades. Reilly moved overseas and played in the Czech league in 2024-25.

#22: Jan Drozg

Drozg, a former 2017 fifth round pick, spent time in the Pens’ organization from 2018-22, playing mostly in AHL Wilkes with one stint in the ECHL. He eventually requested a trade and was sent to AHL Grand Rapids, where he didn’t get much going either. After that, Drozg signed in the KHL and has played in that league for the last three seasons. Drozg continues to find a place on Slovenia’s national teams, including at the ongoing 2025 World Championships.

#21: Sam Miletic

An undrafted player, Miletic played three seasons for AHL Wilkes from 2018-21. He didn’t make many waves, moved onto a new AHL team in 2021-22 and then played a season in Sweden’s second-tier league in 2022-23 and has not played major professional hockey since.

#20: Lukas Svejkovsky

Svejkovsky, a fourth round pick in 2020, continues the trend of many above. A few unglamorous years in Pittsburgh’s minors led to a trade request that was granted to send him to Tampa’s organization last summer. His stint in AHL Syracuse lasted four games before he threw in the towel and went over to sign with a Finnish team for 2024-25.

#19: Jonathan Gruden

Gruden, acquired in the Matt Murray trade, appeared in 16 games for the NHL Penguins - including 13 in the 2023-24 season. But he couldn’t quite grind his way into more than an injury call-up and was eventually buried deep on the AHL depth chart in 2024-25. Gruden was a part of the trade that sent Cody Glass to NJ in March and is set to be a free agent this summer.

#18 Niclas Almari

Almari, a fifth round pick in 2018, didn’t get much traction in the North American portion of his career. He stayed in Europe for the COVID-impacted season of 2020-21 and only played 19 total games between AHL/ECHL time in 2021-22 before opting to go back to his native Finland and has played in their top league over the last four seasons.

#17: Clayton Phillips

Phillips, a third round pick in 2017, played a grand total of one game in the Pittsburgh organization at the end of the 2021-22 season in Wilkes. He finished up at Penn State that year and moved on to play in the ECHL in 2022-23 for two teams before his pro days ended.

#16: Jordy Bellerive

Bellerive, an undrafted free agent, unfortunately never fully recovered from injuries suffered in a bonfire accident in 2018. He bounced around a few years in the AHL including three full seasons with the AHL Penguins but never advanced past that level. Bellerive played in Sweden in the 2024-25 season.

#15: Anthony Angello

The now-29 year old has played for three different AHL organizations since leaving the Pens at the end of the 2021-22 season. Angello played 31 total NHL games, all with Pittsburgh.

#14: Kasper Bjorkqvist

Unfortunately between injuries and the COVID-season, Bjorkqvist barely played from 2019-21. He decided to sign in Finland instead of staying in the NHL organization in 2022, the Pens retained his rights but he only recorded three points (1G+2a) in 35 games in Finland this season.

#13: Calle Clang

The Pens traded Clang and a second round pick to acquire Rickard Rakell in 2022 and that’s proven to be a great trade for Pittsburgh. Clang hasn’t advanced past the AHL level, but is still relatively young (he’s about to celebrate his 23rd birthday in a few days). But in his two full seasons with AHL San Diego the Swedish goalie has yet to have a winning season, record a GAA lower than 3 or have a save percentage above .900% and the bloom on his prospect rose.

#12: Joel Blomqvist

If the Pens had to chose between Clang and Blomqvist, it appears Blomqvist was the proper choice. He’s made his way up to the NHL, though his appearances were up and down in 2024-25. He’s only got average size and athleticism and may have a low ceiling but could be a player with an NHL future.

#11: Valtteri Puustinen

Puustinen’s seemingly had a hot/cold relationship professionally with the Pens, or at least how they’ve viewed him. He’s been mostly productive at the AHL level but issues with his size, pace, consistency and all-around play have dimmed his future at the top level. Puustinen only got 13 games in the NHL in 2024-25 (including several throwaway games at the end of the season) compared to 52 in 2023-24. His Pittsburgh career doesn’t look pointed in an encouraging direction but he remains under contract for next season.

#10: Josh Maniscalco

Well, this projection was a dud. Maniscalco had the tools and was coming off a great NCAA career but spent most of his time in the ECHL from 2021-23 while he was in the Pens’ organization. He didn’t play anywhere in 2024-25.

#9: Cam Lee

Lee did fairly well in his two seasons in Wilkes from 2020-22 but it was clear he wasn’t going up the ranks. He decided to go play in Russia and has been in the KHL for the last three seasons.

#8: Drew O’Connor

The rare success story! O’Connor worked his way up the ranks, eventually scoring 16 NHL goals last season. He had an up-and-down 2024-25 that saw him traded to Vancouver with another player on this list we’ll talk about a little later. O’Connor cashed in with a $5 million contract over two years ($2.5m cap hit) with the Canucks.

#7: Nathan Legare

Legare, 24, had his best AHL season on his third team — although “best” is relative considering it was for 17 goals and 25 points in 69 games. For some unknown reason, the Devils called Legare up to the NHL mid-season and played him three games (0 points). He hasn’t been able to score much at the AHL level but appears to have modified his game to be a checking/physical forward in order to achieve upward mobility.

#6: Pierre-Olivier Joseph

The main return from the Phil Kessel trade, Joseph played quite a long time in Wilkes from 2019-22. He put together a pretty decent NHL rookie campaign in 2022-23 (21 points in 75 games) but wasn’t able to build on that and hung around the fringes of the lineup until last summer when the Pens didn’t qualify him. Joseph signed with St. Louis, but didn’t play well there and they traded him back to Pittsburgh, where he helped fill a lineup spot for 24 games last season. Joseph’s looking back at free agency this summer, either restricted or unrestricted depending on Pittsburgh’s next decision with him.

#5: Samuel Poulin

Poulin’s career never got on track, due to injury he only played 18 total games in an all-important second pro season in 2022-23. Injuries and off ice (mental health) items cost him much of 2023-24 as well. Last season in 2024-25, Poulin had his best AHL season (43 points in 57 games) but has only made 13 NHL appearances and is still looking for his first career goal. He’s signed for next season.

