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[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins bringing back Filip Hallander

Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Former second round draft pick re-joining Pittsburgh’s organization on two-year contract

Filip Hallander turns 25 this June and already has had a lot of twist and turns in his career. The latest chapter will have Hallander will rejoining the Penguins on a two year contract.

#LetsGoPens signed F Filip Hallander to a two-year, $775K AAV contract (1-way) starting in 25-26, per @PuckPedia.

The 24 y/o had 53 pts in 51 GP this season for Timra IK (SHL).https://t.co/iECLan53Wn

— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) April 29, 2025​

The news has been a long time coming, the SHL team that Hallander played for last season already announced his departure and wished him well several weeks ago. As of this morning, Pittsburgh hasn’t formally announced the deal yet but per Puck Pedia it’s now been registered and will be for two seasons.

Hallander excelled with Timra, finishing second in the Swedish league in 2024-25 with 53 points (26G+27A) in 51 games. Those 53 points in a season are the most in team history, topping the previous record of a player named Henrik Zetterberg.

Hallander, drafted by Pittsburgh in the second round back in 2018, has been around the block. The Pens traded his rights to Toronto in 2020 for Kasperi Kapanen, only to trade back for the Swedish winger for Jared McCann in 2021. Hallander then spent two season in the Pens’ organization, playing only three total NHL games from 2021-23 and spending the rest of his time with AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre. In summer 2023 he decided to head back to Sweden to play for Timra the last two seasons.

What does this mean for 2025-26? At worst it gives Pittsburgh another depth option and a training camp lottery ticket to see if Hallanader has has raised his game to NHL caliber. If so, that’s a win to have another young player in the mix.

If not, Pittsburgh can always send him back to the AHL where history has shown he’s a pretty good player at that level and see how the season goes for him as a possible candidate to be called up when injuries strike. Under Kyle Dubas/Jason Spezza, Pittsburgh and FSG has invested heavily in highly paid minor league players as of late. The details of Hallander’s contract reportedly include the same $775,000 salary regardless of what league he plays in. Based on his age and the years that have past from his first NHL contract, Hallander would have to clear waivers in order to be assigned to the AHL.

At this early stage in the offseason, the Pens will be hoping that AHL assignment isn’t in the cards. Hallander is a pretty decent two-way player and his improved offensive production in Sweden could portend to a more developed player who could be ready to play in the big league. That has to be the hope to bring him back on a two-year contract.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/29/24401046/penguins-bringing-back-filip-hallander

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Unconventional candidates for the Penguins to consider with their head coaching vacancy

Photo by RvS.Media/Robert Hradil/Getty Images

It doesn’t have to be a retread..

Kyle Dubas gave a long answer about the future coach of the Penguins in his press conference on Monday.

“What we’re looking for now is we’re looking to hire a great head coach,” Dubas said. “Someone that could come in [and] continue to partner with us on all we’re undertaking, understands that the job ahead is going to be a time of transition.”

He’d go onto finish the thought.

“We’ll cast a wide net on this search; long time head coaches, coaches from Europe, coaches from junior, college. We’ll turn every page to find the best person for the job.”

The wide net angle is interesting, Dubas mentioned that the team would use virtual interviews to start the process and eventually whittle the candidate pool down to in-person interviews.

The Penguins have nothing but time, they can afford to talk to lots of candidates over the next few weeks. Dubas mentioned a timeline that could include not naming a coach until June. If nothing else that will make for an interesting process to get to know a variety of different possibilities. While there will be plenty of the usual suspects drawing attention, let’s talk about some other options.

It’s always been interesting that for a league where now just over 30% of their players are European that NHL coaches are almost always North American. There have only been three European-trained coaches in league history. Alpo Suhonen lasted just one year in Chicago in 2000-01. Jaromir Jagr hand-picked Ivan Hlinka (and then drew up different, personalized forechecking schemes for his own line behind his coach’s back but that’s a different story) and Hlinka wasn’t long for Pittsburgh either. Recently, Anders Sorensen was named the current interim coach in Chicago, but it remains uncertain at best for how long he may last in that position (and could have well already coached his final game).

That’s a limited history, The Athletic wondered why don’t NHL teams hire more European coaches back in 2023. Long answer short: the NHL is a league that rewards conservative-minded decision making. Known quantities are trusted more than unknown ones by managers whose own jobs could be in jeopardy if they botch a head coaching hire, which leads to predictable results of staying in familiar lanes. You can’t get slammed for an off-the-rails hire that turns into a mess by sticking with retreads that at least have some sort of track record to fall back on. That might not be a pleasing answer to all, but the safety net mentality is prevalent in NHL circles.

This could be a competitive advantage for the Penguins, since they don’t have a lot of pressure to perform in the short-term while they are building up their team and since Dubas enjoys the full support of what’s been a hands-off ownership group. Fenway Sports has also been bold in other sports to embrace a willingness to break traditional norms for coaching and management so if ever there was a circumstance for an NHL coaching hire to break the mold, it might well be in Pittsburgh right now.

Rikard Grönborg​

Grönborg has to be the top international candidate for an NHL team. He has a ton of experience on both sides of the ocean, having worked in the 1990’s in the NCAA and coach for a year in Canada’s WHL. He coached Sweden’s national teams in a variety of competitions in the World Championships, World Juniors and Olympics for a dozen years. After receiving feedback that he needed more club experience to get NHL attention, Grönborg has been coaching in the Swiss and now Finnish leagues for the past six seasons.

From a 2019 Sportsnet article:

Gronborg describes his approach as “a hybrid” between the North American and European style but believes the gap between those schools is shrinking.

“The hockey world nowadays is not that different, especially with the way the NHL has opened up play. All the hooking and holding of the past is gone, and that requires a skill game,” he says.

Andreas Johnsson won a silver medal with Gronborg at the 2014 world juniors. The Maple Leafs forward says the respect the coach garnered from the players was instant and mutual — and he was impressed by Gronborg’s willingness to communicate.

“I enjoyed playing for him,” Johnsson says. “He has a more North American style. In my position then, I wasn’t used to it. He’s very honest all the time and was pointing at the things he wants to get better.”

Grönborg has interviewed reportedly with a couple of different in the somewhat past but never received a lot of traction for an NHL job. Given history and track record, he’s got to be the closest to an offer though. He’s 56 years-old and has a vast resume that includes working with almost every great Swedish player of the last generation. If nothing else, he should be a strong candidate for Dubas’s ‘wide net’ to talk to and figure out if there could be a match.

Roger Rönnberg​

The long-time Frolunda coach finally took a job outside of Sweden, Rönnberg will move to coach in Switzerland next season. (Switzerland is commonly seen in coaching circles as a solid gateway to the NHL since coaches like Marc Crawford, Guy Boucher and Bob Hartley have been hired back into the NHL coming out of Switzerland). Maybe Rönnberg would consider hanging a left instead of a right?

From the above mentioned Athletic article, Rönnberg has achieved success with Frolunda (two league championships, four hockey Champions League titles) but also focuses on a common European mindset of melding team success with player development. This should be music to the ears of those who will need the next Penguin coach to be strong in that realm.

