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[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Looking at the Penguins’ salary cap situation in 2025-26

Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images

The Penguins are heading into the summer with nine potential free agents and a projected $24.5 million in cap space.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are projected to rank top ten in cap space among NHL teams when free agency opens in three weeks.

Here’s a look at the Penguins’ cap situation ahead of the June 27-28 NHL draft and July 1 beginning of unrestricted free agent signings.

Like the rest of the league, the Pens will benefit from the upcoming rise of the salary cap, which is projected to increase by $7.5 million to an upper limit of $95.5 million next season.

The Penguins currently have five restricted free agents in Connor Dewar, Philip Tomasino, Vasiliy Ponomarev, Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Conor Timmins.

The Pens will also have four players hitting unrestricted free agents in Matt Nieto, Boko Imama, Joona Koppanen and Matt Grzelcyk.

Without any of those players re-signed, the Penguins are heading into the 2025-26 campaign with 18 active roster players signed and what PuckPedia projects as $24.5 million in cap space.

That’s good for the 10th-most cap space in the NHL, according to PuckPedia.

puckpedia.com

puckpedia.com

Dubas hasn’t committed to wanting to bring any RFAs back. He told DK Pittsburgh Sports’ Taylor Haase on June 7 that the Penguins still needed to “stack those guys up versus what’s going be available on the market, and for how much, and make the best decisions for the club.”

The Penguins GM also didn’t commit to pursuing Grzelcyk, but said the team “has made it clear” to Imama they want him to return, per Haase. Imama played last season on a one-year, $775,000 deal.

Cap space available could also change before the 2025-26 season if players like Kris Letang, who underwent heart surgery in April, or Imama, who underwent bicep surgery with a four-to-six month recovery timeline in late March, start the season on LTIR.

After July 1 signings like Ryan Graves and Tristan Jarry went wrong for the Penguins, it sounds like Kyle Dubas will be more cautious about using this space to make a splash when free agency opens next month.

Kyle Dubas indicated when speaking with The Athletic’s Josh Yohe earlier this week that he plans to use that space on extending trade acquisitions rather than signing free agents. As Yohe wrote about Dubas’ plans:

Dubas and the Penguins have a bushel of draft picks and several veterans they’re willing to trade. In return, they hope to acquire young, talented players who, for whatever reason, are no longer proper fits on their teams.

If the Penguins are aggressive in the next month, it’s likely to be on the trade market more than in free agency.

“Yeah,” Dubas said, confirming that he’ll potentially be busy on the trade market. “Trade, (then) sign guys for longer range (after they’ve been acquired). UFA isn’t a good place to find good value.”

Dubas can consider longer-term contracts given the upcoming expiration of several contracts currently restricting the team’s salary cap.

Eight current contracts (notably including Evgeni Malkin’s) are set to expire ahead of the 2026-27 season, leaving the franchise with a projected $53.8 million in cap space, per PuckPedia.

puckpedia.com

It is not yet clear if Malkin will be back for the 2026-27 campaign. He did tell The Athletic’s Rob Rossi in February that he would be back for another season after 2024-25, and that when he eventually retired it would be with Pittsburgh.

PuckPedia’s numbers reflect the projected rise of the salary cap over the next few seasons, which is estimated to jump to $104 million in 2026-27 and $113.5 million in 2027-28, according to a January NHL Players’ Association memo obtained by ESPN.

Those numbers could change based on outside factors, ranging from tariffs impacting exchange rate between the U.S. and Canada and the collective bargaining agreement currently being negotiated by the NHL and NHLPA ahead of the current CBA’s September 2026 expiration.

But the current expectation is for the cap to continue rising, giving Dubas the projected space to continue an almost complete rebuild of this roster over the next few seasons.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/10/24446225/looking-at-the-penguins-salary-cap-situation-in-2025-26

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Mario Lemieux, Ron Burkle trying to buy Penguins back?

Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Old owners might be trying to get back in the game

Pierre LeBrun had a juicy bit of information:

Hearing from sources that the group of Ron Burkle, Mario Lemieux and David Morehouse are investigating the possibility of buying back the Penguins from Fenway Sports. Burkle and Lemieux sold the Penguins to Fenway in 2021. Fenway has been looking to sell a partial share. Will be…

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 11, 2025​

Hearing from sources that the group of Ron Burkle, Mario Lemieux and David Morehouse are investigating the possibility of buying back the Penguins from Fenway Sports. Burkle and Lemieux sold the Penguins to Fenway in 2021. Fenway has been looking to sell a partial share. Will be interesting to see where this goes…

LeBrun followed up:

The Burkle/Lemieux/Morehouse group declined comment via a representative.
Also hearing that Fenway is already talking to another group. So lots of moving parts in all this. https://t.co/BII89YYvXK

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 11, 2025​

Fenway Sports Group bought the Penguins in 2021, in a deal that closed on December 31st for approximately $900 million dollars. It was a good investment at a good time, the Penguins were value was placed at $1.75 billion in the latest Forbes rankings in fall 2024 in the midst of franchise values exploding across the NHL.

It was reported earlier in the year that FSG was looking to sell a minority stake in team.

Lemieux and FSG have had an interesting relationship, with Lemieux controlling a very small percentage of the team. Unlike from his retirement in 2005 to 2021, Lemieux is almost never seen at games any longer, with tensions believed to be high regarding how a dispute of Lemieux Group minority owners was handled by the conglomerate and former owner.

It remains unknown if Lemieux, Burkle and company would seek a controlling interest or a smaller share, but there’s no doubt the franchise legend looking to get back involved with the franchise will provide intrigue in the future.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/11/24447594/mario-lemieux-ron-burkle-trying-to-buy-penguins-back

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

On this date in Penguins history: June 12th, a great day for Pittsburgh hockey

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Two of the Penguins five Stanley Cup titles were won on June 12th.

June 12th is a great day in the history of the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise as two of the team’s five Stanley Cup titles were won on this date.

In 2009, the Penguins pulled off what seemed like the impossible and went into Joe Louis Arena in Detroit and beat the Red Wings in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, winning the franchise’s first championship in 17 years.

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Max Talbot scored the biggest goals of his career when he beat Chris Osgood twice.

From there, the Penguins hung on for dear life to beat the veteran-led Red Wings 2-1 as Marc-Andre Fleury made a late diving save on a shot from Nicklas Lidstrom to seal the victory for Pittsburgh.

Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Seven years later, after years of early playoff exits and disappointments, the Penguins came up big with another road in the Stanley Cup Final, beating the Sharks in San Jose to win the title in 2016.

Photo by MediaNews Group/Bay Area News via Getty Images

This time around, it was a different type of feel as the Penguins clinched the victory.

In 2009, the Penguins hung on for victory, holding off a ferocious comeback attempt from the Red Wings.

This version of victory was in much more of a dominant fashion. Brian Dumoulin opened the scoring for the Penguins before Logan Couture tied things up for San Jose in the second period, followed by a remarkable shift and goal from Kris Letang, who put Pittsburgh back on top.

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The Penguins held onto this lead, stifling the Sharks during the third period, only allowing them to get two shots on goal in the final frame of the game and series.

With two titles won on this date, June 12th definitely has a special place in Penguins history as a great day for hockey.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/12...y-june-12th-a-great-day-for-pittsburgh-hockey

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Trade or pass: Looking at the NHL’s trade boards for potential Penguins matches

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The Pittsburgh Penguins figure to be active in the trade market this offseason. Let’s see if there are some potential matches.

Now that the Pittsburgh Penguins have their head coach in place, attention is going to be shifting to the roster that Dan Muse is going to be working with when the 2025-26 season begins. The Penguins are not expected to be overly active in free agency, but do figure to be heavily involved in the trade market. That could mean selling off their own veterans as part of their transition phase (Erik Karlsson ... we’re looking at you), or trying to turn some of their supply of draft picks into more immediate/near-term NHL help.

We have already talked endlessly about the players on the Penguins roster that could be dealt, so let’s take a look at some of the outside options that they might be in the market to acquire.

Specifically, let’s look at some of the various NHL offseason trade boards and see who might be a good match and who should be avoided.

Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars
Age: 25
Contract status: One-year remaining at $7.75 million, and then one more year of restricted free agency before UFA status

Good match for the Penguins? The possibility of Robertson being available for a trade seems .... kind of baffling .... but there is plenty of smoke around his name going into the offseason. He is one of the best players on one of the NHL’s best teams and is still very much in the prime of his career. If the Penguins were even remotely close to contending I would say “shut up and take my draft picks” and want the Penguins to do whatever they could to acquire him.

Players this good, still in their prime, do not become available very often.

But with the Stars in the middle of a salary cap crunch, Robertson due for a new contract, and the Stars going through some stuff after another Western Conference Final loss the idea is at least being presented.

I love Robertson as a player. I think the Stars should keep him (beyond this season). And if they don’t, teams should be lining up to fight for the right to trade for him.

But the Penguins shouldn’t be one of those teams. Even though Robertson is still in a prime age and is a salary cap steal this upcoming season, his next contract will be significant, and acquiring him would likely cost multiple first-round picks and a top prospect. The Penguins are not in a position to be trading any of their three first-round picks over the next two years (and certainly not their 2026 pick ... or that Rangers pick if it is in 2026), or a Rutgery McGroarty or Ville Koivunen, for one player in their mid-20s that’s about to see their price skyrocket.

The price in terms of assets would likely just be too high for where the Penguins are this offseason.

Marco Rossi, Minnesota Wild
Age: 23
Contract status: Restricted free agent

Good match for the Penguins? In terms of likely cost it’s a better match than Robertson, even if Rossi isn’t as good of a player.

The Wild seem to have lost some faith in Rossi after reducing his role in the playoffs and don’t seem willing to match his asking price as a restricted free agent. At this point it almost seems like it’s a matter of when, and not if, he gets traded this offseason.

For me it would ultimately come down to price — both in terms of trade assets and what Rossi is going to command.