#4: Jared McCann

McCann had another successful season in Seattle, putting up 22 goals and 61 points this year to lead the team in assists and points. Somewhat amazingly, McCann is the Kraken’s all-time leader in goals and points, and the latter is by a mile. Only one player (Vince Dunn, 59 points back) is even within 65 points of McCann.

#3: Marcus Pettersson

Pettersson might be the cream of the crop for this list, signing a $33 million contract with Vancouver while coming off making $21 million over the last six seasons. He’s got a full no movement clause for the next three seasons so he should be settling into Vancouver for the next little while following the second in-season trade of his career.

#2: Kasperi Kapanen

Kapanen’s up and down, winding career took him to waivers to leave Pittsburgh and get picked up by St. Louis. They too would eventually waive him and he landed in Edmonton, where he’s been everything from a frequent healthy scratch to sharing the ice at the same time as Leon Draisaitl and/or Connor McDavid. What a world!

#1 John Marino

Marino got traded to New Jersey and after a few seasons the Devils shipped him out to Utah. A back injury kept Marino out for much of the 2024-25 season but he should be a decent-sized part of the Mammoth next year.

—

Pretty wild that from this list only three players (Blomqvist, Puustinen, Poulin) remain with the organization for one reason or another, and none of them are full-time NHL players in their own rights.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/17...hey-now-pensburgh-2020-top-25-under-25-update

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

On this date in Penguins history: Pittsburgh throttles Philadelphia to punch ticket to 2008 Cup Final

Jerry Lai-Imagn Images

The Penguins shut out the Flyers on May 18, 2008 to clinch their spot in the Stanley Cup Final.

Seventeen years ago today, the Penguins beat up on the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, punching their ticket to the 2008 Stanley Cup Final, earning their first appearance in the final in over 15 years.

The Penguins steamrolled their way to the Eastern Conference Final that year, sweeping the Ottawa Senators and beating the New York Rangers in five games.

The Penguins’ cross-state rival Flyers were up next and the series didn’t appear to be much different as Pittsburgh won the first three games.

The Flyers held off being eliminated in Game 4 in Philadelphia and sent the series back to Pittsburgh for a fifth game — one that was never much of a contest.

Ryan Malone scored twice and Marian Hossa had four points in the 6-0 win for the Penguins, including his 9th goal of the playoffs as Pittsburgh took an early lead and never looked back.

It’s a little wild in retrospect to realize how the Penguins earned their spot in the Stanley Cup Final and only lost two games in the process of getting there.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/18...hiladelphia-to-punch-ticket-to-2008-cup-final

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Past 11th overall picks in NHL history

Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NHLI via Getty Images

Players drafted over the years at 11th overall include former Penguins Jarome Iginla and Jeff Carter

The phrase “past performance is no guarantee of future results” is a CYA catch-all often associated with the stock market. It could apply just as easily to a subject like the NHL draft. You never know what could happen when it comes to trying to evaluate and rank 17 and 18 year old hockey players when it comes to projecting just what they might develop into in the years to come. There are always the exceptions that prove the rule — like a Sidney Crosby that everyone saw coming from his earliest days — but once teams get deeper in the draft they can be relying on luck, hope and favorable fortune that is no sure thing.

That disclaimer out of the way, the past can also provide a valuable road map and set expectations with a big enough sample of just what to generally expect. The Penguins are set to pick 11th overall, which brings a variety of different potential outcomes. Their choice could go onto have a long and decorated career, or it could be an example of promise fizzling out. As usual in life, something in the middle of the two extremes is probably the most likely outcome.

(Data from hockeydb)

The most successful​

If you’re picking 11th, this is the dream come true. Jarome Iginla made the Hall of Fame, Anze Kopitar should join him. Jeff Carter, Brian Rolston and Scott Young enjoyed very good careers and were meaningful players on Stanley Cup champion teams. Filip Forsberg and Kevin Fiala are modern day excellent players. A team would be thrilled to add a player of this caliber to their organization for at least a decade or so.

The busts​

Deleting out some of the older players from the 1960’s and ‘70s that are unknown today, here are some semi-recent 11thoverall picks from the past that didn’t work out after draft days with the lowest point totals. Iginla/Kopitar types may be the dream come true but getting a Sam Morin, Duncan Siemens or Oliver Wahlstrom is possible from this spot too.

The most recent 11th overalls​

The stats do not yet include the 2024-25 season, Conor Geekie (21) made his NHL debut for Tampa this season scoring 14 points in 52 games last season in his draft+3 season so he does actually have an NHL sample. Tom Willander just turned pro after draft+2 by signing with Vancouver this past week. Sam Dickinson has been lighting it up for OHL London and could push to make the NHL next season in his draft+2 season after being named the OHL’s defenseman of the year and putting up 31 points in 17 playoff games so far.

Patience could be a key in the range of the 11th overall pick. These players aren’t as physically ready to make big NHL impacts — else-wise they would have been picked in the top 10. Even players with solid NHL careers might take a while to fully develop and blossom. Gabe Valardi illustrates that example, though he made it to the NHL for his draft+3 season for 10 games, he still needed significant time in the AHL in his draft+5 season and it wasn’t truly until his draft+6 season at age-23 that he broke out in a major way for his first 40+ point NHL campaign.

If we chalk the most recent years up to being too soon to know and forget about the year where Arizona was forced to forfeit the pick due to a league punishment, the scoreboard for 11th overall picks from 2012-19 would look like this:

• 37.5% of the time: great finds (Forsberg, Fiala, Vilardi)
• 12.5% of the time: decent pick (Crouse)
• 50% of the time: development case gone wrong (Morin, Brown, Wahlstrom, Soderstrom)

Not great odds based on the those eight years, but that batting average might improve soon. Askarov is on the verge of graduating to the NHL full-time and looks like he could be a quality netminder. Geekie and Willander, as mentioned, are close to being NHL contributors. Neither is expected to be a game-breaking force but both should at least be categorized in the decent area. Dickinson is still just 18-years old but looks like he’s on the trajectory of being in the top category as a very solid NHLer.

If those four most recent 11th overalls all pan out, that would lead to 66.6% of the past 12 year selections being at least a decent pick.

