Free agent defenseman Alexander Alexeyev is staying in the Metropolitan Division after being non-tendered by the Capitals. PuckPedia reports he’s landed a one-year, one-way, league-minimum commitment from the Penguins.
Alexeyev is the third defenseman Pittsburgh has signed to a one-way contract in free agency, joining Caleb Jones and Parker Wotherspoon. They also swapped righties with the Sabres in a draft-day trade, parting ways with Conor Timmins and acquiring Connor Clifton. He’ll compete with all of them for jobs on a Pittsburgh blue line that has perhaps the most roster spots up for grabs of any team in the league entering 2025-26.
Alexeyev spent his first four NHL seasons in Washington, which drafted him with their first-round pick after winning the Stanley Cup in 2018. The stay-at-home lefty has panned out as a big No. 7 option but not much more. He was also the most frequently-scratched player in the league last season, only making eight appearances despite never sustaining a long-term injury or receiving a full-time AHL assignment.
The 6’4″, 229-lb rearguard was a more frequent name in the Caps’ lineup in the prior two seasons. All in all, he’s recorded a goal and seven assists for eight points in 80 NHL games, posting a minus-eight rating while recording 121 blocks and 91 hits and averaging 15 minutes per game.
The Pens’ right side is essentially locked in with Clifton, Kris Letang, and Erik Karlsson, barring a trade for the latter. It’s the left side where virtually every spot is a battle amid a list of candidates that includes Alexeyev, Jones, Wotherspoon, Ryan Graves, Ryan Shea, and 2022 first-round pick Owen Pickering. One or two of those names won’t be on the opening night roster in a few months.
At least the team will look different.
Probably won’t be any better tho
There’s a bunch of new names in Pittsburgh, so that’s something
They will be far more interesting to follow than the Pirates.
If nothing else, they are going to be an awful lot bigger. That might not help too much, but maybe you’ll get some fans to come watch them beat up people who take runs at Crosby for once.
as a fan of both here in Pittsburgh it’s worth noting that last season the Pirates had a better winning % than the Penguins