“We have a rule in Frolunda: Everyone should succeed,” Rönnberg said. “My job is not to categorize players from good to bad, or get rid of five guys and get five new guys. I get 22 players at the start of the season and management tells me it’s my job to make those 22 guys good enough to have a chance to win. I think that’s a different perspective on coaching.”

Sam Hallam​

Hallam led Växjö Lakers to multiple SHL championships in the decade he worked there and took over after Grönberg as the head coach of Sweden’s national team since 2022. Hallam worked in NHL buildings in the 4 Nations Faceoff this winter. Despite working in Europe, English is the dominant language in hockey as Hallam told nhl.com:

“There’s so much North American players, so most of us coaches, we coach in English,” Sweden coach Sam Hallam said. “So, for me, it’s great to actually be able to coach in Swedish.”

Hallam would love to coach in English though moving forward. Like so many other coaches looking to get on the NHL radar, he’s also believed to be interested in going to coach in the Swiss league in 2026 after the Olympics are over. Hallam is younger than most of the other candidates at 45-years old.

Manny Malhotra​

Shifting gears from European options, the former NHL player Malhotra just finished up his first season as a head coach in AHL Abbotsford, where he led them to a second place (44-24-2-2) record. Malhotra was hired by Dubas to be a Toronto Maple Leaf assistant coach in 2020, in a world where past connections and established personal relationships tend to mean an awful lot. If the Pens want an up-and-comer with youth and a fresh perspective with ideally a developmental profile to help their younger players then Malhotra checks a lot of boxes from afar as what could be a very solid candidate. Pittsburgh might have to move quickly on this one if they’re interested, Vancouver is already talking about making Malhotra a candidate for their new open head coaching position on the NHL.

Mike Van Ryn​

Another former NHL player, Van Ryn is another young but rising coach. He currently works as a Toronto NHL assistant (but his time in the organization did not overlap with Dubas). Dubas, though, surely will have quite a big file on Van Ryn from the two’s shared time in the OHL, where Van Ryn worked his way up in the mid-2010’s to be Kitchener’s head coach around the time that Dubas was running things in the Soo.

Van Ryn has been an NHL assistant coach for the past seven seasons and only has one year of pro head coaching under his belt (HC of AHL Tuscon, back in 2017-18). It would be a big promotion into the big seat of being an NHL head coach, but if the Pens wanted to get spicy and reach for a first timer Van Ryn is definitely the type of candidate who will be in the mix.

—

Time will tell what Dubas’s “wide net” will bring back. Given his lengthy timeline before naming a coach and history of being thorough, we can probably expect to hear a lot of interesting names linked to the process of determining who the next Penguin head coach will be.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/4/30...ng-vacancy-nhl-coaches-from-europe-pittsburgh

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Pittsburgh Penguins Data: Fun with NHL Edge

Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images

Looking into some details of how the Penguins played, skated and shot the puck this season

Tooling around on NHL Edge, the league’s player and puck tracking information and came across some interesting data points for the Penguins. Let’s jump right in with a look at where the Pens played at even strength over the course of the 2024-25 season.

The above chart detailing time in each zone might just show that the Penguins were at least in the right part of the ice most of the time compared to their peers. It’ll be interesting to see how much this changes when not coached by Mike Sullivan, as this outlook at least gives demonstrable data that the team was able to keep the puck in the offensive zone for a good chunk of time — and by default that means not playing in their defensive end.

The big problems this team had were turnovers, quality chances against and subpar goaltending but territoriality they held their own. Might be small consolation but it’s an interesting information to keep in mind as the team moves forward into a new coaching era. One chart doesn’t paint a complete picture of what makes a team good or bad. Can they be successful at this next year with new strategies? Or can they offset any losses in territory by tightening up costly mistakes?

The Pens might need to hit the weight room, adjust their stick flexes or better yet add some stronger players because their shot speeds are downright pathetic relative to the rest of the NHL. You can get around that with well-placed shots or jamming ugly goals in from the front but it’s stood out the team doesn’t have very many players that can blast it. Evgeni Malkin only had one 90+ mph shot all season, back in the day he would launch ‘em. Erik Karlsson provided the team’s fastest shot of the season (97.52 mph) and had 13 out of Pittsburgh’s 27 shots that were recorded at 90+ miles per hour.

Considering NHL average was a team having 53 shots of 90+ mph and the rest of the Pens’ team other than Karlsson only had 14, well, yeah, that’s not very good. Pittsburgh finished 18th in the NHL with 243 total goals, so they still found a way to put the puck in the net to a decent degree but they certainly stand out negatively as a team that doesn’t have very much raw firepower.

Skating-wise, the eye probably told you the Pens weren’t a fast team. The eye wasn’t lying. While Pittsburgh did have some players with some pop, it was limited at 20 miles per hour and not 22mph as much as their competition now boasts. The lack of high-end speed was evident and completely backed up by the data, the Pens didn’t employy any burners this season.

Pittsburgh didn’t have any players show up among the fastest players or quickest bursts this season.

Who were the fastest forwards of 2024-25?

Thanks to the NHL's tracking data we can find out.

Here are the quickest by top speed and sustained bursts above 20 and 22 miles per hour: pic.twitter.com/l4Pka409gT

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) April 28, 2025​

The Pens did have several of the slowest forwards in the league. Do you know the two biggest offenders? It’s Kevin Hayes and Noel Acciari. Danton Heinen also seems to be losing his burst as well. That’s hardly a surprise, Acciari lived up to the phrase “on his last legs” literally as the season dragged along and he accumulated more and more punishment from his style of play. Hayes’ contract and solid locker-room intangibles are practically the only reason he is in the big leagues these days.

Of course, it’s worth acknowledging that fast doesn’t always mean good and slow doesn’t always mean bad. Their are some “slow” NHL forwards who are among the best players in the league. There are some players who appear on the fast list who aren’t very good at all. It’s all a matter of what one can do with the speed or to overcome the lack of it.

Who were the slowest forwards of 2024-25?

Thanks to the NHL's tracking data we can find out.

Here are the slowest by top speed and sustained bursts above 18 and 20 miles per hour: pic.twitter.com/iHHAfFgLIJ

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) April 28, 2025​

On the blueline, the Pens did employ one of the fleetest of foot around. Erik Karlsson is getting older, but love him or hate him, he remains an absolutely brilliant skater. (Playing with purpose, drive and consistently keeping it going remains the sticking point there).

Who were the fastest defencemen of 2024-25?

Using the NHL's tracking data, here are the best top speeds and highest speed burst rates: pic.twitter.com/YwsxHSIdag

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) April 28, 2025​

Pittsburgh doesn’t make many appearances for the slowest defenders, Connor Timmins pops up once for slowest sustained speed.

According to the NHL's tracking data, which defencemen played the slowest in 2024-25? pic.twitter.com/j8cg5Q4pgi

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) April 28, 2025​

A little more on Karlsson since his data is fascinating. It’s easy to remember the frustrating bad plays where he’s floating in space after turning the puck over — the video from his season has a lot of flaws — but considering he’s 34-years old his ability to motor around the ice really is something incredible. He can turn on the jets, all the ability is there and you can see why GM Kyle Dubas would call him out and challenge this player publicly to pull it together.

While we’re stirring the pot on polarizing superstars, how about the Evgeni Malkin speed chart? Think we should save these in the player season reviews but we’re all having fun now.