I know he’s smaller and doesn’t fit the “let’s get tougher to play against” mindset that Kyle Dubas seems to have this offseason, but he’s a slick offensive player that is likely still improving and could be a significant part of the next good Penguins team. With Evgeni Malkin likely entering his final season you’re going to need a No. 2 center sooner rather than later. Could Rossi be that sort of player?

This is at least a call you make and see if the asking price is within reason. I don’t know if it would be. But it would 100 percent be less than Robertson’s asking price, while still potentially bringing you a long-term fit.

Bowen Byram, Buffalo Sabres
Age: 23
Contract status: Restricted free agent

Good match for the Penguins? Byram hasn’t yet become the star that he was projected to be when he first broke into the league, but 1) he’s still only 23, and 2) he’s also still one heck of a player. His 1.31 points per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play were 14th among NHL defensemen this past season despite playing on a pretty lousy team.

The left side of the Penguins defense is a short-term and long-term black hole of talent, and Byram could step into the lineup tomorrow and be their best option on that side while also being a long-term fit.

He’s good. He’s productive. He’s also probably going to be in extremely high-demand given the lack of quality defensemen on the free agent market.

The Penguins should be interested from a hockey standpoint. But the asking price is going to be a likely deterrent.

JJ Peterka, Buffalo Sabres
Age: 23
Contract status: Restricted free agent

Good match for the Penguins? The vibes in Buffalo have to be absolutely rancid for them to have players like Byram and Peterka that are in their early 20s and on the trade block. Very grim, bleak situation.

As for Peterka, I put him in the same category as Robertson: Love the fit from a hockey standpoint, love the player, but the asking price is probably going to be beyond what the Penguins should be paying at this point.

Isaac Howard, Tampa Bay Lightning
Age: 21
Contract status: Unsigned former first-round pick

Good match for the Penguins? Okay, now we’re talking. The reigning Hobey Baker Award winner does not seem likely to sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and he is very much on the trade block. Dubas showed a year ago that he is willing to make a move on players like this when he acquired McGroarty from the Winnipeg Jets, so it’s definitely worth kicking the tires on Howard.

There seems to be a pretty wide range of opinions on his NHL upside (some people love him; some people don’t), but he’s a talented player that could add to the prospect depth.

Matias Maccelli, Utah Mammoth
Age: 24
Contract status: One year remaining at $3.425 million and then a restricted free agent

Good match for the Penguins? Maccelli’s first two years in the NHL were pretty impressive from an offensive and play-making standpoint. During his first years in the league he was averaging 1.54 assists per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play (18th in the NHL) and 0.88 primary assists per 60 minutes (43rd in the NHL). Then in year three everything sort of bottomed out for him, his production dropped and he found himself as a regular healthy scratch. Now he could find himself out of Utah entirely.

The Penguins have 20 picks in rounds 2-5 over the next three seasons. The more picks you make, the more likely you are to find a future NHL player. But part of the reason you collect that many picks is so you can also take a flier on a talented player that might need a change of scenery. If you could get him for one of those mid-round picks .... I would be all over it.

Rebuilding isn’t just about selling off veterans for draft picks and prospects. Sometimes it’s about taking on cheap reclamation projects. Maybe you rebuild their value into something you can trade for a bigger return in the future. Maybe you find a player that can be a long-term fit. Maybe it fails and you end up with the same result as most mid-round picks — nothing.

Lukas Reichel, Chicago Blackhawks
Age: 23
Contract status: One year remaining at $1.2 million and then restricted free agent

Good match for the Penguins? Speed and talent are not lacking for him, but consistency certainly is. Everything I just said about Maccelli also applies here. I don’t know how much urgency the Blackhawks would have in moving him given the status of their own rebuild, but Frank Seravalli has him at No. 23 on his most recent trade board. I think he’s worth calling about to see if a coach that excels with teaching the game can bring something out of him with a fresh start.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/12...s-trade-boards-for-potential-penguins-matches

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Checking in on some mock drafts

Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images

Here’s who the experts have the Penguins taking two weeks out from the draft.

We are just two weeks out from the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft and mock drafts are starting to pour in from different outlets from across the hockey media sphere.

Across the board on these mocks, the consensus has emerged that defenseman Matthew Schaefer will be going first overall to the New York Islanders followed by Michael Misa at No. 2 to the San Jose Sharks. After that, the selections become mixed with various players being chose from the third pick onwards.

What this means for the Pittsburgh Penguins is who is available for them to select when they are are up No. 11 will depend on how they first ten picks play out and which rout they choose to go once they are on the clock is anyone’s guess.

One quick note before we dive into the mocks. All have the Penguins picking at their assigned No. 11 slot, but all have the New York Rangers holding onto the No. 12 pick, meaning the Penguins will only get one selection in the first round.

The Rangers have until 48 hours before the draft to make its final decision on whether to transfer the No. 12 pick this season or hand over their 2026 pick to the Penguins.

Now, let’s get into the selections.

Corey Pronman, Scott Wheeler, NHL Staff; The Athletic​

The Selection: Kashawn Aitcheson, LHD, Barrie (OHL)

All three of the most recent mock drafts from The Athletic are being grouped together as one since all three have the Penguins selecting OHL defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson with the No. 11 pick. Aitcheson is a name many readers may be familiar with already since he was highlighted here on Pensburgh last week.

Aitcheson profiles as a physical defenseman who possess the skills to be a top four defenseman in the NHL. Pronman has him listed right at No. 11 in his latest prospect rankings and he came in at No. 14 on Bob McKenzie’s consensus big board.

From Pronman:

Aitcheson adds significant physicality to Pittsburgh’s system while also having the size, mobility and skill of a top-four NHL defenseman.

From Wheeler:

Going into the combine, Lynden Lakovic is a name I kept hearing a number of the teams in the 11-19 range liked. Then he did well in his interviews, by the sounds of it. I think he’s going to go higher than people think, and I think the Penguins are the start of where he’s in the mix. But lefties Aitcheson and Jackson Smith make a lot of sense for their pool, which has emerging righty Harrison Brunicke but little coming on the left side. The Penguins also spent time with both at the combine.

From The Athletic NHL Staff; Josh Yohe:

The Penguins’ system is improving greatly, but it’s still nothing special. Kyle Dubas is in “take the best player available” mode because the Penguins need help everywhere.

Their blue line is a particular problem, especially at the NHL level. Aitcheson can help. That he provides such a physical dimension only helps. The Penguins need size and physicality more than just about any NHL team. This is a pick that would make plenty of sense. — Josh Yohe

Adam Kimelman & Mike G. Morreale; NHL.com​

The Selection(s)
Kimelman: Brady Martin, C, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
Morreale: Jackson Smith, D, Tri-City (WHL)

Over at NHL.com, deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman and senior draft writer Mike Morreale teamed up on the site’s most recent mock draft with each selecting a different player for the Penguins at No. 11.

Kimelman went forward for the Penguins here, meeting the required Kyle Dubas/Soo Greyhound quota in the process with Martin. Morreale stuck with defense in line with The Athletic, but went with Smith since he had Aitcheson off the board. In our draft prospect previews, McKenzie has Martin at No. 12 on his board with Smith coming in at No. 10.

From Kimelman:

Martin doesn’t have the prototypical power-forward size but plays far bigger, and his tenacity and competitiveness are among the best in this year’s draft class. He made a strong final impression on scouts by helping Canada win the gold medal at the 2025 IIHF World Under-18 Championship with 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in seven games. At his best he should be a big contributor on the power play and penalty kill.

From Morreale:

With good speed and movement through the neutral zone to lead the rush, Smith (6-3, 195) had 54 points (11 goals, 43 assists) in 68 games. A fan of Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Kevin Korchinski, Smith can run the first unit on the power play or penalty kill, can finish hits, and take charge in transition. Pittsburgh could use more young depth on the back end.

TheScore​

The Selection: Roger McQueen, C, Brandon (WHL)

Not to spoil anything, but of all the selections made by the Penguins in these mock drafts, Roger McQueen is the highest ranked according to Bob McKenzie, coming in at No. 8 on his big board. McQueen was featured last month in our draft prospect preview.

If McQueen were to drop down to the Penguins at No. 11, he’s certainly a player they will take a long look at considering they want to add size according to reports. McQueen stands at a towering 6’5” and is pushing 200 pounds. He could be a force up the middle for the Penguins for years to come.

From TheScore:

Pittsburgh swings for the fences and lands McQueen, who’d be long gone if he hadn’t missed significant time to heal a spinal stress fracture. The slick 6-foot-5 center only played 70 games over the past two WHL seasons, and his draft year was almost a write-off. McQueen is forceful, gets to scoring areas, and doesn’t need much space to make creative, deceptive moves or bury the puck.

Jordan Orth; The Hockey Writers​

The Selection: Carter Bear, LW, Everett Silvertips (WHL)

Offense rules the day for the Penguins over at The Hockey Writers with them selection Silvertips leading scorer Carter Beat at No. 11 overall. Bear was tearing up the WHL before going down with a lacerated Achilles tendon that ended his season before the WHL playoffs.

What the injury does to his draft stock remains to be seen, but Bear is expected to make a full recovery. He led the Silvertips with 82 points before going down and his absence played a big role in them missing out on winning the WHL title and a shot at the Memorial Cup. He was recently profiled here at Pensburgh, coming in at No. 13 in our rankings accoridng to Bob McKenzie.

From Jordan Orth:

The Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves in a spot where they could add at any position, with their farm system still on the upswing. Taking a defenseman like Jackson Smith or Kashawn Aitcheson was not out of the question here, but being able to add a player of Carter Bear’s skill set offensively ultimately led to this pick. Bear has the offensive game and mindset to be either a playmaker or a goal-scoring threat, which the Penguins are in need of outside of Rutger McGroarty. He has the ability to play down the wing or at the center position, too. He may take a bit longer to get to the NHL, but the upside that he has makes him the selection at number 11.

Sam Russell; Bleacher Nation​

The Selection: Roger McQueen, C, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

It’s a second helping of Roger McQueen for the Penguins at No. 11, this time courtesy Sam Russell at Bleacher Nation. As mentioned above, McQueen fits the mold of what the Penguins are rumored to be looking for in the draft. If he does slip down the board a bit on draft night you could very well hear his name called by Kyle Dubas.

