Examining The Penguins’ Options For Ryan Graves
When Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas took over the organization just before the draft in 2023, he had little time to do an organizational assessment. But one glaring hole was on the Penguins’ top defensive pairing next to Kris Letang, where long-time fixture Brian Dumoulin was set to depart after a rocky final season in Pittsburgh. Dubas recognized the gaping hole and swiftly signed defensive defenseman Ryan Graves to a six-year contract in free agency worth $4.5MM per season.
The contract immediately became an albatross for Pittsburgh as Graves struggled on the top pairing, fell down the hierarchy to the bottom pair, and was eventually a healthy scratch on many occasions this season. The deal has been a disaster for the Penguins and will be challenging to navigate going forward.
There’s not much Dubas can realistically do to get out from under the Graves deal. Thanks to the signing bonus structure of the contract, it is essentially buyout-proof (per PuckPedia) and would offer the Penguins very little salary cap relief. The only significant reduction would come next season, a year when the Penguins probably need it the least out of the next few years, and it would tack on additional years in which the Penguins would be paying for the buyout.
The next option is probably the likeliest: to bury Graves in the minors and have him play for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. This situation wouldn’t be unprecedented, as plenty of NHLers on big-money deals have gone to the AHL before. There’s even a recent example in Pittsburgh, where netminder Tristan Jarry had two stints in the AHL this past season. Graves is no stranger to the AHL, having played four seasons in the league before beginning his NHL career with the Colorado Avalanche, but has not played there since the 2018-19 season. This option would allow Pittsburgh to save the league minimum salary plus another $375K, equaling $1.15MM in cap savings for the Penguins.
An option that is less likely to happen, but probably the most interesting, is that the Penguins could try to trade Graves and his brutal contract. That option is sure to generate an audible snicker from readers. Still, bigger contracts to lesser players have been traded before, so it is not impossible. What better time to do it than the summer? The NHL is ripe with bad contracts, and it is very possible that the Penguins could find someone to swap another undesirable contract for a player that hasn’t worked out.
After signing a massive eight-year deal, Damon Severson in Columbus has also been a bust. Pittsburgh isn’t likely to take on two extra years on a player whose numbers have fallen off recently, but this is the type of player the Penguins will have to target if they want to do a one-for-one change-of-scenery trade. There are plenty of players on much bigger cap hits that Pittsburgh could target, but those contracts are mostly more extended than the four years Graves has remaining. The risk would probably be greater for the Penguins, especially given that they could be turning the corner on their retool and still owe on massive deals. Given that Severson is a right-shot, it’s only a realistic scenario if Erik Karlsson is also moved this summer.
If the Penguins want to move Graves’ contract using a sweetener, that could get ugly. Pittsburgh received a second-round pick in exchange for taking on two years of Kevin Hayes‘ contract just last summer, and his cap hit was just $3.57MM, nearly a full million dollars less than Graves’ cap hit. Using that as a comparison, there is no doubt that the Penguins would need to use at least a first-round pick to shed Graves’ contract, which is something they simply won’t do at this time.
The Penguins could also keep Graves on their roster and hope he finds his game. It’s not impossible if Pittsburgh hires a more defensive coach who can utilize some of Graves’ strengths, as the Devils did in New Jersey before Graves joined the Penguins. The issue with that is that Graves played on a talented Devils team and was insulated from some of his shortcomings; in Pittsburgh, that is not the case, nor will it be for the foreseeable future. Graves does have a skill set, and although Penguins fans might disagree, he could be sheltered and used in situations that better suit those skills. He can shoot the puck, has good size and reach, and his transition game isn’t horrible. If the Penguins can find the strengths in his game and exploit them, they could build his trade stock up to the point that they could move him without having to retain any of his contract.
The flip side of that coin is that Graves plays poorly next season and is part of a team that falls to the bottom of the standings, something that is very possible. The Penguins could re-evaluate a year from now and look at their options again if they want to get out of under Graves’ contract.
Misses on depth players are what tank roster construction and unfortunately for the Penguins, the Graves deal has been a massive miss. It’s far from the only miss as their roster has been littered with poor depth contracts since Ron Hextall took over GM duties from Jim Rutherford back in the 2020-21 season. The Penguins have missed on almost every mid-range contract since 2021, but they do have options going forward, and while none of them are perfect, there is a choice that exists. The Penguins will have to make the one they feel best serves the organization as they try to turn the corner and compete again.