Sadly, it shows that this is a 38-year old’s chart who has had two major knee reconstructions. Would have loved to see NHL Edge around from 2006-11 to see what the galloping Malkin’s data looked like back then in his prime. Possibly the peculiar thing is that Malkin still can get going, but his top gear to top 20 mph isn’t there any longer. He only played 68 games and at an average of 17:47 per game it’s not like his ice time was sky high but he was still able to get going with some burst...Just with a very clear limit of being in 18-20 range.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/1/...vgeni-malkin-skating-speed-erik-karlsson-pens

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Player development has to be focus of Penguins next head coach

Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images

That should be the biggest priority for the Penguins as they enter this next phase.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are trending through some relatively uncharted waters right now. At least for them and their fans.

Not only is it the early stages of a rebuild, but now for the first time in a decade the Penguins have to enter the head coaching market and try to find somebody to usher in a new era for the franchise.

It is probably a very safe assumption that the next head coach is not going to stick around for a decade the way Mike Sullivan did. That sort of thing just simply does not happen in the NHL.

Even when you are talking about a coach that has had success and won championships.

The shelf life of an NHL head coach is laughably short, and seems to be getting shorter by the year.

On average coaches are only sticking around with teams for about 2.5 years before they get replaced, whether it is a contender or a rebuilding team. Some might last a little longer, but the average is what it is.

Because of that, and because there is a reasonable expectation that next year or two will be filled with losing, whoever the Penguins hire over the next several weeks probably shouldn’t be counted on to still be behind the bench the next time the Penguins are competing for a Stanley Cup.

That’s just not how these things work for rebuilding teams.

Look around the NHL at every team going through a rebuild and the head coach that started the process.

Greg Cronin was out in Anaheim after two years.

Derek LaLonde did not last in Detroit

Chicago has already cycled through Jeremy Colliton and Luke Richardson.

San Jose’s rebuild is already on its third head coach.

Philadelphia moved on from John Tortorella.

Seattle is on its third coach in four years as it tries to build up.

D.J. Smith did not stick around in Ottawa long enough to see the team make the playoffs.

We can go on like this.

Even going back through the Penguins’ last rebuild, Eddie Olczyk got things started before Michel Therrien took over. Even in that case Therrien was the guy that helped establish the culture and the identity, but was not the guy to get them over the hump to a championship. Dan Bylsma had to come in and do that.

There is a saying in pro sports that coaches are hired so they can be fired. Unless you are one of the small handful of coaches across sports that transcend that (and you can count those guys on one hand with fingers left over) it is a very true statement.

That is also likely to be true for the next Penguins coach.

That does not mean it is a meaningless or irrelevant hire. Or that it is not important.

It just might have a different priority.

Player development has to be the priority.

Starting next season you are going to see an influx of young players, both in the organization and yet to be added to the organization, that are going to be getting their first real taste of NHL action.

Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty are a given. As is Owen Pickering (probably). Harrison Brunicke is not far behind them. Sergei Murashov might be next after that. You could have two top-12 picks entering the organization this season (depending on what the New York Rangers want to do with their pick) and who knows what other additions that could come via trades involving players like Erik Karlsson and/or Rickard Rakell in the coming seasons. There are 30 draft picks over the next three years that will either get used, or flipped for younger NHL players.

Turning all of them into impact NHL players and productive NHL players is going to be the primary objective of the next coach, with everything else being of secondary importance from a big picture standpoint. Yeah, they will still be trying to win, and the coach will still be trying to win, but even if that does not happen often you still need players that can help build the next foundation.

I just do not know who that coach is, or even what it looks like. I am also not tasked with that responsibility. I’m just here to talk about it when it happens. But that priority has to be the one that stands out above everything else. Develop players first. And if you need to bring in somebody else to take them to the next level, then that is just simply how rebuilds typically work.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/1/...t-has-to-be-focus-of-penguins-next-head-coach

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Should Rick Tocchet be high on the Penguins head coaching wish list?

Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images

The results never match the narrative.

There is a scene in the movie Moneyball where Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane, played by Brad Pitt, is sitting around in a meeting with all of his scouts going over minor league players that might help them fill the void left by the departure of first baseman Jason Giambi.

All of the scouts are going over all of the positive traits owned by a particular prospect, making their passionate pleas for why THIS guy is the one to come in and replace a franchise icon.

An obviously frustrated Beane (Pitt) then utters one of my favorite lines from any sports movie:

“If he’s a good hitter, why doesn’t he hit good?”

I know it’s a dramatization. I know it probably did not play out exactly like that. But it was such a simple, devastating line that should have been asked by everybody else sitting at the table. It is also a line that should probably be asked in real life situations in sports when evaluating anybody for their role, whether it be front office personnel, coaches or players.

If you’re as good as they say you are .... where is the proof? Where is the evidence? What backs up the claim?

I have this thought process when it comes to the idea of Rick Tocchet as an NHL head coach.

Especially now that the Pittsburgh Penguins have a head coaching opening, and since Tocchet is available and is one of the hottest names on the coaching market.

If he’s a good coach, why aren’t his teams better?

I have nothing against Tocchet. He has had a long, successful career in the NHL as both a player and an assistant. He obviously has very close ties to Pittsburgh given that he won a Stanley Cup here as a player and then won two more as an assistant coach. There are not many people in Penguins history that have three Stanley Cups with the Penguins (or any one franchise), but he is one of them.

And I respect that.

And I respect the work he did as an assistant coach in Pittsburgh.

But being an assistant coach is a very different animal and a very different beast than being a head coach. Professional sports, across all leagues, are full of people that are highly successful and very good in one role, but not quite as good in the other role. And that’s okay. It’s not a slight. It’s not an insult. It’s just ... reality.

The thing that I find so incredible in the Tocchet discussion is the gap in perception from the people in hockey (who love him), and the people outside of hockey (who don’t see why the people in hockey love him), and the actual results his teams have produced (usually not good).

He has been a head coach for seven full seasons in the NHL.

Two of those teams made the playoffs, and one of them did so in the first Covid season when 24 teams qualified. His Arizona team that made the playoffs ranked 22nd in the NHL and would have missed by a wide margin in a normal playoff field.

I can not think of many coaches that have had that sort of track record and would still be this highly regarded.

The counter to that is going to be “but look at the teams he was coaching. They were not very good.”

And that IS a fair counter point.

He was taking over in Tampa Bay following the Barry Melrose nightmare, and at a time when the Lightning were a mess of a franchise due to an utterly insane ownership situation.

Tough environment.

But that team was also a game away (one goal away) from the Stanley Cup Final the year after he left.

Arizona was a brutal set of circumstances for everybody. Maybe that was an impossible situation. It probably was.

His best season as a head coach came a year ago in Vancouver when the Canucks exceeded pretty much every expectation anybody had, finished with a top-10 record in the league and made the playoffs.

And then it was followed up by an absolutely cataclysmic season that saw the team regress by 17 points in the standings, have their two best forwards hate each other so much that the team had to trade one of them (and nearly both of them), their best and most important young forward lose all confidence and production, all while the President of Hockey Ops talked about the team’s best player eventually wanting to play with his brothers .... who play in New Jersey.