What does picking 11th tell the Penguins? Getting a sure-fire NHL contributor isn’t guaranteed but through the right mix or scouting and development they should be able to add a talented prospect who will have a shot at becoming a big part of the team in the years ahead.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/18...tory-penguins-first-round-pick-2025-nhl-draft

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Candidates, timeline are coming into focus for Penguins’ head coaching job

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

The weekly update for the search on the next Pens coach

It’s time for the weekly update on the coaching search for the Penguins. As it was last week, it’s still been mostly quiet — as expected. Rick Tocchet is off the board, having decided to cast his lot with the Flyers. Kyle Dubas remains in Sweden with Team Canada at the World Championships, conducting remote interviews and going through the first step of the process.

One recent update is a few of the names in the mix, per Elliotte Friedman on his 32 Thoughts Podcast:

Friedman on 32TP says Mitch Love is high on the Penguins list for their vacant head coach position, others who have interviewed there are: Jay Woodcroft, Jay Leach, DJ Smith and Dave Quinn.

— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) May 16, 2025​

All of those names are about as expected for the top candidates for opening these days and is by no means the entirety of who has interviewed. Drew Bannister has also reportedly been in the mix.

Mitch Love is an interesting name to consider. He’s young (turns 41 next month), has had successful coaching turns in the WHL and AHL, where in two seasons Love’s teams had a 96-33-11 record. Love has spent the last two seasons in the NHL, on the Capitals staff as an assistant working with defensemen.

Leach, 45, was briefly with the Penguins in 2015-16, serving as an assistant in Wilkes and promoted to be their head coach when Mike Sullivan was promoted to the NHL. Leach has four seasons of experience as an AHL head coach under his belt and has worked as an NHL assistant the past four seasons in Seattle and most recently last season in Boston.

Woodcroft, 48, was a long-time NHL assistant and four-year AHL head coach who got his first NHL head coaching job with Edmonton in 2022. It went well - he guided the Oilers to the Western Conference Final in 2022 and went 76-32-9 in his first season and a half before a slow start in 2023-24 cost him that position.

Smith, 48, brings a lot of experience. He capped a successful junior coaching career that spanned from 2005-15 by winning a championship with Oshawa in 2015. Smith moved on to be a Toronto assistant from 2015-19 (time spent overlapping with Kyle Dubas) and then the head coach of the Ottawa Senators for over four seasons from 2019-23. Last season Smith was back behind the bench as an assistant for the Kings.

Quinn, 58, needs little introduction here. He spent last season in Pittsburgh and helped the power play get back on track. Quinn was the head coach of the Rangers from 2018-21 and again in San Jose from 2022-24 after spending significant time in the collegiate ranks coaching (most notably as the BU head coach from 2013-18).

As far as timeline goes, the wait should be over somewhat soon, though not before final interviews happen when Dubas returns to Pittsburgh in late-May.

“My plan is to have a new head coach in place by June 1,” Dubas told The Athletic.

There are four NHL teams still looking for head coaches right now, the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks and Seattle Kraken also have openings along with the Pens.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/19...ing-into-focus-for-penguins-head-coaching-job

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Mitch Marner: Pipe dream or realistic possibility for the Penguins?

Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It comes down to just how urgent is “urgent” for Kyle Dubas..

Kyle Dubas has been tending to use a curious word often when it comes to his intended timeline towards getting the Penguins back into contention.

“We want to operate as urgently as we can to return the team there.,” Dubas said in February. “We don’t want to buy patience or say, ‘It’s in X amount of years, (the) plan in Year X, we hope to be at different points.’”

The same word popped up again in April.

“When I say as urgently as possible,” Dubas said in his season ending press conference, “I try not to put a timeline on it because I don’t want to be a perpetual and evergreen conference when we come in and say ‘Ah, we’re a year or two or so away.’ We’re pushing. That’s what the organization is used to and what the fans want. We just have to stick to a very concise plan and execute our butts off. That’s for sure.”

He was intentional to not box himself into a timeline or specifically define what his idea of “urgent” means, which begs the question of just how urgent is urgent for Kyle Dubas?

The answer, whatever it may be, will set the tone for the course of the rebuild path he sets for the Penguins this summer.

Pittsburgh has a variety of different options to display that urgency, should they wish to take it now. The team enters the summer with $23 million in projected cap space per Puck Pedia, a figure that will balloon to $54 million next summer in 2026. The Pens could sit tight, kick the can down the road and let contracts toll one more year to expiring and undergo another season like the last one where they take on bad contracts for assets and play the long, patient game waiting for younger talent to develop into NHL caliber players. Not to mention getting another quality draft pick along the way as a reward.

There’s always one huge thorn in the side of fully accepting the long, patient rebuild. It’s the franchise icon that just became the player who just became the first to record three 90+ point seasons at the age of 35+. Sidney Crosby wants to win. Will that force Dubas’s hand into a little more urgency? We’ll soon find out.

One area where Dubas did a good job in 2024, compared to where he did not do so well in 2023 was the free agent pool.

“Can [free agents] help us get there; then can they perform at that level all the way through? Not looking to acquire players in their early 30s and sign long-term and have those on our books,” Dubas said.

A 28-year old forward who just scored 102 points last season would certainly qualify.

Changes finally look unavoidable after Toronto’s latest playoff flameout. What was once considered extremely unlikely has now developed into watching Mitch Marner separate from his hometown team in real time. From The Athletic:

The 28-year-old winger signaled his intentions during a 102-point season where he put off every overture from his boyhood team to engage in negotiations on a contract extension. He then batted away management’s attempt to trade him to the Carolina Hurricanes ahead of the March 7 deadline by refusing to waive his no-movement clause, saying only that he wanted to focus on hockey and finish out the season as strongly as possible.

And on Sunday night when a second-round series with the Florida Panthers ended in misery for the Maple Leafs, with fans throwing jerseys and beer on the Scotiabank Arena ice amid a 6-1 defeat in Game 7, Marner had a reflective tone when addressing his 10-year run in Toronto.

“It meant everything,” he said. “(They) took maybe a risky pick on a small kid from Toronto and I’ve been forever grateful to be able to wear this Maple Leaf, and be a part of some of the great legends here and be able to wear this jersey.

“So never taken a day for granted, and I always loved it.”

Given the crushing nature of the amount of pressure and expectation found in Toronto (and Brad Marchand was right, last night’s game wasn’t that big compared to the next two rounds to come that are uncharted territory in Toronto), a place like Pittsburgh would be a place for Marner to breath again. The media circus in Western PA is nothing compared to Southern Ontario.