Penguins Unlikely To Retain Mac Hollowell
- In his recurring segment analyzing players within the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, Seth Rorabaugh of the Tribune-Review recently looked at defenseman Mac Hollowell of the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Hollowell led all WBS defensemen in scoring this year with one goal and 31 points, but injuries limited him to only 56 games. Despite his offensive maturity in the AHL, there’s Rorabaugh doesn’t believe the Penguins will retain him, given they never recalled him this season.
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Evgeni Malkin Considering Retirement In 2026
Penguins great Evgeni Malkin squashed any retirement rumors earlier this season, at least as it relates to this summer. With one year left on his contract, though, the tide is shifting toward Malkin ending his NHL career when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2026, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period wrote Monday.
If he does end up retiring, at least from the NHL, it shouldn’t be a drastic surprise. The 38-year-old center remains a surefire Hall-of-Famer whenever he’s up for election, but his point pace has steadily declined over the past four years. This season saw Malkin average just 1.84 shots on goal per game, down 41% from his career average.
Malkin’s 0.82 points per game in 2023-24 and his 0.74 mark in 2024-25 rank as the two lowest figures of his 19-year career. Nonetheless, that’s still a good clip for a player with a rather reasonable $6.1MM cap hit stemming from the four-year, $24.4MM extension he signed in 2022 to secure the end of his career in Pittsburgh after nearly reaching the open market.
As the team around him continues to enter aggressive retool mode, Malkin remained less of a second-line fixture than he has in years past – perhaps intentionally as the team prepares for life without him in the 2C role. He spent significant portions of the season at left wing with Sidney Crosby and finished fifth on the team in scoring with 16-34–50 in 68 games.
A three-time MVP finalist and one-time winner, Malkin remained steadfast earlier this year that he doesn’t plan on finishing his NHL career anywhere other than Pittsburgh. Depending on how strongly he still feels about that statement, the Penguins’ wish to accelerate their roster turnover next summer by not offering him an extension could play a significant factor in his decision to retire.
As for Malkin’s impact on the Penguins franchise and the league in general, it can’t be overstated. His 1,346 points in 1,213 regular-season games rank 31st in NHL history. Another 50-point year in 2025-26 could push him all the way up to 24th. Only Crosby and Mario Lemieux have tallied more points than him in a Penguins uniform. The 6’5″, 210-lb Russian also ranks first in franchise history with 1,202 PIMs.
Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.
Filip Lindberg Signs With Assat For Next Season
- Penguins RFA goaltender Filip Lindberg has signed a one-year deal with Assat in Finland, per a team release. The 26-year-old spent two seasons in Pittsburgh’s system with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton before opting to return home in 2023. This season, Lindberg split time between HFK and Tappara, putting up a 2.43 GAA and a .908 SV% in 26 regular season games. The Penguins will hold his rights until June 30, 2026.
Filip Král Signs Three-Year Deal In Czechia
Defenseman Filip Král‘s return to North America was short-lived. The Penguins’ pending Group VI unrestricted free agent has opted to return home to Czechia on a three-year deal with HC Kometa Brno, the club announced.
The 25-year-old Král thus returns to the club where he’s spent the overwhelming majority of his European professional career. He played his youth hockey in Brno before opting to cross the Atlantic to play junior hockey with the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs in the 2017-18 campaign. That decision helped him get drafted by the Maple Leafs in the fifth round the following summer. He played an additional pair of seasons in Spokane before turning pro with the Leafs, first on a loan back to Brno at the beginning of the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season before reporting to their AHL affiliate.
Král spent parts of three years in the NHL and AHL with Toronto, including making his NHL debut in a pair of contests in October 2022. That was it for the 6’2″ lefty, though. After injuries limited him to six points in 24 AHL games in the 2022-23 campaign, the Leafs didn’t tender a qualifying offer when his entry-level contract expired and he became an unrestricted free agent. With no NHL offers, he spent 2023-24 in Finland with the Pelicans of the top-level Liiga. It was a prudent decision for Král, who put himself back on NHL clubs’ radars with a 37-point, +28 campaign in 46 games en route to being named a Liiga All-Star.
Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas, who made Král part of his first draft class at the helm of the Maple Leafs six years ago, brought him back on a two-way deal last summer. He didn’t make the team out of camp, though, and didn’t get a call-up until the final days of the season after clearing waivers in October. That call-up didn’t result in an appearance, so he finished the regular season with a 7-22–29 scoring line and a -16 rating in 61 showings for AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Without a clear path to the NHL next season, it’s not surprising to see Král opt for a more familiar environment in his home country. He has 6-17–23 with a +16 rating in 75 previous Extraliga games with Brno.
Sidney Crosby Joins Team Canada, Nathan MacKinnon May As Well
“Captain Canada” has joined Team Canada for the upcoming 2025 IIHF World Championship. Sidney Crosby will join the team for the first time since 2015, per a Pittsburgh Penguins release.
Fresh off a victory at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, Crosby will look to guide his home country to another victory in Europe. Crosby joins his general manager Kyle Dubas for the tournament, which is set to begin this upcoming week. This represents the third time Crosby will compete in IIHF Championships, and the first since captaining Canada to a 2015 victory. This will mark the ninth time Crosby, 37, has suited up for Canada in international play, and if it’s possible, his international résumé is every bit as impressive as his legendary NHL career. He has won gold medals at the Olympics (and scored the iconic “Golden Goal” in the 2010 games), the World Cup of Hockey (2016), the World Championship (2015), and the World Junior Championship (2005).
Crosby’s decision to join Team Canada for the tournament likely stems, at least in part, from the Penguins missing the playoffs again this season. After a career defined by deep postseason runs, the chance to play meaningful hockey well into May is surely appealing to the future Hall of Famer. Crosby’s addition makes him the oldest member of the team by nearly four years, with Ryan O’Reilly as the secondly oldest member of the team.
Crosby’s good friend and fellow Nova Scotia native Nathan MacKinnon may be joining the squad as well, after his Colorado Avalanche were eliminated in the first round by the Dallas Stars. TSN insider Darren Dreger is reporting that there is a “decent chance” MacKinnon joins Team Canada for the tournament. Like Crosby, MacKinnon is no stranger to deep playoff runs, but with an early first-round exit this year, he may seize an opportunity that’s rarely available to him.
Marc-André Fleury Announces Retirement
The last goaltender selected with the first overall pick has officially hung up his skates. As expected after his farewell tour, the NHL Alumni Association announced that Marc-André Fleury has retired from the NHL after 21 seasons.
Fleury’s career began on October 10, 2003, on a rebuilding Pittsburgh Penguins’ team, losing to the Los Angeles Kings. He wouldn’t have to wait long for his first win, as they defeated the Detroit Red Wings a few days later on October 18th.
It wouldn’t be Fleury’s win against Detroit either. Although they lost in a hotly contested 2008 Stanley Cup Final, the Penguins won a year later. Thanks to a game-saving win against Nicklas Lidstrom in Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final, Fleury backstopped Pittsburgh to their first Stanley Cup championship since 1992.
Although the Penguins had successful seasons, it took a few years for them to return to the Stanley Cup Final. When they finally made it back, Fleury had moved into a backup role, while Matt Murray took over as the starting goaltender. Murray helped lead the Penguins to consecutive championships in 2016 and 2017.
This was largely the end of Fleury’s tenure in Pittsburgh. The team left Fleury exposed in that summer’s expansion draft, again in favor of Murray, leaving the upstart Vegas Golden Knights to select him.
Fleury, with an impressive record of 29 wins, 13 losses, and 4 overtime losses, along with a .927 save percentage in 46 games, helped the Golden Knights not only reach the playoffs but also advance to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural year.. Unfortunately, Vegas couldn’t capitalize on their Cinderella run, it was a clear resurgence in Fleury’s career.
He experienced several more successful years with Vegas before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in late summer 2021. ‘Flower’ only spent one year with the Original Six organization before being traded to the Minnesota Wild at the subsequent trade deadline.
Finally, Fleury’s career ended last night at the hands of the Golden Knights. He finished his career with a 575-339-97 record in 1,051 career games with a .912 SV% and 2.6o GAA. He won the Vezina Trophy along with the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2020-21 and currently sits second all-time in goalie win leaders, besting Patrick Roy by 24 wins and falling short of Martin Brodeur by 116.
Ed Van Impe Passes Away
Former NHL defenseman Ed Van Impe, who played in the league from 1966 to 1977, has passed away at age 84, according to a statement from the Flyers.