From Russell:

Roger McQueen did miss a good chunk of the season thanks to a back injury, but he has great size (6’5″, 192) and a big shot to go with a high motor. He competed in all the combine testing and looks healthy.

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Just two weeks out from the 2025 NHL Draft, and who the Penguins could land at the No. 11 pick remains up in the air which is to be expected when the consensus of who goes where ends as early as second overall. Much of the Penguins fate will be determined by who goes where ahead of them and what’s left on the board when they go on the clock.

No one knows for certain which players will slide and which will climb, but regardless of the unknown, it feels like the Penguins will be getting a good prospect that bolsters the system one way or another.

One thing to keep in mind is the New York Rangers at No. 12. No one seems to have any clue what plans they have for that pick and they have until Wednesday, June 25 to make a final decision on keeping that selection or handing it over to the Penguins. That decision could certainly change the calculus of how Dubas operates and it will certainly change some of the mock drafts we highlighted above.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/13...son-martin-smith-bear-mcqueen-dubas-prospects

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins bring back Boko Imama on one-year contract

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

One year deal worth league minimum, but somehow a little more

Kyle Dubas had often repeated a willingness to re-sign forward Boko Imama, so it’s of little surprise when the news broke Friday afternoon that the team has done just that.

The Penguins have re-signed forward Boko Imama to a one-year contract.

The contract will run through the 2025.26 campaign and carries an average annual value of $775,000 at the NHL level.

Details: https://t.co/4h6aG6vOxR pic.twitter.com/LPNsRdDXEu

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 13, 2025​

From the team:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed forward Boko Imama to a one-year contract, it was announced today by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas.

The contract will run through the 2025-26 campaign and carries an average annual value of $775,000 at the NHL level.

Imama, 28, spent the 2024-25 season split between Pittsburgh and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League. The 6-foot-1, 221-pound forward scored one goal in 16 games with Pittsburgh, and added three goals, two assists and five points in 24 games at the AHL level.

The Montreal, Quebec native has spent the past nine seasons (2017-25) splitting time between the NHL and AHL. Imama has appeared in 31 NHL games with Pittsburgh, Ottawa and Arizona, recording two goals. During his AHL tenure, he has played in 334 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Belleville, Tucson and Ontario, tallying 77 points (32G-45A).

Prior to turning professional, Imama spent five seasons (2012-17) in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with Baie-Comeau and Saint John. During his time in Saint John he served as assistant captain for two years and helped lead them to a QMJHL Championship (2017). During 276 regular season games, he scored 123 points (71G-52A), and added 24 points (9G-15A) in 51 playoff games.

Imama was a hit in Pittsburgh this past season as a minor league call-up. He provided the team some energy, toughness and his positive attitude and spirit helped earn him the team’s nomination for the Masterton trophy. Imama appeared in 16 NHL games and 24 down with AHL Wilkes-Barre.

The good news for Imama is that the team’s interest in him also garnered him a premium salary. While Imama’s salary cap hit will be a league minimum $775,000 for time spent in the AHL, he’s getting a pretty generous guaranteed salary of $525,000 — regardless of whether he’s playing in the NHL or the minor leagues.

The #LetsGoPens re-signed 28 y/o UFA F Boko Imama to 1 year deal

NHL 775K
Minors 450K
Guaranteed 525K

1G in 16 NHL GP, 5P in 24 AHL GP

Rep'd by @walsha @OctagonHockey https://t.co/y5BBlstrNU

— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) June 13, 2025​

Imama got in two fights with Pittsburgh, and asked for about a million more scraps that opponents declined. They’ll have him back in the fold and ready to go again when the team needs that added boost or energy or a tough guy to protect them in 2025-26.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/13/24448910/penguins-bring-back-boko-imama-on-one-year-contract

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins sign prospect Melvin Fernstrom

David Reginek-Imagn Images

Winger prospect won Swedish rookie of the year last season

The Penguins took care of another piece of business on Friday, signing 19-year old Swedish prospect Melvin Fernstrom to a standard three-year entry level contract.

The Penguins have signed forward Melvin Fernstrom to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Details: https://t.co/zrVQJj4TRj pic.twitter.com/W4GgPPFyvy

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 13, 2025​

From the team:

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

Fernstrom, 19, split the 2024-25 season with Örebro HK of the Swedish Hockey League, the top professional league in Sweden, and their J20 Nationell team. In 48 games with the SHL team, the 2025 SHL Rookie of the Year scored eight goals, nine assists and 17 points, all of which ranked first among league rookies. Meanwhile, in 12 games with their J20 Nationell team, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound forward scored 11 goals, seven assists and 18 points.

Over the course of two years from 2023-25, the Balsta, Sweden native appeared in 54 SHL games with Örebro HK, tallying 17 points (8G-9A). Additionally, over three years from 2022-25, Fernstrom suited up in 66 games with the J20 Nationell team, scoring 42 goals, 40 assists, 82 points and was a plus-33. Fernstrom appeared in 13 playoff games with the J20 Nationell team, scoring eight goals, nine assists and 17 points. His best season with the J20 Nationell team came during the 2023-24 season, when his 31 goals led the league and helped his team secure a silver medal in the league championship.

Fernstrom has represented his native country on the international stage as well. The forward earned a bronze medal with Sweden at the 2024 World Under-18 Championship, recording eight points (3G-5A) in seven games. He also participated in the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, registering five points (3G-2A) in four games.

Fernstrom was originally selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the third round (93rd overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft. The Penguins acquired the forward from the Canucks on January 31.

Kyle Dubas talked about the SHL rookie of the year a bit in May.

Melvin Fernstrom wins Rookie of the Year in the Swedish Hockey League. The 19-year-old had 17 points in 48 games, including 11 in the last 19.

Pittsburgh acquired the forward from Vancouver in the Marcus Pettersson/Drew O'Connor trade. This is what Kyle Dubas said at the time pic.twitter.com/bZENaivYui

— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) May 18, 2025​

He’s not mistaken about being an offensive-minded scoring winger. Fernstrom has a wicked shot.

Given Fernstrom’s young age (19), he can still be assigned back to Sweden for 2025-26 and have the start of his entry level contract slide up a season and not begin until 2026-27. That might be the smart play considering Fernstrom still spent time in the Swedish junior league last season and could use a little more seasoning and experience before he will be ready to make a move towards competing for an NHL roster spot.

Fernstrom’s future development will go a long way towards being a sneaky key in determining how well the trade he was involved in pans out from the Pittsburgh perspective. The Pens sent Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor — both impending free agents — to Vancouver for a New York Rangers first round pick and Fernstrom. (Plus Danton Heinen and Vincent Desharnais, the latter two veterans included to offset salary). The Cancuks have re-signed both Pettersson and O’Connor to multi-year contracts. Now the Pens will shift into development mode to try and make something of their futures-based return.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/14/24449101/penguins-sign-prosepect-melvin-fernstrom

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

The biggest Penguin killers in the NHL for 2024-25

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Who caused the most pain for the Pens this season?

This is one of my more fun to write summer pieces: which opponents feast on the Penguins? It’s a good blend of memory, confirmation bias and also some surprises along the way. Here’s some prior year works if you want to check on it from over the years:

Penguin killers 2019
Penguin killers 2022
Penguin killers 2023
Penguin killers 2024

For 2023-24, it was a couple of superstars in David Pastrnak and Nikita Kucherov that took the overall title by each scoring seven points in just three games a piece against Pittsburgh. That isn’t a huge shocker, Kucherov won the Art Ross trophy that season with 144 points. Pasta wasn’t too far behind in fifth place (though at 110 points, he was fairly far behind by that metric). The worst line for the Pens to see that year was when Detroit used Alex Debrincat, Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond; each Red Wing recorded six points a piece in three games against the Pens. One of the biggest surprises or players that didn’t really fit was Philadelphia’s Tyson Foerster. Foerster scored 20 goals in 2023-24, fattening his season with four goals in as many games against Pittsburgh (he’d score only 16 in the other 73 games of the season).

Who are the main offenders in the 2024-25 season? Let’s check nhl.com and see!

Surprise, surprise, it was another year of Kucherov showing well against the Pens this season by producing six points in three meetings. But Kucherov was dethroned this year by Vincent Trocheck and Nathan MacKinnon’s performances of seven points versus the Pens. MacKinnon wins the tiebreaker since as an out-of-conference opponent he only got two cracks at the Pens, compared to division-rival Trocheck getting four games.

MacKinnon was at his most dominant with a five-point game (1G+4A) in a Colorado 6-2 win over the Pens in December. In recent prior seasons the Avalanche were always shockingly a good matchup for Pittsburgh, who found a way to dig deep and compete against a strong Colorado team. That trend went completely out the window in 2024-25, Colorado swept the season series against the Pens, outscoring them 10-3 in the aggregate.

Trocheck always seems to have a little fire in the belly against his hometown team, it was a down year for him with 59 points this year, but he recorded seven of them against the Pens.

Philadelphia’s Bobby Brink was the “one of these names in the top-10 don’t quite look like the others” type of performance out of no where with five points in four games against the Pens this season. Brink did have a pretty good first full season in the NHL with 41 points in 79 games, the best night of the season coming with a four-point game in February for the Flyers against the Pens. Teammate Noah Cates took over in Foerster’s stead for the surprise goal-scorer lead of four goals in four games against Pittsburgh (Cates only scored 12 goals in the other 74 non-Pittsburgh games this season).

If the Pens are scouting Bowen Byram as a potential addition this summer, they won’t have far to go to find good tape on him. Just look at the games against Pittsburgh, no NHL defender produced more points (5) than Byram against the Pens in 2024-25.

The old Red Wing line still found plenty of space against the Pens this season for the second year in a row. Larkin (three points in three games) was good, his frequent partners in Debrincat and Raymond (five points a piece) still lit Pittsburgh up. Playing young, fast, skilled teams has been a major challenge for the Pens and the stats of the top Detroit players illustrates that.