There’s some other obvious positives to link Marner to the Penguins: Dubas lends more than familiarity and offers Marner a manager he knows, and presumably likes and trusts, having stocked the front office with some former Toronto staffers along the way. Marner has made no secret about being fond of Sidney Crosby, even beyond the normal ways where all hockey players are fond around Crosby. The biggest carrot of all to dangle for a free agent is money, and the Pens have plenty of that too where they could conceivably make Marner a competitive offer in the $13-15 million annual range — if they wanted to.

Those last four words loom the largest, because it’s unknown as of right now just what the Pens want to do. Perhaps the opportunity to pursue an elite talent like Marner is something they can’t pass up. Then again, perhaps as likely the idea of signing a player to a seven year deal to eat up a huge chunk of cap space is antithetical to the moves the Pens have made over the last 15 months since trading away Jake Guentzel.

This summer presents a fork in the road where Dubas will have to show how urgent he really is. Pittsburgh needs more top-line talent, but then again they need a lot of things starting on the blueline and in net. At this point the reasons to not prioritize Marner for the Penguins make just as much sense as Marner not being too keen on joining a non-playoff team that has no guarantee of going anywhere any time soon. (Not to mention if he wanted to go that route, possibilities like Chicago or San Jose could be on the table where they already have key young pieces in place).

A lot would still have to come together, but logically speaking the fact that it looks like Marner is angling towards a Toronto exit increase the viability of the possibility that he could be a Penguin. A whole lot would have to still align and be agreed upon, from the player’s side and from the team’s position as well, but it’s fair to see the idea is more realistic now than it has ever been. Don’t go ordering that No. 16 Pens jersey just yet, but if Kyle Dubas wants to put meaning behind his words of “urgency”, the option to turbocharge his managerial work and give Crosby a high-level piece to work with sounds like a consideration that will have to be at least schemed out. Mitch Marner to Pittsburgh could still be thought of as a low percentage dream but as of this morning it is a little more possible than it ever has been.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/19...ronto-maple-leafs-potential-changes-core-four

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

2024-25 Season in review: Conor Timmins

Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images

Will this RFA return for his first full season in Pittsburgh next fall?

Vitals​

Player: Conor Timmins
Born: September 18, 1998 (age 26 season)
Height: 6’3
Weight: 213 pounds
Hometown: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Shoots: Right
Draft: Round 2, Pick 1 (No. 32 overall) of the 2017 NHL draft by the Colorado Avalanche
Acquired: Deadline trade with Toronto Maple Leafs
2024-25 Statistics: 17 games played, one goal, six assists, seven total points with Penguins (68 games played, three goals, 12 assists, 15 points overall)
Contract Status: Timmins is hitting restricted free agency following the expiration of his previous two-year, $2.2 million deal.

Monthly Splits​

via Yahoo!

Timmins played his first 51 games of the season for the Leafs. He was traded to the Penguins on March 7.

Story of the Season​

Timmins arrived in Pittsburgh this March as part of a trade that also brought in Connor Dewar from the Maple Leafs in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick.

The 26-year-old proved to be a reliable defensive presence in Pittsburgh, a valuable asset for a Penguins blue line suffering from the deadline departure of Marcus Pettersson.

Timmins was quickly elevated in the lineup, getting ice time alongside both Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson. In March, head coach Mike Sullivan complimented his hockey IQ and decision-making.

“He has the ability to make plays when they’re there, but he doesn’t force plays. That’s one of the things that we really like about his game and he defends hard,” Sullivan said, per Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

In April, Josh Getzoff asked general manager Kyle Dubas if the Pens plan on keeping Timmins. Dubas answered, “I think we certainly will.”

“We wanted to give him the runway to play, play a lot and show what he could do. I think he’s made the most of it, that’s really what we’re looking for. I think he’s showed potential to be someone that can grow with the group,” Dubas said.

Both Timmins and Dewar are restricted free agents. Dubas paid a relatively low cost for the opportunity either retain or flip both players next season.

Regular season 5v5 advanced stats​

Data via Natural Stat Trick. Ranking is out of 11 defensemen on the team who qualified by playing a minimum of 150 minutes.

Corsi For%: 57.79 (1st)
Goals For%: 58.33 (1st)
xGF%: 13.76 (8th)
Scoring Chance%: 58.59 (1st)
High Danger Scoring Chance%: 51.92 (4th)
5v5 on-ice shooting%: 9.52 (3rd)
On-ice save%: 91.38 (3rd)
Goals/60: 0.22 (2nd)
Assist/60: 1.1 (1st)
Points/60: 0.44 (2nd)

Timmins’ stats should be read with a major caveat of a relatively small sample size; he played just 17 games with the Penguins this season. But these numbers showed that he overall had a positive impact on the Pens’ defense when he was on the ice.

Charts n’at​

Via Advanced Hockey Stats and NHL Edge

Timmins overall had a positive impact on the Pens’ defense at both even strength and on the penalty kill.

Advanced Hockey Stats wasn’t impressed with Timmins’ work on zone entries or on the rush, but credits him with stopping the majority of opponent zone entries against him.

Timmins isn’t setting any speed records as a skater, but his 94.55 mile-per-hour top shot speed is impressive.

Highlights​

Conor Timmins fires home with his first goal with the @penguins pic.twitter.com/Zc2TGORPF1

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 14, 2025​

Questions to ponder​

What is Timmins’ ceiling with the Penguins? Dubas said in April he believes the Pens are “just scratching the surface” of his potential. Given the Penguins’ thin defensive depth and Kris Letang’s uncertain health status heading into next season, Timmins could potentially see a spike in playing time if re-signed next season.

Ideal 2025-26​

Ideal for the Penguins: sign Timmins to an affordable deal, and potentially flip him at the deadline. Ideal for Timmins: put together a career-best campaign in 2025-26 in order to earn a pay raise on his next deal.

Bottom line​

Timmins was an affordable and effective addition in his limited time in Pittsburgh last season. He could play a larger role next fall if re-signed by Dubas.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/20/24432775/2024-25-season-in-review-conor-timmins

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

2024-25 Season in Review: Ryan Graves

Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images

Graves didn’t do much in his second season in the black and gold to silence his already vociferous critics.

