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[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Roster moves of former Penguin players

Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Looking deeper into Penguins from longer in the past..

Anaheim​

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

Carolina​

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

Colorado​

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

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

Columbus​

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

Dallas​

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

Edmonton​

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

Florida​

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

Los Angeles​

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

Minnesota​

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

New Jersey​

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

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

New York Rangers​

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

Ottawa​

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

Philadelphia​

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

San Jose​

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

Seattle​

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

St. Louis​

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

Tampa​

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

Toronto​

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

Utah​

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

Vegas​

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

Washington​

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

Winnipeg​

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

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

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Friday Poll: Stay or go decisions, summer 2025

Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images

Who should be staying and going this summer?

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

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

Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Begins in 2026-27 season.

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

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

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

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

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

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

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

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

From the league:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins set to play three games in September prospects challenge

Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

Penguins’ 2025 Prospects Challenge Schedule​

Friday, Sept. 12

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

Sunday, Sept. 14

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

Monday, Sept. 15

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

---

The New Jersey Devils were also invited to the event.

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

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

Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images

DeFazio, Army move up the ladder in their professions

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

Adding new talent to the Hockey Operations team!

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

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

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

From the Blue Jackets:

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

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

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

Sidney Crosby is class personified

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

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

There was another bittersweet departure from the organization as well:

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

The biggest summer trades of the past for the Penguins

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Looking back at some big deals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25: No. 1 – Rutger McGroarty

The 2025 version of our Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25 countdown list concludes with the No. 1 player under the age of 25, one of the hopeful tentpoles of the next generation of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, Rutger McGroarty.

Catch up on the previous entries for this year:

Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25: Graduates and Departed players in 2025
Top 25 Under 25: The best of the rest
No. 25: Quinn Beauchense
No. 24: Cruz Lucius
No. 23: Travis Hayes
No. 22: Brady Peddle
No. 21: Finn Harding
No. 20: Sam Poulin
No. 19: Joona Vaisanen
No. 18: Avery Hayes
No. 17: Tanner Howe
No. 16: Tristan Broz
No. 15: Emil Pieniniemi
No. 14: Mikhail Ilyin
No. 13: Peyton Kettles
No. 12: Melvin Fernström
No. 11: Arturs Silovs
No. 10: Sergei Murashov
No. 9: Philip Tomasino
No. 8: Owen Pickering
No. 7: Joel Blomqvist
No. 6: Bill Zonnon
No. 5: Will Horcoff
No. 4: Ben Kindel
No. 3: Harrison Brunicke
No. 2: Ville Koivunen

#1: Rutger McGroarty, C/LW​

2024 Ranking: N/A​

Age: 21 (March 30, 2004)​

Acquired Via: Trade with Winnipeg Jets on Aug. 22, 2024​

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 205 pounds​

Elite Prospects resume:

Sports fans, understandably, aren’t always the biggest fans of rebuilds and the slow burn processes that come with tearing a team down to build it back up again.

That is where we find the 2025-26 Pittsburgh Penguins, a team that, by most indications, will not be vying for a playoff spot next spring, but rather a lucky ping pong ball bounce to accelerate a rebuild with a potential superstar successor to Sidney Crosby.

But even during these lean years, and the possible leaner years that may come once Crosby and company are gone, there are still bright spots that will shine through the team and players that are worth watching.

One of those players just may be 21-year-old Rutger McGroarty.

McGroarty made his NHL debut early in the 2024–25 season, appearing in a few games before being sent to the AHL to refine his game.

In the AHL, he registered 39 points in 60 games, but ended the year on a noticeable hot streak with 20 points in his last 24.

When recalled by Pittsburgh in late March, he made an immediate impact. Now seeing the ice alongside Crosby, he scored his first NHL goal against the St. Louis Blues, tying the game with less than 30 seconds remaining.

Reflecting on that experience, McGroarty said:

“I feel like at the end of the day, it’s just motivated me more to see that’s what I can do at that level, and I still have room to grow. I’ve been working my bag off trying to come into camp next year proving that I can play at this level for a full year and make an impact.”

While not projected to be a Crosby-esque force of nature, McGraorty figures to be a fixture in the Penguins’ top-six for years to come, thanks to traits like his leadership, competitiveness, and hockey smarts.

ATTA BOY, RUT!

Rutger McGroarty picks up his 1st NHL point with an assist on Rusty's goal pic.twitter.com/SIOBTIp4Vr

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 4, 2025

Scouting reports detail McGroarty’s ceiling as a prototypical power forward, noting his physicality, effectiveness in tight spaces and puck protection, but also his offensive prowess. Most see him projecting as a middle‑six winger who can occupy net‑front roles on the power play and provide secondary scoring.

Not a finished product yet​

New Penguins head coach Dan Muse, who McGroarty played under at the U18 level, has a reputation as a teacher and a coach who can effectively develop young NHL talent, which is what McGroarty will need if he’s to be relied upon as a more permanent fixture down the line.

Muse has been instrumental in McGroarty’s development to this point in his career, with the forward even saying as much.

“I think the first thing that stood out is just how much he cares about his players,” said McGroarty. “I think he’s very dedicated to the game and helping his team win. He put in really late hours and very early mornings. Like, it’s so cool to see. It makes it very easy to play for him.

“He’s such a detailed, awesome communicator and great coach,” McGroarty said. “I was a young guy that was getting called up, and they had a couple of different systems or whatever it was. He would talk to me about certain aspects of the game, stuff maybe within the system, he saw that would help me in the long run. Just a bunch of different things.

“I feel like he’s very dialed in, and he thinks that you can learn something from every day and get better every day. So, I think that he’ll fit very well into the culture that’s been set over the past 21 years that Sid’s been here and Malkin, and even the guys before them.”

The biggest knock on McGroarty has been his skating ability, more specifically, his foot speed. Working to improve his first few strides to separate from defenders and drive transition will be crucial for his development path.

McGroarty has shown impressive poise, hockey IQ, and a strong two-way game thus far. His development as a consistent scoring threat and possible penalty killer will be something to watch for this season.

At just 21, and with fewer than 10 NHL games under his belt, the sky remains the limit for one of the best forward prospects the Penguins have had in their system in some time.

We’ll soon see if he continues to share the ice with No. 87 and learns on the job as the Penguins brace for what could be another underperforming campaign.

But McGroarty’s continued development into a top-six winger could be one of those lone bright spots.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/pittsburg...-25-no-1-rutger-mcgroarty-penguins-nhl-hockey