Hey, look. Maybe that’s a mess, too. Maybe that’s dysfunctional. But I don’t fully understand how Tocchet got so much of the credit for the 2023-24 season, but escaped so much of the blame for the 2024-25 season.

It is his team, after all. He is the coach.

Let’s just look at some numbers.

These are the seven full seasons (excluding the two years he took over a team halfway through) Tocchet has been a head coach in the NHL and what each team did during 5-on-5 play in terms of goals scored, goals against and expected goals, as well as their spot in the standings.

Teams in bold are the playoff teams.

The Canucks had excellent defensive metrics the past two seasons, which would be a big positive mark in Tocchet’s favor. Perhaps even where the argument for him begins.

Goaltending and specifically the injury to Thatcher Demko absolutely ruined a lot of those defensive gains.

But the offense.

The offense in all of those seasons.

There is just ... none of it. And I know in the Arizona years specifically there was not a ton of offensive talent on those rosters, but those Vancouver teams should have had more scoring punch, yes?

It’s also fascinating to see the before and after when he took over in Vancouver for Bruce Boudreau midway through the 2022-23 season.

It is an interesting comparison because when it comes to the goals scored and goals against, it was a complete 180 in both areas.

They defended a lot better.

They scored a lot less.

So if we are just using his Vancouver years as a barometer given that they are the most recent examples of him as a head coach, I think you can put together — objectively speaking — a pretty compelling argument that his teams tend to defend well.

Granted, that team also has Quinn Hughes on it, and when Quinn Hughes has not been on the ice those expected goals against numbers became a lot more mediocre. But the overall numbers still matter.

Coaching is a hard thing to evaluate when you are not sitting in the room or behind the bench.

Sometimes a lot of what we perceive to be good or bad coaching is just goaltending.

Sometimes talent can overcome it.

Sometimes coaches do bring out more in teams.

And I can get behind the idea that in Tocchet’s case he has not always been in an ideal situation as the top guy. But a lot of coaches throughout hockey history have been in those situations. Not all of them keep getting more opportunities. Not all of them are universally hyped up.

What is it about Tocchet that puts him on a different level?

Players seem to like him. Media loves him. Teams clearly like him because he’s been hired by three of them, Vancouver desperately tried to keep him, and somebody is going to hire him on this cycle.

Should it be the Penguins?

The Penguins could certainly use some defensive structure and somebody that can bring that out of them.

Maybe Tocchet can.

But how would the offense develop? How would the young players develop? Steven Stamkos had his first breakout year under Tocchet in Tampa Bay. Elias Pettersson had his worst year under Tocchet in Vancouver. Clayton Keller did not become a top-line scorer until after Tocchet left Arizona.

Again, it comes back to how we know what good coaching is and isn’t. It’s hard to quantify. Sometimes all we have to go by is results. In this case, the results rarely match the narrative.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/2/...-high-on-the-penguins-head-coaching-wish-list

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

2025 NHL Draft Rankings: #1 Matthew Schaefer

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Kicking off our profiles of the top young players in this year’s draft, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer

The NHL Entry draft hasn’t been as important as it is now in Pittsburgh in the last 20 years. The Penguins haven’t picked in the top 10 via their own draft choice since 2006, a span that will end next month when the Pens pick (likely either 9th or 10th overall) pending the results of Monday’s lottery draft. Pittsburgh did trade for a top-10 pick on draft night in 2012, but we didn’t have time to plan and prepare for that. This time, we do.

Pensburgh may do a lot of things, but scouting young players across multiple continents is not one of them to rank with much accuracy, so we will turn 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. 1: Matthew Schaefer, 6’2” 183 pounds, LD, Erie Otters (OHL)​

Almost everything about Schaefer stands out as impressive, even some of the variables that he can’t control. By happening to have a September 7th birth date, Schaefer is one of the youngest prospects in this draft (had he been born just a few days later after Sept 15, he wouldn’t be eligible until the 2026 draft).

Schaefer has risen to the top of the draft by most observers, including nine out of the 10 scouts in McKenzie’s sample. While not completely unanimous, he’s the clear top player available by a majority of people who track this. Here’s some rankings from various places compiled on his Elite Prospects page:

As to be expected by a presumptive No. 1 overall pick, it’s not terribly difficult to see why that is. Even at 17-years old, Schaefer already has the full package of a new age defenseman. His size/frame at 6’2” and about 180 pounds is ideal, his skating and edge work is sublime, his offensive instincts and ability are everything an NHL team dreams of having.

(Note: Schaefer wears No. 5 in Team Canada highlights and No. 48 in OHL Erie Otters highlights)

Schaefer was picked first overall in the 2023 OHL draft and as a 16-year old put up 16 points (3G+13A) in 56 games as an OHL rookie in 2023-24. He hit his groove last season, producing 22 points (7G+15A) in 17 games of an injury-shortened season due to a broken collarbone. He’s been a serial winner already in his young career with recent championships in the U-17, U-18 and Hlinka/Gretzky Cup titles, he’s captained three teams to gold already.

They said it​

Here are some samples from various scouting websites to give an idea of what the experts are seeing in this player.

Craig Button (TSN)

“Players that really control the game are rare,” said Button. “I see Schaefer as Drew Doughty-like. Doesn’t matter what the situation is, doesn’t matter who [they’re] up against, they control the game.

“The skating is superb. He’s competitive. He’s in the hard areas of the game.”

Sam Cosentino (Sportsnet)

I see a few factors why he’s separated from the pack. First, he plays a premium position; it’s extremely difficult to find a top-pairing defenceman. Schaefer projects to have the ability to take games over singlehandedly from the back end. Next, his size. At 6-foot-2, 183 pounds, he’s already a big kid, but with plenty of room to pack weight and muscle on to his frame. If recent times are an indicator, teams have shifted back to drafting for size, especially on defence...

Lastly, this young man has experienced tragedy and adversity like few others his age. He lost his mother to cancer after moving away from home to continue chasing his dream in Erie. While there, he also lost his billet mom which, for CHL players, is akin to losing a third parent.

He’s also endured two injury setbacks from this season, so he’s had to overcome plenty. A bout of mono kept him out of the lineup for the start of the regular season, while most of the country witnessed his clavicle injury while representing Canada at the world juniors. Schaefer’s ability to navigate adversity is a trait that isn’t overlooked by NHL scouts.

Scouching:

His pure defensive zone play might need some work, but everything else is simply top notch. His pass vision is unmatched by other defenders this season. The way he can open up the ice handling the puck, skating laterally and whipping pucks around the ice makes him a huge threat all over the ice. The puck rushing ability that landed him his injury is still something to really behold when he jumps into the rush. He’s a bit of an unconventional defenseman projecting to the NHL and I’m not sure exactly who he reminds me of. He isn’t Cale Makar, but perhaps a John Carlson? Dan Boyle for all my fellow Millenials and Gen X’ers out there? Someone not shy to step up in the offensive zone, jump into the rush, and run offenses themselves that outpaces any defensive issues.