Vitals​

Player: Ryan Graves
Born: May 21, 1995 (30 years old)
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 222 pounds
Hometown: Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
Shoots: Left
Draft: Round 4 (No. 110 overall), 2013, New York Rangers
2024-25 Statistics: 61 games played; one goal; three assists; four points; +/- -15
Contract Status: Entering year three of a six-year, $27 million contract. Will have a cap hit of $4.5 million in 2025-26. Will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2028-29 season.
History: 2023-24: 47% F; 46% D

Monthly Splits​

Yahoo! Sports
Ryan Graves’ monthly splits.

Story of the Season​

It was not the great sophomore follow-up I’m sure Ryan Graves envisioned after a rocky 2023-24 debut season with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

His second season was, in a few ways, a continuation of his first. Graves began the season with Jack St. Ivany on the Penguins’ third defense pairing.

Repeat subpar performances saw Graves become a healthy scratch after an ugly 6-1 loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Nov. 23, 2024, and he would not see the ice again until Dec. 7.

After playing most of December and into the new year, Graves would again not play between Jan. 3 and Jan. 17, 2025.

Trading left-hander Marcus Pettersson to the Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 1 meant Graves saw more game action as the Penguins continued to flounder toward the end of another unremarkable season.

After scoring three goals and 11 points across 70 games last season, Graves registered his first and only goal of the 2024-25 campaign against the St. Louis Blues on March 13 as part of a 5-3 victory.

Regular season 5v5 advanced stats​

Data via Natural Stat Trick. The ranking is out of 11 defensemen on the team who qualified by playing a minimum of 150 minutes.

Corsi For%: 49.86 (6th)
Goals For%: 38.18 (9th)
xGF%: 51.07 (3rd)
Scoring Chance%: 48.74 (6th)
High Danger Scoring Chance%: 49.26 (6th)
5v5 on-ice shooting%: 6.65 (9th)
On-ice save%: 90.29 (7th)
Goals/60: 0.07
Assists/60: 0.22
Points/60: 0.3

Graves didn't generate much offense this season, but the expected goals for percentage being as high as it is for as much flak as he receives was a surprising find from this data set. A lot of that is camouflage from coaching decisions and limited usage, and even then typically third line players that Mike Sullivan would shield tended to have very good stats in this regard.

Charts n’at​

Via Advanced Hockey Stats and NHL Edge

WAR% alone doesn’t capture the full tale of Graves. Shielded from tough competition he wasn’t put in a position to do a lot of damage to the team.

The microstats on Graves show his limitations a little more clearly. He was awful defending on the rush and transitionally he did little to help the team exit the defensive zone or enter the offensive zone.

As a young free agent, the idea was that Graves could get around the ice pretty well. He still has his reach and stick to help, but he doesn’t have much burst in his legs. If Graves wants to improve and salvage his career, finding a way to achieve some gains skating will be a key.

The lack of shots stands out; Graves recorded 100+ SOG in four seasons from 2019-23. He only had 77 in his first season in Pittsburgh and just 39 in 2024-25. The evaporation of this basic tenant of hockey shows how limited he’s become.

Highlights​

47 games in, Ryan Graves scores his first goal of the season!#LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/nCS4mH3uea

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) March 13, 2025​

Questions to ponder​

What comes next for Ryan Graves? Will he ever become the defenseman general manager Kyle Dubas envisioned he’d be when he signed him to one of the biggest free agent contracts in franchise history two summers ago?

Graves was a frequent healthy scratch throughout the 2024-25 season, and whether you are for or against that, it should be noted that a new head coach may perceive Graves’ value differently than Mike Sullivan did.

Ideal 2025-26​

Perhaps a new head coach deploys Graves differently. Maybe he gets a bump in ice time. Until we see that with our eyes, though, for as hard a pill as it is to swallow for Dubas and co., continuing to shelter Graves while accentuating his positives on the third pairing may be the role Graves finds himself in again.

The odds of Dubas jettisoning Graves’ contract to another buyer seem less than reasonable. It would be wise to anticipate another season of Graves in a Penguins sweater, hoping that a new coach might unlock some of the potential that Dubas saw in Graves when he signed the towering blue-liner.

The left side of the Penguins’ defense depth chart is a bit more open than the right side, giving Graves an edge to remain on the ice rather than in the press box.

Is it considered the nuclear option if Dubas and the Penguins bury Graves’ contract in the AHL a la Tristan Jarry? Doing so would allow the Penguins to save the league minimum salary plus another $375K, equaling $1.15M in total savings.

Bottom line​

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/21...son-in-review-ryan-graves-penguins-nhl-hockey

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

2025 Western Conference Final preview, prediction

Photo by Leila Devlin/Getty Images

Who will win the rematch?

The Western Conference Final stacks up to be Dallas against Edmonton for the second season in a row. We went 1-1 in the second round predictions, after checking out like a chicken to not pick the Oilers.

It’s crazy what a difference a year makes, here is Edmoton’s top-12 scorers of the playoffs so far.

And here’s what it was in the first two rounds of last spring:

Last year it was the Connor and Leon show, practically no one else besides Evander Kane was chipping in that wasn’t directly fueled by one of the two stars. This time around, there’s a lot more balance. Kane is playing well again but this time Corey Perry and Connor Brown have showed up big time, others are also chipping in occasionally. Edmonton got virtually zilch last season that wasn’t 97/29 created but this year they’ve been dramatically deeper of a team. As such, the Oilers boomed the Vegas Golden Knights out in five games.

And, whether it’s viewed as a problem for not happening yet, or any opportunity to improve — Connor McDavid only has one power play point so far this playoff. You would think that changes sooner than later but despite scoring 17 points in 11 games so far he’s actually got a reasonable change to kick it up even further.

To combat this deeper-than-ever Oilers squad, the Stars can turn to returning players. Miro Heiskanen is finally healthy and just in time for this series. Jason Robertson is playing now too. But the biggest difference from last season (where Edmonton won in six games) is that now Dallas boasts a player on par with McDavid and Draisaitl that can take over and pull out a singularly great performance in Mikko Rantanen. Rantanen’s 19 points are ahead of the Edmonton duo (with two more games played by Dallas) and the Stars will be hoping the power of that addition can tip the balances.