Here’s the scoring list from 2021-22 to current in the recent post-COVID seasons.

It’s a great thing the Pens only have to see Connor McDavid twice a year. McDavid “only” managed to put up 0G+3A in his two matchups against Pittsburgh this season but remains the leading recent scorer against Pittsburgh over the past few years.

Penguin goalies, defenders and coaches alike can rejoice that Chris Kreider was sent to the Western Conference in a trade to Anaheim. Kreider put up 2G+1A in three contests against the Pens this season and has been darn near worth a goal per game when he plays Pittsburgh. Surprisingly only one of his 12 goals coming while on the power play at that. Similarly, the Pens won’t have minded seeing Brock Nelson ink a contract extension with Colorado considering how much damage he’s done to the black and gold over the years.

New Jersey’s Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt are among the scoring leaders too, they get a boost from frequently playing the Pens but have been a big reason that Pittsburgh has seemingly had so many problems with the Devils lately. You don’t have to go far to see why, some of their top players are showing up consistently on the scoreboard.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/15/24449195/the-biggest-penguin-killers-in-the-nhl-for-2024-25

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Malkin’s Final Bow?

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

All signs point to 2025-26 being Evgeni Malkin’s final season with the Penguins.

All good things must come to and end, and having Evgeni Malkin in a Pittsburgh Penguins uniform for almost two decades has been one of the best things to ever happen to both the franchise and the player. Sadly, it appears the end is nigh for Malkin and the Penguins.

This news doesn’t come as a complete shock knowing the 2025-26 season will be Malkin’s 20th in the NHL and he will be 39 years old when the puck drops in October. He’s also entering the final year of a four-year contract and will need a new deal next offseason or he will hit free agency.

On Monday, Josh Yohe published a report in The Athletic detailing where things stand between the future Hall of Famer and the only franchise he has ever called home. Yohe doesn’t sugarcoat the situation and gets right to the heart of the matter in his report.

From The Athletic:

PITTSBURGH — Evgeni Malkin will return for his 20th campaign with the Penguins next season.

It will be his last in Pittsburgh.

While it remains unclear if future Hall of Fame center will retire following the 2025-26 season, the Penguins are not expected to offer him another contract with the franchise, sources within the organization said.

Again, this news will not come as a great surprise given the circumstances, but if Malkin does indeed intend on playing past this season, seeing him wearing another team’s jersey may be tough to stomach for fans.

Of course there is no guarantee Malkin laces up the skates in 2026-27, but if he does he could very well head back home to Russia for a farewell tour with him home town club Magnitogorsk of the KHL. It should also be noted that when he’s not living in Pittsburgh, he owns a home in Miami, making the Florida Panthers a possible destination if he intends to continue his NHL career past next season.

Whatever Malkin’s plans are post 2025-26, they play out away from Pittsburgh unless there is a sudden change of heart from the Penguins, however, that does not seem likely to happen short of an out-of-this-world 2025-26 season from Malkin.

Again, per Yohe in The Athletic:

What is apparent to the Penguins’ front office, however, is that Malkin is declining and, at his age, isn’t likely to have a late-career resurgence. Malkin still showed flashes last season, but the Penguins, who are very much pushing a youth movement, do not believe that bringing him back after he turns 40 is sensible.

While seeing Malkin leave will be the closing of an important and successful chapter in Penguins history, we still have next season to enjoy one last ride with Geno. Yohe digs into what plans the front office is putting together to make sure Malkin’s last hurrah in Pittsburgh is one worth celebrating.

Yohe reports that the Penguins are planning on giving Malkin solid linemates to work with, starting with the newly acquired Tommy Novak who Malkin told the front office is someone he is interested in playing with. Novak was brought over from Nashville at the trade deadline but only played in two games before losing the rest of his season to injury.

What remains to be seen between Malkin and Novak is who plays wing and who plays center. Both players can and have played both, giving the Penguins options on which route to take with plenty of time to make any final decisions.

Who fills out the budding Malkin-Novak line remains to seen, but the Penguins will look at all options available to them to help give Malkin the best chance as success in his final run with the franchise.

While it was always inevitable that Malkin’s time in Pittsburgh was going to come to a close at some point, now that the moment is nearly here, it’s hard to swallow the reality that his era of Penguins hockey is beginning to end.

Whether or not Malkin fully hangs up the skates at the end of next season won’t diminish his standing as a legend in Pittsburgh. Three Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe, two Art Ross trophies, a Hart Trophy, a Calder Trophy, and numerous career milestones make him one of the most decorated players in franchise history.

We have 82 more games to enjoy No. 71 in the black and gold. Let’s all enjoy one last ride with Geno and cherish every moment.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/16...-26-nhl-season-novak-dubas-stanley-cup-crosby

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Sidney Crosby named to Canada’s 2026 Olympic roster

David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Crosby was one of six players named to the initial Team Canada men’s roster on Monday.

Sidney Crosby is set to return to the Olympics for the first time since 2014.

The Pittsburgh Penguins captain was one of the first six men’s players named to the Team Canada roster ahead of the 2026 Milano Cortina Games.

Meet the first 6⃣ players who will wear the at #MilanoCortina2026!

Voici les 6⃣ premiers joueurs qui porteront la à #MilanoCortina2026!@TeamCanada | @Equipe_Canada

— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) June 16, 2025​

Crosby, who scored the golden goal in Vancouver in 2010 and captained Canada to another gold in Sochi in 2014, is the only player on the Canadian roster with Olympic experience.

He is set to join the Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar alongside the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid, Tampa Bay Lightning’s Brayden Point and Florida Panthers’ Sam Reinhart in representing Canada at the upcoming Games.

Kyle Dubas, who is serving as director of player personnel for Team Canada, was one of the people on the selection team behind the first six names.

All 12 teams competing in the upcoming men’s tournament revealed the first six players on their rosters Monday. Here’s a look at the full list, which features a couple former Penguins including Lars Eller and Teddy Blueger.

---

USA: Jack Eichel, Quinn Hughes, Auston Matthews, Charlie McAvoy, Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk

Czechia: Lukas Dostal, Radko Gudas, Martin Necas, Ondrej Palat, David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha

Denmark: Jesper Jensen Aabo, Frederik Andersen, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Nikolaj Ehlers, Lars Eller, Jonas Rondbjerg

Finland: Sebastian Aho, Aleksander Barkov, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, Mikko Rantanen, Juuse Saros

France: Yohann Auvitu, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Jules Boscq, Hugo Gallet, Jordann Perret, Alexandre Texier

Germany: Leon Draisaitl, Philipp Grubauer, Lukas Reichel, Moritz Seider, Nico Sturm, Tim Stutzle

Italy: Damian Clara, Thomas Larkin, Diego Kostner, Daniel Mantenuto, Tommy Purdeller, Luca Zanatta,

Latvia: Rodrigo Abols, Uvis Balinskis, Teddy Blueger, Zemgus Girgensons, Elvis Merzlikins, Arturs Silovs

Slovakia: Erik Cernak, Martin Fehervary, Simon Nemec, Martin Pospisil, Juraj Slafkovsky, Tomas Tatar

Sweden: Rasmus Dahlin, Victor Hedman, Adrian Kempe, Gabriel Landeskog, William Nylander, Lucas Raymond

Switzerland: Kevin Fiala, Nico Hischier, Roman Josi, Timo Meier, Nino Niederreiter, Jonas Siegenthaler

---

Rickard Rakell and Erik Karlsson, who both made the roster last winter at the 4 Nations Face-Off, could be hoping to get calls from Team Sweden before the rosters are finalized.

Each team gets a total of 25 players, up from the 23 players on the rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off. The full rosters are expected to be announced by January.

The 2026 Olympic Games are set to take place in Italy from Feb. 6 to Feb. 22, 2026. The men’s bronze medal game will take place on Feb. 21, followed by the men’s gold medal game on Feb. 22.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/17/24450448/sidney-crosby-named-to-canadas-2026-olympic-roster

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Lessons to take from Panthers’ emerging dynasty

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

They have built the best team in the NHL. Now everybody will try to duplicate it.

The NHL, like all professional sports, tends to be a copycat league. When one team finds success, and especially sustained championship success, other teams are going to try and duplicate that approach. When it comes to the Florida Panthers, who have been the NHL’s most dominant team over the past four years with a Presidents’ Trophy win, three consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances and now two consecutive championships, there are quite a few lessons that can be taken. And lessons that probably should be taken.

The Pittsburgh Penguins may not be in a position right now to take all of these lessons, but some of them can be stored away for when they become a contender again in future seasons.

You don’t need to build entirely through the draft​

This is a big one for rebuilding teams to keep in mind, and it’s one for the Penguins to keep in mind as they look at the fact they have 30 draft picks (and potentially more) over the next three seasons.

Too many teams get into a rebuilding phase and simply wait for their prospects and draft picks to pan out.

Detroit has been notorious for this under Steve Yzerman. Nobody in Detroit ever wants to show an ounce of frustration with the rebuild because “we have to wait for the draft picks to pan out.”

It’s happening in Chicago right now, where so many are willing to be patient with a nightmare of a team because there are a lot of first-round picks you are waiting to find out about.

The Panthers only had five players on this year’s postseason roster that were drafted and developed by the team — Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, Anton Lundell, Dmitry Kulikov and Mackie Samoskevich.

In Kulikov’s case, even though he was drafted by the Panthers, he ended up spending 10 years away from the team before returning in 2023-24.

Samoskevich is a good young player, but only appeared in four playoff games.

That doesn’t mean the draft isn’t important, because it is. It’s just mostly important for the absolute top of the roster.

Florida’s main drafted and developed contributors were top-two picks in Barkov (their No. 1 center and best overall player) and Ekblad (their No. 1 defenseman in terms of minutes per game). You still need to hit some home runs with picks at the top of the draft to help build the foundation. And while it is certainly possible to build depth around your stars through the draft, it doesn’t need to be the only way. You can complement those players — and add more stars — through free agency and trades.