Corey Pronman (The Athletic)

Schaefer was tremendous, when healthy, this season. The No. 1 pick in his OHL Draft, Schaefer was arguably the best player at the Hlinka Gretzky and the CHL/U.S. NTDP series. He was also Canada’s best player at the World Juniors up until he broke his clavicle. Schaefer missed time at the start of the season due to mono as well. His main asset is his skating. He’s a powerful, effortless skater who will be able to close gaps and transition up ice at a clear NHL level. He uses his feet to attack often, leading and supporting rushes very well. Schaefer is a very intelligent defenseman with legit offensive skills. He creates a lot of chances due to his skating, but he can also break down opponents one-on-one with his hands, and finds a lot of seams to make plays. He closes on checks at a high level due to his athleticism, but Schaefer is also a great competitor. He uses his size to make stops, gives a great effort every shift and projects to be able to stop top players in the NHL. He’s a great talent, who has already overcome tremendous personal adversity in his life. He projects as a star No. 1 defenseman in the NHL.

The Hockey Writers

Schaefer has shown time and time again that he is a top-tier two-way defenceman who can do everything right. He can play a highly mobile, offensive style like Cale Makar, driving the play forward with elite skating and can either set up teammates with hard, accurate passes or fire the puck on net himself with strong, quick wrist shots. His speed and agility are two of the most developed parts of his game, making him a joy to watch whenever he gets the puck.

Without the puck, Schaefer is still dominant. He aggressively pressures the opposing puck carriers, forcing them to make mistakes and create turnovers. At 6-foot-2 and 183 pounds, he’s not the most physically intimidating player on the ice, but he doesn’t shy away from physicality and knows when to throw a bone-crushing hit at the right time. He is also a great shot-blocker and penalty-killer, allowing his coaches to trust him in every situation.

Schaefer may not be a generational talent like Connor Bedard or a unanimous first-overall choice like Macklin Celebrini, but his ability to affect every aspect of the game makes him one of the most dominant of his draft class. He does everything at a high level already, and any weaknesses one might find are more the result of his age – his birthday was just 11 days away from putting him in the 2026 Draft – and lack of strength, both of which will take time

—

In the 5.0% chance the Penguins win the first overall pick, the choice between Schaefer and center Michael Misa will be a fascinating one to watch unfold. It’s a great choice, since there’s no wrong answer: the team that picks first will get to chose between a player that almost everyone thinks has a surefire shot at a bright future as a top-of-the-roster impact player, either at defense (Schaefer) or center (Misa). Can’t go wrong there.

The Pens have attempted to build their defense recently by spending high picks on Owen Pickering and Harrison Brunicke lately, but a player like Schaefer would instantly become the crown jewel in their system. Schaefer offers that superstar upside that is rare and coveted. It’s tough to compare anyone to Cale Makar, who scored 30 goals and over 90 points in the NHL this season, but Schaefer plays that style, or for handedness might be more of a blueline Hughes brother (Quinn or Luke). His size, skating and ability to control the game with the puck should make Schaefer one of the NHL’s better players in the future.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/3/...ft-rankings-1-matthew-schaefer-player-profile

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Isaac Howard could be the new Rutger McGroarty

Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images

But will it be for the Penguins?

There was already smoke brewing around the status of 2025 Hobey Baker winner (and 2022 first round pick of Tampa) Isaac Howard when he didn’t turn pro this spring. Howard has completed three years of NCAA hockey and is at the prime time to turn pro.

It didn’t happen, and as most in this situation do, it was about the player and team disagreeing or being unable to get on the same page as far as immediate assignment to the NHL and burning a year of the entry level contract. The player usually wants it, the team might have different priorities in mind, including that pesky salary cap.

The unusual step is a team coming out and admitting the player isn’t going to be coming their way, as Tampa GM Julien BriseBois did yesterday.

BREAKING NEWS #TBLightning GM Julien BriseBois says that is is “unlikely” that Isaac Howard signs with the Bolts

I asked him if that was a bit of surprise because he seemed optimistic in the middle of the season and he said he was

Wow. #GoBolts #NHL pic.twitter.com/PHHAZ70jSa

— Jay Recher (@jayRecher) May 2, 2025​

This is essentially the Rutger McGroarty situation. (Or Cutter Gauthier or Adam Fox or Brock Faber...or, well you get the picture - American kids becoming choosy about their organization dates back a while now).

Can the Pens step in?

As usual, it depends. If Tampa does nothing, Howard will become a free agent in the summer of 2026 after he completes college and can pick his own team. The Lightning will be awarded a compensatory 2027 second round pick as a result of not signing a former first round pick.

Therein sets a floor value, it stands to reason that Tampa would need to be fairly decently incentivized with value in order to part with Howard. Last summer, the Penguins didn’t nickel and dime Winnipeg with some of their lower-end prospects, they had to send former first round pick Brayden Yager to get McGroarty.

That likely is what it would take to pry Howard, given that his value has peaked recently after an amazing 2024-25 season.

The Penguins have draft picks, but their 2025 spot is likely to be ninth or 10th, too valuable to part with. There’s also the matter that the Lightning don’t seem to like draft picks (they’ve traded their first round pick away over the next three drafts). Then again, maybe acquiring a future pick works for them since the value is to flip it again for more NHL help.

The possibilities are endless but in terms of pure value Tampa could be in position to ask for a player like McGroarty or Ville Koivunen in return from Pittsburgh, or just wait until one of the 30 other teams in the league comes to the table with something comparable. One good thing for TB is BriseBois’s words yesterday make it clear that they have something good to sell, it won’t go unnoticed.

It won’t hurt the Penguins to sniff around and at least see what Tampa might want, and of course make sure that Howard would be willing to sign with Pittsburgh. All in all, the stars probably aren’t going to align to find a deal that makes sense for everyone. Something to look into and consider? Sure. But likely a longshot to actually happen.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/3/...d-be-the-new-rutger-mcgroarty-penguins-trades

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

2025 NHL Draft Rankings: #2 Michael Misa

Photo by Michael Miller/ISI Photos/Getty Images

Next up on our draft profiles, the highest rated forward of the year

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

No 1. Matthew Schaefer

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. 2: Michael Misa, 6’1” 185 pounds, C, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)​

Misa was the eighth player granted an exceptional status and allowed to play Major Juniors at the age of 15. Like many of the others who went before him (John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Connor McDavid, Shane Wright, Connor Bedard), Misa has lived up to the billing and will be picked right near the top of the NHL draft.

Misa scored 62 goals in 65 games and put up 134 points in the OHL this season — winning the scoring title by 10 points. Not bad at all. Jesse Marshall clipped together the first 58 goals of the season.

A lot to like there. Misa has the details in his game that’s made him an extremely special player from a very young age and he’s remained there through the all-important teen-aged developmental years. It’s no wonder he’s expected to be the first forward off the board at the draft, and maybe even the first prospect in general to hear his name called.

They said it​

Here are some samples from various scouting websites to give an idea of what the experts are seeing in this player.

Craig Button (TSN)

“I question myself for questioning him,” said Button of Misa. “All the evidence was there. All you need to do is continue to watch the progression and the progression is there.

“He’s been brilliant. He’s a hell of a player.”

Scouching

Misa feels the game unlike almost any other player I’ve seen in the last few years. Passes that appear difficult or poorly thought out are cleanly placed through tiny spaces. He has the capacity to wait an extra split second to create better chances and evaluate secondary options. He isn’t a pure sniper, but he’s a diverse and capable scorer. He isn’t a fancy spin-passing playmaker, but he cuts defenses to pieces. He doesn’t move his feet like some of the high motor players out there, but calling him slow would be incorrect. He’s explosive, jumps into space effectively, and picks his times to be quick extremely effectively.