While Rantanen will rightfully get almost all of the attention as a key add, the Oilers have been quietly at work as well in that area. Jake Walman and John Klingberg have formed one of the most surprisingly capable pairs this playoff and proven to be nice under-the-radar types of additions for Edmonton. It turned out they badly needed it since Mattias Ekholm hasn’t been able to play yet this playoff season.

The goalie department should also be in Dallas’s favor. Jake Oettinger is a consistent netminder, solid and capable. Edmonton rides the lightning by switching from Stuart Skinner to Cal Pickard as needed. Somehow, to this point, it has worked out for the best. Remaining optimistic about the goaltending the Oilers will get from game to game (or even period to period) is a difficult task. Not so for the Stars.

Most consider this a coin flip series, and for good reason for a series featuring two exceptionally strong teams that are peaking at the right time. In the end, the lure of the first Stanley Cup rematch since 2008-09 is too much to pass up at not predicting. Can McDavid get a parallel to Sidney Crosby by winning his first Cup by avenging his loss from the team that beat him the year prior? To be decided, but boy that would make for some great theater should that opportunity develop. Prediction: Oilers in 6

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/21/24434000/2025-western-conference-final-preview-prediction

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

2025 NHL Draft Rankings: #7 Jake O’Brien

Photo by Kevin Sousa/Getty Images

A playmaking center coming off a great OHL season figures to hear his name called early in the draft

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

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. 7: Jake O’Brien, 6’2” 172 pounds, C, Brantford (OHL)​

Jake O’Brien has been consistently moving up the boards during the draft process. He started out in McKenzie’s preseason rankings at 14, moved up to ninth at midseason and now checks in at seventh in the final edition. The reasons is he’s showing off “elite hockey sense, high-end playmaking ability and is a wizard on the half wall on the power play” as McKenzie wrote in January.

As to be expected from a player on such a rise, O’Brien’s excellent production in 2024-25 has put him on the map as a quality prospect. Broad Street Hockey pointed out that put him in some pretty great company:

Since 2010, only 10 draft-eligible OHL skaters have managed to score more points than O’Brien did this season: Alex DeBrincat, Arthur Kaliyev, Ryan Strome, Matthew Tkachuk, Cole Perfetti, Marco Rossi, Michael Misa, Mitch Marner, Dylan Strome, and some guy named Connor McDavid. Those are the player that excelled higher than this player in terms of raw point totals.

On the downside, O’Brien isn’t great at faceoffs and at 170ish pounds he will need to add weight and strength. O’Brien doesn’t turn 18 until June, the good news is those weaknesses should naturally shore up over time as he continues to develop and gain experience.

They said it​

Daily Faceoff (Steven Ellis)

O’Brien has the skills and the smarts to be a very impressive center in the NHL. His off-puck play is great, and he’s always out-thinking his opponents. O’Brien just fell short of 100 points with 98, but he only continued to get better as the season wore on. He’s never going to blow you away with his pure skill, but his work ethic and ability to be effective in all three zones will allow him to have a solid career. I wouldn’t be surprised to see O’Brien go even higher in the draft.

Sportsnet (Sam Cosentino)

Experienced a second half surge with 59 points in his final 33 games. Add to that a point per game pace in 11 playoff games and you have a player who has cemented himself as a top 10 choice. Elite playmaker.

The Athletic (Corey Pronman)

O’Brien has been an excellent junior player as a leading player on a top OHL team. O’Brien displays the high-end patience and vision to hold onto pucks for an extra second to make difficult plays and run an NHL power play. He’s extremely skilled with the puck, showing the soft touch and quick hands to create a lot of scoring chances and improvise on difficult plays often. He’s a decent enough skater. His game can lack pace at times in part because he pulls up to make his skilled plays too much, but when he gets going, he moves well. O’Brien isn’t overly physical, but he gets to the net to create chances, can kill penalties and isn’t a pushover. He projects as a very good top two line center who could score a lot in the NHL.

Scouching

he leads the crop of smart playmaking centres who may not carry a ton of pace in their game, but simply go with the flow making great reads, adapting to pressure well, keeping pucks away from opponents and driving great possession results with their overall impact. Similar to Kindel, blocking shots isn’t necessarily his forte, but his off-puck results are great. His shot selection is one of the best available, rarely wasting his chances and not shooting pucks from places he won’t score from, and his slot pass numbers are also quite good. He’s one of the best players in the class at finding creative ways through opponents and adapting to play on the fly, I just wonder what his upside is going to be in the NHL as he is.

—

Given that O’Brien is an excellent playmaking center that has seen his stock get on a rocket ship, he won’t have to wait too long to hear his name called at the draft. Sitting at pick 11, the Penguins ought to have no expectation that he will fall for where they’re picking but if some defensemen start jumping up that might open an opportunity for teams to consider jockeying around in trades to move up.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/22/24433366/2025-nhl-draft-rankings-7-jake-obrien

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Skating Penguin Network: A cool story from Worlds

A listener makes the trip to Sweden and comes home with a good story to tell.

The Skating Penguin Network, formerly the Pensburgh Podcast, just crossed its second anniversary since going independent and going the Fans First Sports Network back in the spring of 2023. With the conclusion of the 2024-25 Pittsburgh Penguins season, the podcast is now shifting focus to the offseason and what lies ahead in what should be another busy summer for the Penguins.

Each week during the offseason, we try to conduct a mailbag of listener questions collected through the podcast Twitter account. When collecting questions for this week’s episode, listener Edward Beckham checked in with the details of his recent trip to Sweden to watch Sidney Crosby and Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships.

Not a question but just wanted to let you know about my trip to Sweden.
Watched Sid score 2 in a 4 point night last night. So good. This was after I randomly sat next to a former Penguin who I didn’t know, but ended up having a couple of beers and a good chat with him…..

— Ed (@edward_beckham) May 18, 2025​

Living in the UK, the World Championships provide the perfect opportunity for fans like Ed to see their favorite players in person and Ed took full advantage with a weekend trip to Stockholm and was treated to a classic Crosby performance against Slovakia.

On top of seeing Crosby dazzle, Ed ran into a familiar face at a local bar in Stockholm while having a drink, former Penguins defenseman Dick Tarnstrom who was enjoying the tournament in his home country and watching his former teammate Crosby in action as well.