Florida had plenty of examples of both, whether it be big-time free agent signings (Sergei Bobrovsky), big-time trades (Matthew Tkachuk, Brad Marchand, Seth Jones, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett), smaller, under-the-radar free agent signings (Carter Verhaeghe) or even waiver claims (Gustav Forsling).

The draft is important for establishing your core and getting your main players at the top of the lineup. NHL-level scouting also matters for building out the rest of the team around them. It matters a lot.

Don’t overpay the bottom of the lineup​

This is an area where the Penguins have struggled since ... well ... their most recent championship team.

While the Panthers have made a ton of big-splash roster moves over the years to solidify the top of their lineup, they have been able to do so in large part because they don’t overspend on the bottom of the lineup.

I thought this was a great observation on their roster:

The Florida Panthers AGM(Sunny Mehta) was the pioneer of hockey analytics in the NHL space

They’re entire 4th line has AAVs less than $1M dollars, their 3rd pair has AAVs under $1.15M

They scored the most goals in a playoff run since 1993

They replace major parts of their…

— NYR Louie (@NYRLouie) June 18, 2025

Their fourth line averaging six figure contracts.

Their third-pairing defense barely averaging more than $1 million.

There was no Jack Johnson or Ryan Graves buried at the bottom of their defense.

They were not paying Noel Accairi $2 million.

They don’t really have any “bad” contracts.

There has been so much arguing about the state income tax thing when it comes to building their roster and the advantage that may or may not present under the salary cap, but the biggest cap advantage they have has simply been not overpaying for bad players or spending too much money on the bottom of the lineup.

Every dollar you can save there is another dollar you can spend on the top of the lineup.

Take big swings​

Don’t play it safe. Don’t be content. Don’t be afraid to take a major swing for the fences when the opportunity presents itself.

When the Panthers lost in the first round after winning the Presidents’ Trophy, they took a huge swing by trading two key players in Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar for Matthew Tkachuk.

It has turned out to be one of the most impactful trades in recent NHL memory. While Huberdeau has mostly flopped in Calgary, Tkachuk gave the Panthers an in-his-prime, MVP-level player, while also helping to further build their identity. It’s been perfect in every way.

They took a couple more swings this season when they acquired Seth Jones from Chicago and Brad Marchand from Boston.

They had some LTIR and salary cap help to create the space, and they got lucky with Marchand pretty much forcing his way to Florida, but they were still willing to pay the price and spend the money and assets when the opportunity presented itself.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/19/24452021/lessons-to-take-from-panthers-emerging-dynasty

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Worst case scenario for the Penguins in the draft?

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Talking about uncontrollable but unfortunate situations

Something popped out in a lot of mock drafts that have been out there, but in best graphical form on this one from The Athletic. The expected top-six is what it is (Schaefer, Misa, Frondell, Desnoyers, Martone) for players that can’t be expected to last very long. But a bad scenario pops up for the Penguins if the picks before them break like this.

Going down that list, each selection lands like a thud as center after center go off the board, and then the big defender gets swooped up one pick before the Pens are up to make their choice at 11. Ouch.

That leaves the Pens to pick between Victor Eklund, Kashawn Aitcheson and Jackson Smith as the consensus highest ranked remaining players, unless they choose to go a little more off the board to consider names like Carter Bear, Braeden Cootes and Cole Reschny instead. Which, hey, might not end up being the worst thing in the world but losing out on the chance to add one of the top centers, or the top right-handed defenseman for players with more questions; whether that would be the lack of size on Eklund, the ceiling of Aitcheson or the bust potential of Smith. Having to settle for questions leads to more of a troubling and uneasy draft night development for the Pens sitting at 11th overall.

That could be the unavoidable challenge about picking at 11 — ten players get taken up before you pick and obviously some pretty alluring prospects are going to be snatched up. It’s a bit of a helpless situation, but the Pens’ draft day outlook improves if there could be something of an unconventional pick (like Eklund or an extra defender in Smith or Aitcheson) sneaking into the top-10. Such a scenario would mean a center in the Jake O’Brien/Roger McQueen/Brady Martin would be there for the taking at 11, which would have to lead to much rejoicing at Pens HQ. Or, of course, Pittsburgh could cut out the middle man and simply trade up the board on draft night in order to avoid such worst case scenarios unfolding to ensure they put themselves in position to get the target that they are interested in.

The Pens will have to plan for a number of contingencies and game plan for all kinds of scenarios in the next week before the big event. We’ll see what kind of draw they end up getting in eight days away for Round 1. Maybe they sit tight and are comfortable taking from the Eklund/Aitcheson/Smith type of profiles if it comes to that. Perhaps they can pull of a trade to get in position for the perceived better type of prospects in the Mrtka/Martin/O’Brien type of range. The possibilities become pretty wide open in a draft like this where there looks to be a fairly clearly defined tier of prospects in the 7-12 range.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/19...n-nhl-draft-2025-mock-pittsburgh-brady-martin

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Crosby/Malkin vs. McDavid/Draisaitl: Examining Stanley Cup supporting casts

Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images

Have Connor and Leon gotten enough help?

In the aftermath of Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers failing once again to capture the elusive Stanley Cup, online discourse has popped up about the age old hockey debate of individual contribution to what is a team-based achievement. Great players are judged by how many Cups they win, but ironically those players are heavily dependent on everything from goaltending to management to coaching to support players to — did we mention goaltending — in order to make it to the top of the mountain.

Another interesting area is how the Oilers have been constructed around McDavid and fellow all-world forward Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers often resort to playing the duo together on a super-line, in part because it maximizes and unifies talent but also in part because if they don’t then players like the ancient (Corey Perry), the unwanted (waiver pickup Kasperi Kapanen) and the unable-to-stay-out-of-the-penalty box (Evander Kane) are thrust into key roles.

The old online trope for the past 10-15 years in Penguin-land has been the “wingers for Crosby” (or Malkin) type of plea for better help around the star centers. At times that’s been true, when the Penguin stars have had to lug Dominik Simon or Scott Wilson or Eric Fehr around as barely helpful components.

But is it different for Edmonton now? To even the playing field, let’s take a look at the past Penguin teams (and salary caps of the eras) and compare to what the Oilers are dealing with now.

The NHL salary cap for the specified seasons​

• 2008-09: $56.7 million
• 2015-16: $71.4 million
• 2016-17: $73.0 million
• 2024-25: $88.0 million

The star salaries​

Combined cap hits of Crosby/Malkin in the past to McDavid/Draisaitl now

• 2008-09: $12.5 million* or 22.0% of the cap total
• 2015-16: $18.2 million or 25.4%
• 2016-17: $18.2 million or 24.9%
• 2024-25: $21.0 million or 23.8%

(*Counting a $3.8 million AAV for Malkin due to entry level bonus money added to base salary)

This handy information squares up that Edmonton is paying about what the Pens paid for their two stars once salary cap inflation is taken into account. 2023-24 and 2024-25 were great opportunities for the Oil — Draisaitl’s $14 million a year contract extension kicks in next season which will raise the commitment to $26.5m for the two stars, even with the massive NHL cap increase to $95.5m that inches the total up to 27.7%. From there, McDavid is in “name your price” territory for a new contract in 2026-27 that could be $16, $17, $18 million per year if he wants to stretch it that high (though with the “team first” mentality embedded in hockey culture, perhaps McDavid will cut Edmonton a break with a cap hit more in-line with Draisaitl’s $14m).

No matter how that sorts out, the least Edmonton had to pay prime era McDavid/Draisaitl was is now in the past. It’s only going to go up in the immediate future once the new extensions kick in. Then three, four or five years down the line when the salary cap increases will help the percentages, the pure peak eras of the power of these players will likely be receding by then.

That said, considering that the two top stars left a huge chunk of the pie left for the Oilers to spend last year, it’s got to be a bit disappointing in the context that Florida found a way to add Brad Marchand and Seth Jones during this season while Edmonton (while stretching the LTIR limits of good faith even for the lenient NHL’s standards) could only muster mid-season adds of Kapanen, Trent Frederic and Jake Walman.

That led to this lineup in a due or die Game 6. (A lineup that got tossed out the window early when Florida grabbed a quick goal to unite 97/29).

John Klingberg & Kasperi Kapanen return to the #Oilers lineup while Stuart Skinner makes the start for Game 6 in Florida. @PlayAlbertaCA | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/u5Ht4vCzrq

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 17, 2025​

It doesn’t help that Zach Hyman, a rare great add by EDM, was out injured all series, but deep into the playoffs injuries pile up. Jeff Skinner was a good gamble but had a terrible season. $4 million addition Viktor Arvidsson is another player who looked well past his expiration date and played his way into being a healthy scratch. Adam Henrique scored 27 points this season. Frederic presumably wasn’t 100% for the stretch run and didn’t look amazing in a one-goal playoff.

And that’s before getting to the goalie duo of doom that had to be constantly rotated to find any semblance of a player who could keep the puck out of the net on a short term basis.

This all isn’t to let McDavid and Draisaitl — who both more or less owned up to not playing well enough and crediting Florida for being better — off the hook. You’d always want your top players to be their biggest in June. They own some blame just like everyone else.

But just look at that graphic above and compare to the one below. Then let’s do an imaginary trade of Crosby/Malkin going back through the time machine (yeah yeah, it’s an impossible concept, we know) and exchange them in place with McDavid/Drasaitl.

Let's Go Pens! pic.twitter.com/3akuNIkEhK

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 12, 2016​

HBK! Matt Cullen! Two really good goalies! It’s a lineup without any weaknesses, augmented around two generational star centers.

No tweets from back then, but here’s the Game 7 lines vs. Detroit. (Petr Sykora out with injury)

Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Bill Guerin
Ruslan Fedotenko - Evgeni Malkin - Max Talbot
Matt Cooke - Jordan Staal - Tyler Kennedy
Pascal Dupuis - Craig Adams - Miroslav Satan

Defensive Pairings:

Brooks Orpik / Sergei Gonchar
Hal Gill / Rob Scuderi
Mark Eaton / Kris Letang

Goaltenders:

Marc-André Fleury (starter)
Mathieu Garon (backup)

Give the modern day Oiler stars that third line and goalie and is there any doubts they’d be planning for a parade this weekend?