The Athletic (Scott Wheeler)

A natural center coming up, Misa played mostly on the wing in his first two seasons but has taken off in the move back to the middle this year, playing to nearly a goal per game and over two points per game — a pace that might finish as one of the most productive draft-eligible OHL seasons of all time.

Misa is a beautiful skater with some quiet explosiveness and a real knack for weaving, cutting, turning and spinning in control of the puck to either shake defenders under pressure in the offensive or defensive zone or slip past them in transition with his speed and agility. He’s also a very smart player who makes his linemates better with his playmaking, vision and ability to execute while tightly covered. Off the puck, he’s willing to track, stick with plays and compete (I’ve seen him sacrifice the body to block shots, etc.), hallmarks of his game in minor hockey that have also been more consistent this year — though I’d argue they were always present and he played a more well-rounded game last year than he was given credit for by some. He finishes his checks and has good defensive instincts on interceptions and support. He gets the puck a lot and then protects it beautifully. There are times when he’ll turn over pucks, or when I’d like to see him work to get open and glide less, but he has done a nice job cutting back on both of those this season and has been a top player in the OHL at five-on-five, on the penalty kill (where he leads the league in short-handed points), and on the power play.

Daily Faceoff (Steven Ellis)

Misa is coming off one of the most impressive goal-scoring campaigns we’ve ever seen in the OHL. He just knows where to get the puck and can fire at will. I also think Misa’s ability to play both center and wing should take him far, although I expect him to be a winger in the NHL. He continues to find ways to get into scoring positions and impact his team in the best way possible. If I was a coach and needed someone to score a big goal late to win a game, Misa would be my pick – he has the best offensive instincts of any player in this draft. I want to see him battle harder more often (it feels like he cheats up the ice sometimes) but he’s got the pure skill to be a top-line NHLer sooner rather than later.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/4/24423143/2025-nhl-draft-rankings-2-michael-misa

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Sidney Crosby to represent Team Canada at IIHF World Championships

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Crosby’s playing for Team Canada comes following his being captain of the team at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will be donning the red, white, and black later this month when he represents Team Canada at the upcoming IIHF World Championship tournament.

Crosby last played for Canada in the World Championships in 2015 when he helped lead his country to a gold medal.

His playing for Team Canada comes following his being captain of the team at the 4 Nations Face-Off, where he also won a gold medal.

In total, Crosby has represented Team Canada on nine different occasions in his career and this year at the World Championships being held in Denmark and Sweden, he’ll be joined by Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas, who is serving in the same role for his country.

Team Canada will begin playing in the tournament this coming Saturday when they face Slovenia at 6:20 a.m. (Eastern Time) before rounding out their preliminary schedule over the ensuing 10 days with games against Latvia, France, Austria, Slovakia, Finland, and Sweden.

Games in this year’s tournament will be broadcast on the NHL Network and on ESPN+.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/5/...esent-team-canada-at-iihf-world-championships

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins narrowly miss out on winning lottery draft, end up picking 11th

Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images

The Pens come close, but narrowly miss out as the Islanders win the draft lottery

The Pittsburgh Penguins came oh, so, close to getting the first overall pick by way of winning the lottery draft on Monday night.

In an electric, but sometimes confusing televised lottery draft, the NHL conducted a live drawing of four lottery balls. The four balls made were then matched to combinations setup to determine which club would win.

After three balls were selected in the first drawing, the Penguins were in remarkably good shape. If the final ball ended up being a 1 or a 10, it would have matched their combinations and they would have moved up to gain the first overall selection.

With 3 balls down, 7 teams are still in the mix.

Top 4 all have 18.2% chance: PIT, PHI, NYI, CHIhttps://t.co/EqXsfQvWK5 https://t.co/gtNo9Tklqu pic.twitter.com/EaBe9qOYSe

— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) May 5, 2025​

Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, that wasn’t the way the balls bounced. The Islanders, who had even worse odds than the Pens, ended up coming up from the 10th spot to win the draft lottery.

That moment was the high point for the Penguins on this night. The drawing for the second pick ended up going even worse — the Utah Mammoth ended up winning it, despite having the 14th worst odds to do so. The newly named Mammoth move up 10 spots to pick fourth overall.

As a result, the Pens go from the ninth position down to drafting 11th overall. There was only a 1.7% chance that two teams would bump up past Pittsburgh, but what do ya know - it ended up happening.

Thus, the Pens early in their rebuild learn a tough lesson first-hand: with these lottery draft rules it becomes impossible to count on a bad season parlaying into a top draft pick. Unlike 20 or 40 years ago, just being bad doesn’t guarantee much, and this year was an especially unfortunate draw for the worst teams in the league with two longshots winning the lottery...But it was really close to happening for the Pens tonight, had only that fourth ball ended up getting drawn a little differently.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/5/...ttery-draft-end-up-picking-11th-islanders-nhl

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

2025 NHL Draft: Post-lottery mock drafts are rolling in for the Penguins

Photo by Kevin Sousa/Getty Images

Who could be around for the Penguins to pick at No. 11?

Now that the first round order is set for the NHL’s upcoming draft, it’s officially mock draft season. The first ones are trickling in. The Penguins got bumped down two places, as several teams did which might need to adjust the areas that they’ll be picking.

It doesn’t have to mean total despair. Our good, close, personal friend Jesse Marshall — who likely spends way more time and brainpower on draftable players than you or I — doesn’t see much of a difference in the shelf of players from the 6-14 range. There’s a downside of picking 11 instead of nine for margin of error and losing the choice of a couple of players, but the Pens should still be adding a very nice prospect, to a prospect pool that has no top-10ish pedigree players in it. (Apologies to Rutger McGroarty, drafted 14th three years ago).

Back to subject, let’s check out some mock drafts:

Sportsnet:

No. 11: Pittsburgh Penguins - Brady Martin, C, 6-feet, 178 pounds, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)

The Sault Ste. Marie ties are still strong for Penguins GM Kyle Dubas and Martin is coming off a brilliant U18 gold-medal performance. His average size also fits the profile of what Dubas and Co. have done previously.

Martin is benefiting from a wonderful U-18 tournament where scored 11 points in seven games that is helping his draft stock to skyrocket. A few weeks or months ago, Martin was looking like a draft pick in the 12-15 range. At this point he might have opened up enough eyes to sneak into the back-half of the top-10 due to his surge.

Given the mutual ties with Kyle Dubas to the Soo, it will be a natural connection and possibility for Pittsburgh. If Martin makes it that far. This is where falling to the 11th pick from the ninth draft spot hurts, the odds of having Martin available at nine would be pretty darn good. Him still being on the board at 11? Not as high.

Notable other players still available at 11 in this mock: Victor Eklund, Kashawn Aitcheson

The Athletic

11. Pittsburgh Penguins: Jackson Smith, LHD, Tri-City (WHL)

Kyle Dubas recently acknowledged that the left side of his team’s blue line is a mess. Thus, Jackson strikes me as a perfect pick for the Penguins in this spot. He projects as a top-four defenseman who will produce plenty of offense and perhaps be a legitimate power-play quarterback. At 6-foot-3, he’s also a big and fairly physical player who can impact a game in numerous ways.