Dick Tarnstrom. Any memories of him? Nice guy and an interesting chat. Photos attached pic.twitter.com/yiD3rMqN2G

— Ed (@edward_beckham) May 18, 2025​

Tarnstrom, as many of you may remember, was with the Penguins between 2002-2006, and led the team in scoring with 52 points in 2003-04, the only defenseman to ever lead the Penguins in scoring. Tarnstrom also had the honor of playing with both Crosby and Mario Lemieux during his stint with the Penguins which lasted 174 games before he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers at the 2006 trade deadline.

All in all, it’s safe to say this was a worthwhile trip for Ed to make, and one he will certainly remember for a long time. Being a Penguins fan across the pond is no easy task, but our European fans are dedicated to the team and it’s cool one of them got to have an experience like this.

If you are interested, Robbie and Snail discussed Ed’s story and a bunch of other topics surrounding the Penguins and the NHL as whole in the latest episode of the Skating Penguin Network and can be found below with our entire catalog of shows.

Our content for now will focus mainly on offseason happenings through free agency with some other fun items thrown in as they come our way. We will find topics to fill the air during the slow part of NHL summer then get back to game recaps and news shows once the new season arrives.

If you have listened in the past and enjoyed our show, we thank you for listening and hope you stay along for the ride.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/22...emieux-dick-tarnstrom-world-championships-nhl

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Friday Poll: Best Pens goal of the season

Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

What was your favorite Penguin goal of the season?

The Pittsburgh Penguins scored 243 goals this past season. They were not all the same, so today we look at the more memorable ones in effort to determine what the best goal of the season was for the Pens.

As always, we’ll start with Sidney Crosby. Crosby scored 33 times this season, the biggest one coming as career goal number 600 back in November against Utah.

Welcome to the 600-goal club, Sidney Crosby! pic.twitter.com/dgLcw6PyNu

— NHL (@NHL) November 24, 2024​

While that was a nice goal on a milestone, it’s arguable that Evgeni Malkin one-upped Sid in that category this year. Malkin’s 500th goal came in October against Buffalo and married an important goal with a very nice one. Crosby plays a part with a slick behind-the-back pass. Malkin demonstrates a second and third effort after falling to knock the puck in while on his seat. It’s a really nice one.

TAKE A BOW, MR. 500 pic.twitter.com/YRtMwi4pMf

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 17, 2024​

Malkin added another great goal in overtime against the Flyers in February. Patience for days to let the defender slide all the way out of the picture and then pick a spot with his shot.

HE IS SCORE!

Evgeni Malkin gives the @penguins the extra point with his @Energizer overtime winner! pic.twitter.com/CK3DWSmIH5

— NHL (@NHL) February 28, 2025​

Not to be outdone, Crosby had a nice OT goal himself with a classic move to his backhand in January against Utah.

SIDNEY CROSBY WINS IT IN OVERTIME FOR THE PENGUINS (+120)

(via @NHL)pic.twitter.com/jTGF2Anbpi

— ESPN BET (@ESPNBET) January 30, 2025​

After not seeing a goalie score a goal for the first 56 years of franchise history, Alex Nedeljkovic became the second goal in Pittsburgh history to score one himself (joining partner Tristan Jarry, who scored in the 2023-24 season for the first Pens goalie goal).

ALEX NEDELJKOVIC JUST SCORED A GOALIE GOAL pic.twitter.com/kywcdyrW4b

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 18, 2025​

If I’ve missed any feel free to add some nominees

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/23/24433167/friday-poll-best-pens-goal-of-the-season

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

2025 NHL Draft Rankings: #8 Roger McQueen

Photo by Jonathan Kozub/Getty Images

A tall, skilled center with injury concerns..

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

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. 8: Roger McQueen, 6’5” 197 pounds, C, Brandon (WHL)​

If there’s one wild card for how the top of the NHL draft will play out this season, it has to be Roger McQueen. As seen from his Elite Prospects profile, McQueen’s rankings are all over the board depending on the source; as high as 5th and as low as 17th.

On the plus side, McQueen has the size and skill profile that makes NHL teams drool. He’s 6’5” and has elite hands when it comes to producing offense. He seems to think the game well and sees the ice to create plays. He’s got a good motor and can cause havoc on the forecheck. His impact in the middle of the ice at the junior level is undeniably impressive.

On the negative side, McQueen missed most of his draft-1 season with a back injury. The Athletic summed it up:

McQueen’s injury is believed by some to be a bulging disc, although other sources claim it is a stress fracture, which is what McQueen has said in interviews. Despite mixed medical evaluations on Lindstrom — some teams’ doctors cleared him, while others hesitated and advised their clubs not to pick him. He just recently returned to playing for his WHL team after the back injury concerns started in the fall of 2023. An NHL executive bluntly summarized the dilemma, saying, “Our doctors’ opinions are going to be just as important as the hockey people’s.”

The risk associated if the back injury derails McQueen’s playing career could be too strong for some at the top of the draft. Despite scouts ranking McQueen high for the Bob McKenzie list, most of them had qualms about actually taking him there.

At this particular moment in time, none of our scouts surveyed said they would be comfortable taking McQueen where they currently rated him — eight of the 10 had him between Nos. 3 and 10 with two more saying they’ve already red flagged him due the spectre of injury.

The majority of those eight scouts who see the towering centre, if healthy, as a bona fide top 10 prospect said the final decision would ultimately rest with their team’s doctor.

That could sound damning but shouldn’t, though it does show the uncertainty surrounding this player at this time. The trouble with McQueen will be the conflict where the tape and the ability says one thing but the worries about his health and future wash it out. Drafting almost any player can be a huge risk but McQueen’s issues there put him in a different category.

They said it​

The Athletic (Scott Wheeler)

When he was younger, he lacked strength, and his skating dragged behind/never properly loaded because he was trying to cheat his mechanics to keep up, but it has started to come, and there’s belief it will continue to develop as he adds strength (he moves well now) if he can stay healthy. He uses his linemates well. But it’s his ability to control and manipulate pucks in tight to his body, with his length, that I think distinguishes him and gets scouts excited. He can carry pucks into traffic and problem-solve in ways that players his size typically struggle to do. He can also go to the net and make tuck plays/rebounds with good dexterity, which has helped him play the net front successfully on the power play, a translatable role for him. His shot is pinpoint accurate around the home-plate area and even from tough angles. There are the makings of a really unique player there, and the payoff could be significant, especially given how quickly his skating has improved. When he’s on the ice, he looks like a potential top-six center with some really unique attributes. Teams want to make sure the medicals are square and the back problems won’t linger, though, making him a real wild card in this class.