—

The takeaways from this can be many. One could be appreciative that Ray Shero and Jim Rutherford did well to support the Pens with critical decisions that provided enough support to round out the team. One could be equally critical of recent Edmonton managers for the same. Another outlook is that one or two skaters — no matter how good they are — can’t win a Stanley Cup on their own. Hockey is one of the best team sports in the world because it does take everyone to win, as cliche as it sounds. Stars get their careers judged by how many times they’ve won, but they’re just as dependent on everyone else doing their job well as any other position in the game.

There are no easy answers, but the good news for the Oilers is that they get a new chance every year and they already have the difficult part down of having two of the game’s top current players on their squad. Now they just have to figure out how to get the best possible pieces around them so they can be the ones celebrating the next time they make it back to the Stanley Cup Final.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/20...isaitl-examining-stanley-cup-supporting-casts

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins announce Nick Bonino, Todd Nelson among new coaching staff

Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

The Pens round out their coaching staff

The Penguins have announced the hirings for their coaching staff around Dan Muse.

Todd Nelson, a recent two-time AHL Calder Cup winning coach with Hershey, will join Pittsburgh as an assistant. Nick Bonino and Rich Clune will join Nelson as assistant coaches. Troy Paquette has been hired the team’s assistant video coach and Andy Chiodo will be retained as the goalie coach.

The Penguins have named Todd Nelson, Nick Bonino, and Rich Clune assistant coaches, and Troy Paquette the team’s assistant video coach.

Goaltending Coach Andy Chiodo will remain on Head Coach Dan Muse’s staff in the same role.

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 20, 2025​

From the team:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have named Todd Nelson, Nick Bonino and Rich Clune assistant coaches, as well as Troy Paquette as the team’s assistant video coach, it was announced today by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas.

Goaltending Coach Andy Chiodo will remain on Head Coach Dan Muse’s staff in the same role.

Nelson, 56, makes his return to the NHL level after spending the last three seasons as head coach of the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League from 2022-25. Nelson’s brief but successful tenure with Hershey included guiding them to back-to-back Calder Cup Championships in 2023 and ’24, and for his efforts, he was awarded the 2024 Louis AR Pieri Memorial Award given to the AHL Coach of the Year. While with Hershey, Nelson established a new AHL record, winning nine consecutive playoff series with the club. Overall with the Bears, Nelson went 141-53-12-10 for a .755 points percentage.

“With over two decades of coaching experience, Todd brings a championship pedigree and a winning history that speaks for itself,” said Muse. “He has consistently demonstrated an exceptional ability to get the most out of his players, most recently in Hershey, and his leadership qualities and wealth of experience will be a tremendous asset to our team as we continue to build a culture of excellence.”

A native of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Nelson’s full body of work includes over 20 years of coaching experience, including stints at the NHL and AHL in various roles. At the NHL level, Nelson briefly served as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers in 2014-15 and also had stops with the Dallas Stars (2018-22) and Atlanta Thrashers (2008-10), both as an assistant coach.

At the AHL level, Nelson has served as head coach with Hershey (2022-25), Grand Rapids (2015-18) and Oklahoma City (2010-15), winning the Calder Cup Championship on three separate occasions (2024, ’23, ’17), making him one of just six coaches in AHL history to win three league championships. Overall, his 450 regular-season wins at the AHL level rank fifth all-time, while his 73 postseason victories are third most in AHL history. Nelson was also an assistant coach with Chicago from 2006-08 and Grand Rapids from 2002-03.

Nelson, who was drafted by the Penguins in the fourth round (79th overall) of the 1989 NHL Draft, enjoyed an 11-year professional career across the NHL, AHL and Europe. The defenseman appeared in one game for the Penguins in 1991.

Bonino, a two-time Stanley Cup Champion with Pittsburgh in 2016 and ’17, joins the Penguins coaching staff following a 15-year professional playing career across the NHL and AHL, with a brief stop in Austria’s top professional league. In total, Bonino skated in 868 career NHL regular-season games with Pittsburgh, San Jose, Minnesota, Nashville, Vancouver, Anaheim and the New York Rangers and recorded 159 goals, 199 assists, 358 points and is a plus-30.

“Nick’s understanding of what it takes to win at the NHL level is unmatched, and his unique experience as a player who filled many different roles over the course of his career will only help him as an assistant coach,” said Muse. “His familiarity with the Penguins organization, as well as my familiarity with him as a player, and person, made him a great fit for this role, and we’re excited to welcome him to our coaching staff as he enters the next phase of his career.”

Bonino, 37, played with Pittsburgh from 2015-17, and then re-joined the team briefly in 2023, recording 27 goals, 39 assists and 66 points in 146 regular-season games with the Penguins. The forward played an integral part of the Penguins’ back-to-back championships, recording eight goals, 17 assists and 25 points in 45 playoff games, including the series-clinching goal in Round 2 against the Washington Capitals in 2016. Bonino centered the iconic ‘HBK Line’ in the ’16 postseason along with Phil Kessel and Carl Hagelin.

Prior to turning professional, Bonino played three seasons of collegiate hockey at Boston University, where he won the National Championship with the Terriers in 2009. The Hartford, Connecticut native has also played in three World Championships with Team USA (2015, ’18, ’23), winning a bronze medal twice. Bonino was originally drafted in the sixth round (173rd overall) of the 2007 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks.

Clune, 38, joins the Penguins after one season as an assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks. Clune began his coaching career within the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, beginning as a player development coach in 2022 and joining the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League as an assistant coach in 2023.

“Rich brings a wealth of knowledge across every level of professional hockey, spanning from his 15-year playing career to his time in development and coaching at the AHL and NHL levels over the past three years,” said Muse. “Rich’s experience in coaching, development and as a former player and captain will be extremely valuable in this role, and we’re excited for his addition to our coaching staff.”

The 2018 Calder Cup Champion with the Marlies had a 15-plus year professional career across the NHL, AHL and ECHL. The Toronto, ON native played in 139 career NHL games with Los Angeles, Nashville and Toronto, posting 22 points (7G-15A). Clune is a veteran of 593 career AHL games with Iowa, Manchester, Milwaukee and Toronto, tallying 151 points (57G-94A). He concluded his playing career with a seven-year stint in Toronto’s organization, serving as an assistant captain from 2015-20 and captain from 2020-22 prior to retirement.

Clune was originally drafted by the Dallas Stars in the third round (71st overall) of the 2005 NHL Draft.

Chiodo, 42, has spent the last seven seasons in the Penguins organization, including the last four (2021-25) as goaltending coach. Before that, Chiodo spent three seasons as the Penguins’ goaltending development coach from 2018-21 where he was responsible for working with young goaltending prospects throughout the Penguins organization in Europe, the minor leagues, juniors and college hockey.

Prior to his time within the Penguins organization, Chiodo spent the 2017-18 season as the goaltending coach for the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League.

Chiodo, a seventh round (199th overall) draft pick by the Penguins in 2003, enjoyed a 14-year professional career in the NHL, American Hockey League, ECHL and in Europe. The goaltender played eight career NHL games, all with Pittsburgh, in the 2003-04 season.

Paquette, 29, joins the Penguins organization as an assistant video coach under Video Coach Madison Nikkel. The native of Kingston, Ontario has spent the past four seasons (2021-25) as video coach of the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League. Prior to that, Paquette got his start in coaching with the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL, where he served as video coach from 2018-21.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/20...k-bonino-todd-nelson-among-new-coaching-staff

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Summer Saturday Pens Points: Pittsburgh names coaching staff

Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images

What’s going on around the NHL

It’s summer, it’s Saturday and here’s what is going on around the Penguins.

Nick Bonino is a former Penguin player, but he would probably be an assistant coach based on where Dan Muse went, not due to Bonino’s own playing connections. Muse and Bonino have formed a great connection already in Nashville and New York and now look to bring that to Pittsburgh. [X - Pens Inside Scoop]

There’s a little Kyle Dubas flavoring in the hires too. Richard Clune was with Toronto for the past seven years (and new Pens’ assistant video coach came from the Toronto organization as well). [X - Pens Inside Scoop]

Meanwhile, veteran coach Todd Nelson is back in the AHL as he jumps on with the Penguins. Recently top AHL coaches like Ryan Warsofsky and Spencer Carbery have made being an NHL assistant a stepping stone to a future NHL head coaching job and it looks like Nelson might be trying that path, even if for now the official focus in on the experience he is looking to add in helping the Pens for next season. [X - Pens Inside Scoop]

Count former Penguin Tyler Kennedy a little surprised by Bonino jumping from a player straight to being an NHL assistant coach so quickly (although before hearing the veteran Nelson would be around to help). [93.7 The Fan]

Jonathan Toews, 37, who has been out of hockey since 2023 has agreed to sign with the Winnipeg Jets on July 1st. It’s a bonus-laden contract that could easily be worth $5.25 million if Toews plays 60 games and the Jets make the playoffs, and potentially more depending on playoff result. [NHL.com]

Connor McDavid is in “no rush” to make a decision on re-singing with the Oilers. That’s a bigger deal if we get to October and he starts the last season of his current contract before inking an extension, with emotions raw from a Stanley Cup Final loss there isn’t much use in reading into the situation much more at this time. [NHL.com]

Three small players in the draft who could buck the odds, including hopefully-future-Penguin-draftee LJ Mooney. [Sportsnet]

James Hagens was once seen as the future No. 1 overall pick, but no longer. What happened? [Sportsnet]

Frankie Corrado takes a stab at projecting upcoming free agent salaries. [TSN]

A new mock draft where Brady Martin goes fifth. Wonderful! [The Athletic $]

Dallas is staying active, re-signing Mavrik Bourque for one year and just $950,000. The 23-year old is coming off an 11-goal, 25-point season and could be about to blossom next season. Coulda/woulda made a nice target to attempt to poach in restricted free agency for a minimal compensation, but alas. [Stars.com]

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/21...y-pens-points-pittsburgh-names-coaching-staff

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

NHL Trade Rumors: Business is about to pick up

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The rumors are starting to get flying now

It’s officially the week of the NHL draft and now that the games are over on the ice, the important off-ice matters are about to pick up.