A lot of the pre-draft rankings are extremely heavy on forwards in the top-10. After Matthew Schaefer gets his No. 1. ranking, many a scouting service will have their 2-10 top prospects all being forwards as best available. Given NHL tendencies, defensemen aren’t getting shutout of the top-10 from picks 2-10 on draft night. Look for defenders like Radim Mrtka and possibly Smith to be taken off the board by the time the Pens pick.

That ultimately leads to a win/win situation. Teams in the back-half of the top-10 will either over-draft defensemen and leave a quality forward on the board at 11 (like Victor Eklund in this example) or if they don’t it means the Pens could get the LD2 in the draft if Smith doesn’t go high. Picking 11th means losing the rights to make that decision, but the Pens are sitting in a spot where a talented player falls in their lap and is easy to select at this point of the draft.

Notable other players still available at 11 in this mock: Victor Eklund, Kashawn Aitcheson

NHL.com mock draft

11. Pittsburgh Penguins

Kimelman — Jackson Smith, D, Tri-City (WHL): As the Penguins look to transition to younger, more athletic players up and down the lineup, Smith could be the right player for them in this spot. The left-shot defenseman has NHL-ready size (6-3, 195), skates well enough to be a one-man breakout and can make a smart first pass out of the zone. Smith, who turns 18 on May 13, had 54 points (11 goals, 43 assists) in 68 games this season.

Morreale — Brady Martin, C, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL): The right-handed shot (6-0, 178) complements a power-forward style with a great work ethic and intelligence in the offensive zone. Martin relishes play in the trenches and is the type of player who will make an impact in clutch situations. The 18-year-old had 72 points (33 goals, 39 assists), eight power-play goals, and three short-handed goals in 57 games.

Two picks from two different writers on the league’s main website, and fittingly enough it’s the same names we see from other websites.

Flo Hockey (Chris Peters)

11. Pittsburgh Penguins: Victor Eklund, RW, Djugårdens

Eklund for a good chunk of this season was outplaying Frondell. He’s a dynamic playmaking winger who isn’t afraid to get his nose dirty despite a slighter frame at 5-11, 161. He did, however, play all season against men and was a big part of Sweden’s World Junior team. There’s good upside there for a system that needs pretty much everything right now.

USA Today

Only mocked the top-10, so we don’t have a Pittsburgh selection, but it can be known who is on the board for the Pens to consider at 11.

Notable other players still available at 11 in this mock: Brady Martin, Jackson Smith, Kashawn Aitcheson

—

Overall, it’s not difficult to see some patterns developing that repeatedly draw the names of Brady Martin, Jackson Smith and Victor Eklund up quite a bit in and around the area of the Pens’ 11th overall pick from all the different sources and mock drafts. Usually these mocks are showing that one, maybe two, of those names are already selected in the top-10, though which specific one rotates. Pittsburgh then has leftovers with the other names often popping up.

The real event is still over seven weeks away which gives plenty more time in the process for more combinations to be considered.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/7/...brady-martin-victor-eklund-pens-jackson-smith

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

2025 NHL Draft Rankings: #3 Porter Martone

Photo by Michael Miller/ISI Photos/Getty Images

A big forward checks in at the third spot

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

No 1. Matthew Schaefer
No 2. Michael Misa

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. 3: Porter Martone, 6’3” 208 pounds, RW, Brampton Steelheads (OHL)​

The draft opens up a bit in time for the third overall pick. There’s no consensus and the draft could take it’s first turn after Schaefer-Misa go 1-2 to open things up. Following McKenzie’s list, the pick here is Martone. It makes sense to rank him here, he might not be a unanimous third overall pick, but it’s a pretty good bet that Martone won’t last much beyond this spot based on most of the pre-draft rankings out there.

The reason Martone is revered is evident in watching his highlights. He’s a massive player with an insane amount of talent in his hands that led to producing 98 points (37G+6A) in just 57 games this season in the OHL.

Compared sometimes to Corey Perry or a Tkachuk brother (in the way that every young winger that’s big + good hands is compared to a Tkachuk brother these days) but that might be over-stating Martone’s physicality. He has the big body but he’s not a throwback to Kevin Stevens or Rick Tocchet as a brute-force type of aggro power forward.

Despite the production, there’s a knock on Martone; a heavy, plodding skating style stands out. Keeping up with the pace might require a learning curve and a lot of work for him, but the size and skill factor in enough to where some team will be extremely happy to add Martone at the top of the draft.

They said it​

Corey Pronman (The Athletic)

Martone was a top player in the OHL this season; however, he did struggle at the World Juniors for Canada. Martone’s skill level and creativity with the puck are elite, especially for a man his size. His reach and skill will allow him to beat a ton of NHL defenders one-on-one. He makes a lot of difficult plays and does so in traffic. Martone competes well, showing no hesitancy to engage physically or create at the net. Martone’s major issue is the pace in his game. When he turns the corner and gets up ice, his foot speed is decent, but his first few steps are heavy, with a semi-wonky looking stride, and he doesn’t always play with a ton of tempo. The size/skill combo is so good he could overcome that problem, but as one head scout has said, “Martone has the biggest weakness of any of the top five picks.” He projects as a top-line scoring winger in the NHL who could put up a ton of points.

Scouching

He’s a selfless player who might be one of the best overall analytical profiles in my entire database. There’s almost nothing he doesn’t do successfully in good volumes. Scoring chances for himself? Check. Generating chances for others? Check. Offensive transition success? Check. Defensive transition involvement and success? Check and check. Hits? Check. Forechecking results? Check. He just does everything you could ask a player to do, especially as a winger. He is the source of well over 50% of Brampton’s shot attempts with him on the ice, and he earns it. Martone might not be a play driver who can carry pucks across three lines at 40km/h and run a line with anyone, but he is an elite complement to guys like the names ahead of him which is what places him in this slot. He wears the C in Brampton for a reason and it becomes very clear when you watch the team play. He just goes out and plays like someone you want to play with, even if he isn’t an obviously dominant presence. He sneaks around with intelligence and doesn’t overthink the game. I can’t say enough good things about him and simply can’t wait to see where he goes in the NHL Draft. I hope that his landing spot respects his finesse, pass vision and mid-range scoring ability rather than seeing his raw size and trying to make him into a traditional power forward.

Daily Faceoff (Steven Ellis)

Some love him; others aren’t so sure. I think Martone is going to have a long, successful NHL career. He possesses an excellent combination of skill, size and power, and he’s equally dangerous as a shooter and a passer. He’s not your typical power forward player, and that’s because he can beat guys with pure skill. He fell just short of 100 points in his third OHL campaign, but he was still must-watch entertainment every night for the Steelheads. I like Martone as a future top-six forward who can finish plays and throw the body around

Neutral Zone

Porter Martone is a high-upside power forward with high end offensive instincts, a strong physical presence, and the ability to dominate one-on-one battles and games. At his best, he is a skilled, creative, and versatile forward capable of producing at an elite level while using his size and strength to control the boards and the net-front area. However, consistency and discipline remain concerns, as lapses in focus have impacted his overall game. With continued development in his defensive play, skating, and decision-making, Martone projects as a potential top-5 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

—

Unless the Penguins are planning to make a trade and move up several spots to about this range of 3-4-5, they aren’t going to be in position to draft Martone. The odds of Martone wearing a Penguin jersey in the near future aren’t that high, but he’s a prospect well worth knowing in the scheme of having an understanding about the top tier players that will be selected.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/7/24424788/2025-nhl-draft-rankings-3-porter-martone

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Pittsburgh Penguins 2025 free agency outlook

Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images

Who could be leaving the Penguins this summer?