Scouching

He’s a very big kid, he’s likely going to be putting on more weight from here which adds to spinal concerns. Hockey is a physical sport with plenty of spinal attacks, and twisting motions that are known to aggravate the vertebrae. I didn’t think McQueen was particularly elite in the summer watching him last year, when he was apparently battling injury. I didn’t think he was particularly great before missing time to this injury, and I haven’t thought he’s been great since returning, and all in all, for me it’s just too much risk to really put him higher on the board. Behind him, there are players with risks to hit upside, or pitfalls that might really limit NHL potential, and it’s hard to ignore what McQueen could become if all goes well. He’s a physical player with some great pass vision and moments of high end skill for a big man, but I’m not sure what his projection really is, and it may be because I haven’t seen him play fully healthy in a very very long time.

Daily Faceoff (Steven Ellis)

McQueen might be the riskiest pick given he played just 20 games between the regular season and the playoffs. But he was productive, physical, and brought so much to the table that very few else possess in this draft. McQueen has a big 6-foot-5 frame and plays with the skill of a 5-foot-11 speedster. He can shoot, pass and intimidate all in one shift. A back injury is a tough one to overcome fully, but his pure talent is undeniable. Few players have the pure upside that McQueen does.

Sportsnet (Sam Cosentino)

It’s never been about how talented the player is, but rather about whether or not he can rebound from a season marred by injury. It will be absolutely fascinating to see where he ends up going in this draft. Like Bear, McQueen may end up being selected by a team with more than one first-round pick.

—

McQueen might be the first prospect we’ve profiled so far that the Penguins will have a decent shot at selecting at No. 11 on draft day. Craig Button even made the connection in a mock draft sending McQueen to Pittsburgh. Without clearance from the medical staff, the Pens likely wouldn’t consider him, which would also be the only reason he would still be around at 10.

It will be a great storyline to see if some team out there in the top-10 gets a report or trusts an opinion that McQueen will move past his back injury and could be the next Tage Thompson or something as a big-time NHL player. With risk comes reward but a lot of the decision on McQueen will come from doctors more than scouts.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/24/24433368/2025-nhl-draft-rankings-8-roger-mcqueen

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Report: Penguins looking at free agent Maxim Shabanov

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

The Pens might be trying to add the services of a Russian forward

The Penguins have been seeking many avenues of improvement under Kyle Dubas. They’ve grabbed players off waivers, picked up low cost trades to add “something for nothing” (or maybe “something for helping another team dump cap space” more accurately).

European free agents are always a frontier that NHL teams look after. Pittsburgh has already added back Filip Hallander for next season, who won forward of the year in the Swedish league for his work in 2024-25. Reportedly, the Pens are looking at signing another forward in going after the services of Russian forward Maxim Shabanov.

Vegas Golden Knights and Pittsburgh Penguins seem to have a two-horse race going for Maxim Shabanov.

Meanwhile, Dmitry Simashev appears Utah-bound in the coming weeks.

More on the exodus from the KHL below https://t.co/oKWVHF4UyS

— Marco D'Amico (@mndamico) May 23, 2025​

From rg.org:

Maxim Shabanov was one of the standout players in the KHL this season. The 24-year-old forward scored 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 21 playoff games and collected 67 points (23 goals, 44 assists) in 65 regular-season matches. NHL scouts, particularly from the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Vegas Golden Knights, have closely monitored him. Despite making costly mistakes in the final, Shabanov remains a top target for North American clubs. Although Vegas is the most active, Shabanov himself remains undecided:

“Maybe I’ll think about it, maybe not. I’ve said before that all my thoughts were focused on having a successful season with Traktor. I don’t read what people write about me or listen to what they say,” Shabanov commented before the final.

RG Prediction: As an unrestricted free agent, Shabanov needs to carefully choose his NHL club to fulfill his potential. Vegas seems closest, but securing a top-six spot there would be extremely challenging. Pittsburgh appears a more suitable destination, potentially allowing Shabanov to develop into a new Nikita Kucherov.

Shabanov, 24, scored 67 points in 65 games with Chelyabinsk Traktor in 2024-25. This player is teeny tiny being listed at 5’8”, 157 pounds, but his talent pops.

You never know what you might get from Russian free agents. A decade ago there were two top undrafted FA’s that the Pens were trying to sign. One smallish player decided to go with playing in Chicago over Pittsburgh, but the Penguins were able to sign their second choice in Sergei Plotnikov. Plotnikov was a a total stiff, scoring no goals and adding only two assists in 32 games with the Pens before they moved on. That other forward they couldn’t sign? A guy who has gone onto score 870 points (and counting) in 752 games, Artemi Panarin.

That’s how wide the gamut of impact that KHL free agent signings can make in the NHL. Last year’s big signing was Maxim Tsyplakov for the Islanders — he ended up scoring 10 goals and recording 35 points in 77 games. Not the worst, but not exactly a massive impact but not nothing either.

While the hit rate isn’t 100% and Panarin is the best case of all best case scenarios, undrafted Russian free agents can occasionally be an outlet to provide NHL teams with valuable players. Andrei Kuzmenko has shown to be a quality player who scored 39 goals and 74 points in his very first NHL season. Ilya Mikheyev hasn’t been as much of a smash hit as Kuzmenko but has fit nicely into the NHL. Alex Barabanov had a couple of decent years in the NHL before heading back overseas. Others like Plotnikov and Nikita Gusev took the chance to see how it would go, it didn’t work and now they’re only remembered sparingly by the NHL clubs they briefly played for.

As far as low floor, high ceiling types of moves, what do the Pens have to lose in the case of Shabanov? These free agents are capped by the relatively low entry level contracts, if it doesn’t work out then it’s not difficult to cut bait and move on. Pittsburgh needs talent from anywhere they can find it, the net to try and find players who can help extends far and wide. If they add players like Shabanov to go along with Hallander and other new faces, they could try to improve their club from as many different angles as possible.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/24/24436590/pittsburgh-penguins-maxim-shabanov-nhl-free-agents-pens