A lot of the talk is the same: the Pittsburgh Penguins are one of the few sellers out there and they are taking calls on several veteran pieces.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman got the ball rolling on Friday in his 32 Thoughts blog:

12. Pittsburgh is the NHL’s salmon, swimming against the stream. The Penguins entered the big rebuild; everyone else is trying to get better. You’re going to see some situations where teams who may not need to do anything see offers for their players get better and better due to limited supply and so much demand.

More is now coming out from other sources.

Lots of activity already, but how much action will there be over the next week? Here's my latest on some of the trade talk swirling around, some UFA chatter, and more... https://t.co/rIUoitO4o6

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) June 21, 2025​

From Pagnotta:

With the Pittsburgh Penguins leading the seller’s market by a landslide, Kyle Dubas will be a popular man over the next few weeks. Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell and Ryan Graves are all up for grabs for the right price, and the Penguins may also be willing to take on a contract or two given their cap space.

Rust, to me, is most intriguing. His full no-movement clause expires June 30, end-of-day. He does not own any no-trade protection in the final three-years of his contract. He is one of the most appealing assets on a team going through a rebuild. Just about any contender would like to have him in their lineup.

Rust can’t be traded right away (barring his approval) and in essence Karlsson has a bit of an informal trade delay on him given a $5.0 million cash signing bonus he’s due to receive from his employer on July 1. Karlsson might not be a Penguin by September or October, but it appears a good bet to count on him being on the roster on that date.

But the draft could still bring other movement. Also from Pagnotta:

In Tampa, the Lightning wouldn’t mind adding a mid-six right wing, but they aren’t exclusively shopping in that lane. Bolts GM Julien BriseBois wants to strengthen his forward corps and is open to multiple options in doing so. They were hot for Jonathan Toews, who ended up agreeing to a deal with Winnipeg.

With top prospect Isaac Howard up for grabs, a Rust or Rakell makes a lot of sense for Tampa to be interested in. Then again, a Rust or Rakell skilled winger coming off a 30+ goal season at a $5ish million cap hit would make sense for just about any contender.

There’s been a lot of waiting to get to this week to see just what Kyle Dubas might have in store, and now we’re getting to the thick of the time when NHL teams make their big changes.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/22...-bryan-rust-rickard-rakell-erik-karlsson-pens

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Hopefully the Hockey Hall of Fame gets it right this year on Sergei Gonchar

Photo by Gregory Shamus/NHLI via Getty Images

Let’s hope this is the year

We did it in 2023, and in 2024 and now it’s time again to keep the spotlight on in 2025 the Hockey Hall of Fame to make the overdue call to induct Sergei Gonchar when announcements come out on Tuesday.

The good news is that it seems like Gonchar’s candidacy is trending in the right direction, per HHOF expert Paul Pidutti.

Will these 10 stars ever get the call to the Hockey Hall of Fame? https://t.co/QfUwo7bKxh

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) June 19, 2025​

Year of Eligibility: 8th

Claim to Fame: One of the best offensive defensemen of his generation

The Case: Over nearly a decade from 1999-2000 to 2007-08, Gonchar kept exclusive company.

Goals by a defenseman (129): Most in NHL

Assists by a defenseman (356): Second in NHL, behind Nicklas Lidstrom

Points by a defenseman (485): Second in NHL, again trailing only Lidstrom

Top-10 finish for Norris Trophy seven times

By PPS, Gonchar is the biggest snub among all defensemen. By comparison, Zdeno Chara is expected to rightfully cruise into the Hall on his first try on Tuesday and he’s tied in PPS with Gonchar at 282.

Will He Ever Be Inducted?: Yes. Gonchar is part of an underappreciated generation, so his induction may take a while. But he’s going to compare so favorably to many of the current generation’s likely future inductees that the Committee should connect the dots in due time.

The bad news for Gonchar this year is that Zdeno Chara and Duncan Keith, two modern defenders are on the ballot for the first time with good chances of making it through. (“Good” is under-stating it in Chara’s case). There can be up to four male players inducted, and it’s the first time up for Joe Thornton and Carey Price too. Jason Spezza, Tuukka Rask, Ryan Getzlaf and Dustin Brown also will be considered for the first time.

Add in worthy holdover candidates that join Gonchar in Alexander Mogilny, Rod Brind’Amour, Keith Tkachuk and Theo Fleury and there might not be room for Gonchar...Yet again.

Hopefully it will be different this time. A Thornton, Chara, Keith, Gonchar class would be a nice one to go with, it’s already past time for Gonchar to get in.

If not now, next year might be the year for players like Gonchar, Mogilny and Brind’Amour that have been waiting a while to get the call. Patrice Bergeron is a shoo-in for induction in 2026 during his first year of eligibility, but it’s not exactly a loaded list of first timers behind him, the Patrick Marleau “do we reward just showing up being really good for a really long time” upcoming debate aside. The logjam could clear in ‘26 for players that have been jammed up to get a couple of them in.

But why wait that long? Gonchar is deserving as being one of the elite defenders of his generation. His only crime is being a notch below Nicklas Lidstrom in a world where EVERYONE was a notch below Nicklas Lidstrom. Let’s hope the HHOF gets it right and starts with Gonchar at getting some of their backlog of worthy players inducted.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/20...ame-gets-it-right-this-year-on-sergei-gonchar

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Penguins announce development camp dates

Hockey is coming back soon

It’s the heat of summer and the Penguins’ season has been over for two months. But the flurry of the off-season is about to relent and get some hockey back on the ice soon after the draft when they stock up with new prospects and have their other ones back for the annual summer development camp.

Camp runs from July 3-7 up in Cranberry at the practice rink. All events are free and open to the public and a great chance to see the players of the future and get a first glimpse at most of the players from the 2025 draft and the newly signed Mikhail Ilyin gets in a Penguin jersey for the first time!

Hockey on the horizon

Prospect Development Camp will take place from July 3-7 at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.

All practices, including the end-of-camp tournament, are open to the public and free of charge. https://t.co/tlHq7kIYSr

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 23, 2025​

From the team:

The Pittsburgh Penguins will host their annual prospect development camp from July 3-7 at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry.

The camp kicks off on Thursday, July 3 and consists of five days of on/off-ice sessions split among three groups, ending with a four-on-four tournament on Monday, July 7.

The camp will feature over 50 prospects including recently-signed players Harrison Brunicke, Finn Harding, Chase Pietila and Mikhail Ilyin. A full development camp roster will be announced following the 2025 NHL Draft.

All practices, including the end-of-camp tournament, are open to the public and free of charge.

As in previous years, development camp will feature a variety of off-ice presentations and activities focused on professional development. The players will also participate in various community events throughout the duration of camp.

Below is the full on-ice schedule for the 2025 Pittsburgh Penguins Development Camp:

Thursday, July 3:

9:00 AM – Goalie On-Ice Session (Covestro Rink)
10:00 AM – Group 1 Skating (FedEx Rink)
11:00 AM – Group 1 Skills (Covestro Rink)
11:00 AM – Group 2 Skating (FedEx Rink)
12:00 PM – Group 2 Skills (Covestro Rink)
12:00 PM – Group 3 Skating (FedEx Rink)
1:00 PM – Group 3 Skills (Covestro Rink)

Friday, July 4:

9:00 AM – Goalie On-Ice Session (Covestro Rink)
10:00 AM – Group 2 Skating (FedEx Rink)
11:00 AM – Group 2 Skills (Covestro Rink)
11:00 AM – Group 3 Skating (FedEx Rink)
12:00 PM – Group 3 Skills (Covestro Rink)
12:00 PM – Group 1 Skating (FedEx Rink)
1:00 PM – Group 1 Skills (Covestro Rink)

Saturday, July 5:

10:00 AM – Group 3 Skating/Skills (Both Rinks)
11:45 AM – Group 1 Skating/Skills (Both Rinks)
1:30 PM – Group 2 Skating/Skills (Both Rinks)

Sunday, July 6:

10:00 AM – Group 1/Group 2 Practice (FedEx Rink)
10:00 AM – Group 3 Skills (Covestro Rink)
10:30 AM – Group 1/Group 3 Practice (FedEx Rink)
10:30 AM – Group 2 Skills (Covestro Rink)
11:20 AM – Group 2/Group 3 Practice (FedEx Rink)
11:20 AM – Group 1 Skills (Covestro Rink)

Monday, July 7:

12:00 PM – Tournament (FedEx Rink)

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/23/24454557/penguins-announce-development-camp-dates-2025

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Our record in Mock Drafts: Spotty, but hopeful

Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images

It’s hard to draft

If you ever want to be humbled, participate in mock drafts for a prolonged period with other people and track the results. That’s the lesson from looking back at the good ol’ days of the SB Nation mock drafts. Then again, probably don’t do that with the Penguins because they traded too many picks in this period and when they did keep their picks they were difficult ones to make without a ton of key players around.

It’s no accident that there is a general (and intentional) theme to attempt to take as much high-skill players as possible. The Penguins were in the height of the Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin era during this time, there was no such thing as too much young talent to provide them with in hopes it would help the (hypothetical) team.

The issues revealed by looking back at mock drafts demonstrate the tough part for recognition more than intention, however. This is illustrated well in 2014, we wanted the player that turned into David Pastrnak. But no one knew that David Pastrnak was going to be THE David Pastrnak, so we mock drafted Nikita Scherbak (career NHL totals: 37 games, six goals, two assists). Looking back, that hurts.

That’s also the trouble of the NHL draft, the players get picked before anyone can truly know who is going to end up being who. That’s why Brendan Perlini, Jakub Vrana, Julius Honka, Kasperi Kapanen and Conner Bleackley (among others) got drafted before Pastrnak in real life. Trying to forecast these things is not just extremely hard, it’s basically impossible to accurately identify ahead of time which 17-18 year olds will end up growing up to be the best pro hockey players with any real consistency. Players are spread too far, from too many backgrounds and development is a guessing game of unknown positive or negative future events. The best looking prospect could get derailed with injury. The skinny kid picked in a middle round could pan out and blossom into an NHL All-Star. You just never know, besides the realization there are always more misses that hits. That’s worth keeping in mind for the next few days.