Undrafted, Van Impe spent six years playing minor professional hockey with the WHL-Sr.’s Calgary Stampeders and the AHL’s Buffalo Bisons before earning his first NHL contract with the Blackhawks (then the Black Hawks) at age 26. The hard-hitting 5’10”, 205-lb lefty impressed as a rookie, finishing second in Calder Trophy voting in the final season of the Original Six era with an 8-11–19 scoring line, a +29 rating, and a team-leading 111 PIMs in 61 games.
Van Impe was drafted by the Flyers in the expansion draft the following offseason, marking the beginning of where he spent the vast majority of his career. The Saskatchewan native appeared in 620 regular-season games for the Flyers over the next nine seasons, posting 19 goals, 107 assists, 126 points, and a +68 rating with 891 PIMs. He was part of the team’s back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 1974 and 1975, posting seven points and a +18 rating in 34 games across the two championship runs.
A three-time All-Star Game participant, Van Impe spent the final season and a half of his NHL career with the cross-state rival Penguins following a 1976 trade deadline deal. He finished his NHL career with 27 goals, 126 assists, 153 points, and a +99 rating in 703 games. Even today, he’s still fourth on the Flyers’ all-time list of games played among defensemen.
All of us at PHR send our condolences to Van Impe’s friends and family and the Flyers organization.
Harrison Brunicke May Start Next Year In AHL
Before he was brought into the Penguins organization to be the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2015-16, and before he served as the Canucks assistant coach and Blackhawks development coach, Sullivan served as the Rangers assistant coach from 2009-2013.
- In his offseason series regarding Pittsburgh Penguins’ players, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review took a look at prospect Harrison Brunicke‘s developmental status. As one of the team’s higher-end prospects, Brunicke competed for a spot on the Penguins opening night lineup before the 2024-25 campaign started. Unfortunately, due to a wrist injury that limited him to 10 games for the AHL Penguins, Rorabaugh believes Brunicke is likely another year away from becoming a full-timer in Pittsburgh.
Penguins Re-Sign Filip Hallander To Two-Year Deal
9:50 a.m.: The Penguins have confirmed Hallander’s two-year contract.
7:56 a.m.: After spurning his qualifying offer in 2023 to return home to Sweden, Filip Hallander has signed a two-year deal with the Penguins beginning next season, according to PuckPedia. It’s a one-way pact for the league minimum of $775K each season for a total value of $1.55MM.
So begins the 24-year-old center’s third stint in the Pittsburgh organization. Selected in the second round (No. 58 overall) of the 2018 draft, Hallander signed his entry-level contract shortly thereafter but spent his two slide years and the first year of the contract on loan to Timrå IK and Luleå HF of the Swedish Hockey League. During that time, he was traded to the Maple Leafs in August 2020 as part of the deal for Kasperi Kapanen. Still, he was reacquired the following summer when Toronto acquired Jared McCann from Pittsburgh, only to lose him to the Kraken in the expansion draft.
After the second trade, Hallander’s overseas loans ended. He played the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons stateside, suiting up mostly for AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton but still seeing a trio of NHL games across the two campaigns. He didn’t record a point or a shot attempt but averaged 8:36 per game, recording three blocks and one hit. He put up a 25-36–61 scoring line in 104 AHL games across two seasons with a plus-four rating, including 33 points in only 43 games in 2022-23.
That was enough for the Penguins to want to keep Hallander, but the feeling wasn’t mutual at the time. Instead of signing a new deal with Pittsburgh upon expiry of his entry-level contract in 2023, he returned to Timrå, where he played his youth hockey, on a five-year commitment with an NHL out-clause. The Penguins still issued him a qualifying offer by the June 30 deadline despite Hallander signing the deal in April, retaining his exclusive NHL signing rights through 2027 as a result.
That decision paid dividends. Hallander was just named the Swedish Forward of the Year after a dominant campaign for Timrå, finishing second in the SHL with 26 goals and 53 points in 51 games. He was one of just two players to exceed the point-per-game mark this season at 1.04, trailing only newly signed Oilers forward David Tomasek‘s 1.21.
A one-way deal indicates the Penguins expect Hallander to seriously compete for an opening-night roster spot next fall. If he’s sent to the minors without much assurance of a call-up, though, expect Hallander to pursue a mutual contract termination (of course, if he’s not claimed on waivers and gets an NHL opportunity elsewhere). With only 10 other forwards signed to one-way deals for next year, though, there’s a clear path to a roster spot out of the gate. Hallander, who turns 25 in June, will be an unrestricted free agent when his new deal expires in 2027.