On July 1 the NHL’s free agency market will open, but teams will have to prepare and plan for their moves in the weeks to come. Here’s what the Penguins are looking at in this cycle.

Notable Unrestricted free agents​

Matt Grzelcyk
Matt Nieto
Boko Imama
Joona Koppanen
Filip Kral (already signed with a Czech team next season)
Nathan Clurman

The Penguins don’t have that many UFA’s left after trading Lars Eller, Marcus Pettersson, Drew O’Connor and Anthony Beauvillier during the course of the season.

Kyle Dubas didn’t close the door on Grzelcyk’s potential return but his answer was very diplomatic, much like after the deadline when no contender wanted to trade for the erstwhile defender. Grzelcyk told the Trib that the Pens hadn’t reached out yet about keeping him for next year and that might be where that goes.

Beyond that, Nieto got waived and isn’t of NHL quality, his days look over. Koppanen is good depth (but could be less desirable as an “AHL veteran”). It could be fond farewells to almost everyone on this list, with a notable exception. The organization is keen on Imama as a depth/energy player, his return seems like the most likely bet of the lot.

Notable Restricted free agents​

Filip Hallander (agreed to contract, will return from Sweden)
Philip Tomasino
Conor Timmins
Connor Dewar
P.O. Joseph
Vasily Ponomarev
Emil Bemstrom
Taylor Gauthier

The RFA list has become the intrigue spot this time around. On the surface, the first reaction might be “qualify them all” but that is not how teams operate these days, preferring contract amounts over the control aspect. Recently the Pens have allowed Ryan Poehling, Danton Heinen and P.O. Joseph to walk as unrestricted free agents even though they could have retained their rights (even though, remarkably, Heinen and Joseph found their ways back).

Tomasino leads the class of RFA’s, coming off a Pittsburgh-portion of his season with 11 goals and 23 points with the Penguins over 50 games. Tomasino has a projection of a $1.4 million contract for one year via AFP Analytics. Tomasino also was basically a non-factor down the stretch (four points in 15 games from March 1st - April 5th) when the shiny new toys of Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen came up to the NHL and took large roles and power play time away from Tomasino. Pittsburgh did invest a fourth round pick in him, it stands to reason they might want to see if he can contribute more, but with capable replacements already on hand they also have to decide what role and best fit there is, or if one even is still available.

One RFA you can bet on remaining with the team is Timmins. Kyle Dubas’s season wrap-up was very clear that the Pens were pleased with Timmins and are excited to see what his future will bring.

On the flip side, there doesn’t seem to be much need for Bemstrom after an unimpressive season and minimal NHL impact. Maybe the team wants to retain him for depth or to boost the AHL but there doesn’t look like anything to gain from the soon-to-be 26-year old at the NHL level. Similarly, team sources have suggested that Joseph’s second stint with the Pens will be over this summer and the team will move on, reinforced by the team signing Ryan Shea in that depth defender role.

Ponomarev should be an easy qualify, assuming the team still wants him. Dubas has said since acquiring the forward that he is “close” to being ready for the NHL, but that’s amounted to seven games and no points so far. At 23, the Pens may give him one more season to see if he can contribute but that could be another case where he’s barely done enough to stay in the plans.

Then there’s Dewar, who popped a little after coming over from Toronto but then faded. He’s a low-cost option for a bottom-line player if the Pens want one, but considering they already have a glut of similar forwards under contract projected to the lineup already it’s up for debate on how much more they will want to have. The re-incoming of Hallander back into the organization this fall only bolsters those numbers further.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/8/24425763/pittsburgh-penguins-2025-free-agency-outlook-rfa-ufa-nhl

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin named to NHL’s Quarter Century team

Photo by Dave Sandford - Pool/Getty Images

The 2000’s are already 1⁄4 of the way over...

The NHL is naming 25 players to their “Quarter Century” team, and for once the league finally got it right by including Evgeni Malkin! Oh yeah, and of course Sidney Crosby made the list too, no surprise there as being the greatest player the NHL has seen since the Lemieux/Gretzky days.

Introducing the second batch of players voted to the #NHLQCTeam!

These skaters each made their NHL debut between 2000-2010!

NHL Quarter-Century Team presented by @SAP pic.twitter.com/nQeQ9mv14y

— NHL (@NHL) May 9, 2025​

Malkin was famously omitted from the NHL 100 list of 100 players in the league’s 100 years of existence celebrated in 2017. Memes and a thousand tales of “Mr. 101” were launched. It was something that really stuck with people, former Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford admitted “I still get mad” when thinking about years it later in 2020.

For his part, Malkin kept his normal good humor.

“If the NHL celebrated its centennial this year, my chances would probably be a little higher,” he said in October 2024. “Now I have three Stanley Cups, 500 goals, 1,300 points… So I could probably get to 99th place now.”

It would have been impossible for the league not to recognize Malkin on this one. Geno’s 1,346 points rank fourth among all players since the start of the 2000-01 season, trailing only Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Joe Thornton. Add in the Conn Smythe, two Art Ross trophies for winning the scoring title and a league MVP season and for once Malkin was impossible to ignore.

Still dominating the history books

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have been named to the #NHLQCTeam, which recognizes the top 25 players of the last 25 years.

Details: https://t.co/RFkS49Cw53 pic.twitter.com/ZoN9RI5bLT

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 9, 2025​

A little more from the Pens:

Pittsburgh Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby and Alternate Captain Evgeni Malkin have been named to the NHL Quarter-Century Team, which recognizes the top 25 players of the last 25 years, it was announced today by the National Hockey League.

The Quarter-Century Team was selected through a two-stage campaign that included input from NHL officials, followed by a league-wide fan vote.

Over the last quarter century from January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2024, Crosby ranks at the top of every major regular-season category, including games played (1,311, 14th), goals (602, 2nd), assists (1,035, 2nd), points (1,637, 1st), game-winning goals (93, 3rd) and overtime goals (22, 2nd).

...

Malkin, also a three-time Stanley Cup Champion (2009, ’16, ’17), has been a dominant force in the NHL since making his debut in the 2006-07 season. Since then, his performance has placed him near the top of various major statistical categories since the turn of the century. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound forward has scored 514 goals, 832 assists and 1,346 points, which rank sixth, fifth and fourth, respectively, among all players since 2000. Additionally, his production in the playoffs has been nothing but exceptional as his 180 points (67G-113A) rank second behind Crosby among all players over the past 25 years. Malkin reached the 100-point mark during the 2007-08, ‘08-09 and ‘11-12 seasons, being one of eight players to do so three or more times since he entered the league. He also reached the 50-goal mark once during the ‘11-12 season.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/5/9/...century-team-best-hockey-players-21st-century