Some other asides and random thoughts on the draft performance we’ve had.

• I’m encouraged at least to see that the second half of the sample from 2019-23 is a lot better than the first half from 2010-17. That feels good to see some improvement in the results. No doubt a random variance but in the world of NHL drafting it’s fair game to own any and all positive developments.
• We’ve never successfully mocked an actual Penguin selection. I did have extreme suspicions that Owen Pickering was a true, blue Ron Hextall prospect, but frankly didn’t want to draft a player based on what the team could possibly do and instead try to branch out for my own pick. Given that this year we have two cracks at it, and in back-to-back fashion, could that streak be over? Wouldn’t it be wild to double-match to the real team with both picks after all this time of never being on the same page..
• Other than Pastrnak, what’s the biggest whiff for hindsight purposes? The answer might truly be Lane Hutson, but I’ll let myself (and the Pens) off the hook considering he didn’t get drafted until pick 62 and there wasn’t a ton of interest or really reason to pick him in the first round. For the Pens, it goes back to the Ryan Reaves trade - as so many things do. Contrary to popular belief, Pittsburgh didn’t truly trade a first round pick for Reaves - they traded their first round pick (31) for a second (51) and got Reaves (while also giving up Oskar Sundqvist). Still, hang tight at 31, draft Jason Robertson (who went 39th overall in reality) and that’s the best result to cook up with hindsight. Robertson was a point/game player the instant he hit the ice in the NHL in his draft+4, which would have put him on the scene by 2021 and been a huge help to the late-playoff days Penguins. You can play the hindsight game all day long but that post-Cup 2017 to 2019ish period was such a key time to set in motion the eventual downfall of the Pens (Reaves trade, losing M.A Fleury, Brassard trade, Jack Johnson signing, whiffing in 2019 draft, trades of Hagelin and Kessel for what amounted to little/nothing). The team’s lifecycle as a contender was eroded away quite a bit in that two year period and kicked off by the ill-fated draft of 2017.

Since we don’t have a full network to solicit mock draft picks from like past years, we will find a mock of the top-10 and take them off the board in an attempt to pick for No 11 and 12 with the Penguins’ upcoming picks in real life. Hopefully it will show up down the line in some of the better ideas we’ve had but if there’s anything that has been learned in the last several years it’s that picking players in the mid-late part of the first round is an incredibly challenging proposition.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/25/24455482/nhl-mock-draft-history-pensburgh-performance-penguins

 

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Grading the last 10 Penguins drafts

Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images

It hasn’t been a pretty picture

The Pittsburgh Penguins have traded several key draft picks away in the last 10 years in their need to fuel a contender, which makes this focus a rough one. It’s tough to build from deep within the draft, most of the picks outside of the first round in the NHL are not going to go onto have NHL impacts. That said, let’s see how the Pens have done recently in the draft.

2024​

Grade: Incomplete (but trending nicely enough)

You can never really know for sure with an NHL draft until several years have gone by to see what ends up happening. Last year looks pretty good for the Pens — or at least as good as a draft with no top-40 picks and only two picks inside the top-100 can look.

Harrison Brunicke was a rising star that even Central Scouting couldn’t keep up with. Brunicke rose from the 67th North American ranked skater in midseason to 52nd in the final, and heads were scratched when Kyle Dubas “reached” to take the defender 44th overall. Then everyone got to see Brunicke in action and the doubt was erased, he looks like he’s going to be a nice player.

Tanner Howe made Team Canada in his draft+1, usually a great sign. His ceiling might be that of a two-way, checking energy winger but he seems to be a good one. Troublingly, however, an ACL injury/rehab will eat up the majority of his draft+2 season next year.

As for the rest, we’ll see. Finn Harding was an overage pick that had a very nice season in the OHL as one of the top producing defensemen in that league. Being an older pick, he’s turned pro. He could be a diamond in the rough but has a long way to go, but at least has proven he’s a prospect worth keeping an eye on - which is about all you can ask for the 223rd overall pick one year after being drafted.

2023​

Grade: Incomplete (and also trending nicely enough)

Kyle Dubas’s first draft in Pittsburgh was a lot like his second one mentioned above. Brayden Yager got flipped for Rutger McGroarty. Emil Pieniniemi imported to the OHL and performed well and is worth watching. Mikhail Ilyin was close to historically productive as a teenager in the KHL, and was able to sign an NHL contract already.

Looks promising when subbing McGroarty into the picture, but is going to require a longer-shot of Pieniniemi and/or Ilyin to develop into pro players. It has a chance to be pretty decent, which again is admirable considering the team had one top-90 pick and only three top-150’s. That’s making the most out of being dealt a bad hand with such little quality.

2022​

Grade: C- (with time remaining to improve the grade)

This draft pretty much comes down to two players in Owen Pickering and Sergei Murashov. If either still has room for significant growth, the class looks manageable enough to get some contributions. If they don’t...Yikes.

Pickering did well to see action in 25 NHL games in his draft+3 at age 20/21, but there’s reason to believe he might not be much more impactful than a third pair player given a lack of dynamic skills and the difficulty to become a “defense only” type of quality blueliner. Murashov split time between the ECHL and AHL in his first year pro and impressed but as a goalie has a longer development runway to get up to NHL speed that will require more time to see just how far along he can make it.

2021​

Grade: F (with a slight chance of improving)

Granted, there’s reason to look bad considering we’re working with trying to grade a class with zero top-50 picks and only one inside the top-150. There can’t be much expectation of it amounting to much when given those restrictions of only having one pick in the first four rounds.

So, yeah, good luck to Tristan Broz in salvaging this class. Broz will be 23 at the start of next season and scored 19 goals and 37 points in 59 AHL games. Nice enough (especially considering a mid-season battle with mono), but hardly a can’t miss NHL future awaits. Broz should at least be able to salvage the class somewhat and get one of them into the NHL, though Laatsch did sign his entry level contract after finishing college and will also try to “defense only” his way up the ranks in the next few years to come.

2020​

Grade: D+ (with slight chance to increase)

Calle Clang served his purpose to be included in the 2022 trade that acquired Rickard Rakell. It was moving him at the right time, Clang’s had a meandering and unimpressive career ever since.

Joel Blomqvist has turned into a near NHL caliber goalie, and he’ll make or break this group. It remains confounding that the Penguins opted to draft two goalies with their only two top-100 picks, really stretching the limits of “best” player available considering that it takes goalies much longer generally to get to the NHL than their skater counterparts.

2019​

Grade: D-

This draft was a huge missed opportunity, and that’s not meant on the Penguins so much as just the stalled developments of Sam Poulin and Nathan Legare can be looked back upon as a bummer. Serious what could have been vibes. It could have been adding two fairly impactful players but unfortunately never materialized.

Legare was seen in mock drafts as high as the first round, Pittsburgh moving up with a trade to snatch him in the third was seen as a tremendous value and great coup. Unfortunately, Legare couldn’t skate well and was unable to make himself an option in the neutral zone or advance play. But boy could he shoot the puck in juniors! (Ironically, in that trade where they moved down, Arizona picked Mattias Macelli who has gone onto score 130 points in 224 NHL games so far).

In many ways Poulin was similar to Legare; they were both out of Quebec, both kinda stocky/already developed into big 200+ pound frames at an early age, both with skating deficiencies and questions about how likely they would make it to their ceilings. Fast forward through the trials and tribulations and it didn’t much work out.

Puustinen creeped out as another overage success story, though to a modest degree. He could score at all the levels leading up to the NHL but didn’t quite have the size or pace to find a niche. But even getting 24 career points (and possibly more this season) out of a seventh round pick is far more than the median in that area.

2018​

Grade: I don’t know, maybe a C?

At this point I’m not sure if we’re getting beaten down from not seeing too much success but somehow after all this time the 2018 draft could still have some surprises for the Pens. That is because Filip Hallander came back to the organization after heading back home to Sweden. Hallander was named forward of the year in a good league last year. Can he become any sort of difference maker above the AHL level in his second attempt now at age 25? We’ll see.

I thought Calen Addison was going to be a right shot Alex Goligoski and enjoy a nice long NHL career as a puck mover, but that didn’t quite work out that way. Addison got bumped to San Jose, had a bad year on a terrible team in 2023-24 and spent all of 2024-25 in the AHL. Hopefully his NHL days aren’t over but it’s not looking good.

2017​

Grade: F (or a 0 if we’re being really stern but accurate)

For the first time since the team’s initial two-pick amateur draft in 1967, the Pens produced a draft class that has zero NHL games played. None at all. Might as well have stayed home.

Granted, they had two top-150 picks and none in the top-50, so that’s a risk that could catch up with a team to lack quality and it finally did here. Zach Lauzon’s career was derailed by concussions. Almost none of the others ever really got on track. Dreadful stuff.

It’s hindsight, but they might as well have traded that second and third round pick for something that could have helped the NHL club. The picks didn’t end up doing that.

2016​

Grade: D+

Gustavsson, traded to Minnesota in the Jason Zucker deal Ottawa in the Derrick Brassard deal, has emerged as Minnesota’s No. 1 goalie after another trade. He posted a .914 save% and a 31-19-6 record last season, both pretty impressive. So the team gets credit for drafting a 30+ win per season goalie but otherwise it was a bunch of nothing across the board with misses in the second and third rounds that stand out a little. It’s not always going to work out, but neither of those were even close.

2015​

Grade: C-

On talent alone, Sprong deserves high marks. But he had enough baggage and problems to be unwanted professionally everywhere he went so what to make of that? Dominik Simon was a nice story to go from overage pick that was way off the NHL radar to eventually earning his way up to Sidney Crosby’s line but 22 goals in 256 games speaks to his skill limitation as a player.

Source: https://www.pensburgh.com/2025/6/26...ns-drafts-nhl-pittsburgh-best-and-worst-picks