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Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Alex Nylander

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed minor league forward Alexander Nylander to a one-year, two-way contract for 2022-23. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $750K, and keep him from reaching restricted free agency. CapFriendly reports that the deal will pay $300K in the AHL.

No longer a top prospect, the 24-year-old Nylander hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2019-20 season and is now on his third team since being the eighth-overall pick in 2016. Acquired for Sam Lafferty in early 2022, he did somewhat find his stride after joining the Penguins organization, scoring 14 goals and 30 points in 44 AHL games.

Talented but inconsistent, the young forward has just 84 regular season games at the NHL level since debuting five years ago. Signing him to a deal like this poses no risk for the Penguins but time is running out on Nylander if he’s ever going to become an impact player at the NHL level. One thing in his favor is the fact that he now must clear waivers in order to be sent to the minor leagues, meaning even if he can’t latch on in Pittsburgh, he’ll have a chance to go somewhere else and test his mettle at the NHL level–if someone wants to take that chance, at least.

Chicago Blackhawks Acquire Liam Gorman

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The Chicago Blackhawks have nabbed the rights to Princeton forward Liam Gorman from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for the 167th overall pick in today’s draft.

Gorman, 22, was a sixth-round selection by the Penguins in 2018 and has not yet completed his NCAA eligibility. Standing 6’3″, he hasn’t had much success so far, scoring just six points in 28 games this season for the Tigers.

The Blackhawks must see something they like in the hard-working forward, though it won’t cost them much to add him to the system. He’ll need a contract before August 15, 2023, or could become an unrestricted free agent.

With the pick, the Penguins ended up with defenseman Nolan Collins from the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL.

Latest On Evgeni Malkin

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The Pittsburgh Penguins had two franchise icons to re-sign this offseason, and today they finalized a deal with one of them: Kris Letang. With Letang’s extension finalized, the next priority for Ron Hextall and the Penguins is re-signing Evgeni Malkin. According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, getting across the finish line with Malkin and his agent, J.P. Barry, could be a challenge.

Per LeBrun, Malkin and the Penguins are “not on the same page” and Malkin is reportedly “ready” to hit free agency if the Penguins don’t offer him an extension with more than a three-year term. Malkin, 35, is coming off of a season where he was above a point-per-game, although his injury woes limited him to playing in only half of the Penguins’ 82 regular-season contests. Injury issues have plagued Malkin for years, and he has not reached the 70-game mark in any regular season since 2017-18. Malkin’s desire for more term is definitely reasonable, he’s such a widely-respected superstar that he could likely get a longer-term deal on the open market, and the Penguins’ desire to keep term down on an extension for their injury-prone, 35-year-old franchise legend is also understandable. It looks like a difficult, complicated situation for the Penguins to navigate, and it seems that the unthinkable possibility of Malkin playing for another NHL franchise is more realistic than it has ever been.

Pittsburgh Penguins Extend Kris Letang

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will almost certainly be the only team Kris Letang ever plays for. The team announced a six-year, $36.6MM contract extension for the star defenseman, keeping him away from unrestricted free agency and likely taking him through retirement. General manager Ron Hextall released the following statement:

Kris epitomizes what it means to be a Pittsburgh Penguin. The role he plays on our team is irreplaceable, he is a leader in our locker room, and has made countless contributions to the organization over the last 15-plus years, which includes three Stanley Cup Championships. We are thrilled to make him a Penguin for life.

Letang, 35, will now carry a $6.1MM cap hit through the 2027-28 season, keeping him the Penguins’ highest-paid defenseman. Still, that number is much lower on a per-year basis than what he could have landed on the open market, or even than the $7.25MM he has carried for each of the last eight years.

The risk is obviously that Letang is already in his mid-thirties and could at any point, see a drastic decline in his performance. That hasn’t happened yet, as he actually set a career-high with 68 points this season, finishing seventh in Norris Trophy voting. For his career, Letang now has 650 points in 941 games, meaning he’ll reach the 1,000-game mark (and potentially the 700-point mark) if he stays healthy for the upcoming campaign.

Perhaps more importantly, this deal will not qualify for the lessened 35+ contract restrictions that were added in the 2020 CBA update. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports the salary breakdown will be as follows:

  • 2022-23: $8.0MM
  • 2023-24: $8.0MM
  • 2024-25: $6.2MM
  • 2025-26: $4.8MM
  • 2026-27: $4.8MM
  • 2027-28: $4.8MM

That front-loaded nature means that the full cap hit will be applied to the Penguins even if Letang retires before finishing the deal. While it gives the team some added flexibility in the coming years, it could very well be an anchor down the road.

The argument of course for the Penguins is that by then, Sidney Crosby will not be as effective (if he’s even still playing) and the team will no longer be trying to compete for the Stanley Cup. At that point, it doesn’t really matter if there is a large cap charge for a declining Letang, while the team goes through the inevitable stage of rebuilding. For now, this gives them the best chance at contending in 2022-23, the focus for Hextall and the new ownership group.

NHL Announces 2022-23 Regular Season Schedule

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The news continues to break during what’s been a busy pre-draft week. The NHL has released the full 82-game schedule for the 2022-23 campaign, marking a return to normal dates and length for the first time since 2018-19.

2022-23 will see its curtains open overseas, where the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators will open the season at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czechia on October 7 and 8, 2022. The regular season will begin on the North American side of the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, with a classic doubleheader. The puck will drop at Madison Square Garden for an Eastern Conference Final rematch between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers, followed by a Pacific Division showdown in Southern California between the Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings.

The Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup banner-raising ceremony will be the following night at home against the Chicago Blackhawks. The season will wrap up on April 13, 2023.

Some key events throughout the season include the 2022 Global Series in Tampere, Finland, where the Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets will play a pair of games on November 4 and 5, 2022. The 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic is slated for January 2, 2023, between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins at Fenway Park, and the 2023 NHL Stadium Series is set for February 18, 2023, in Raleigh, North Carolina, where the Hurricanes will host the Washington Capitals. All-Star Weekend will be February 3-4, 2023, hosted by the Florida Panthers.

Pittsburgh Penguins Expect To Sign Kris Letang

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There wasn’t much hesitation in Ron Hextall today as he met with the media, explaining to reporters including Chris Johnston of TSN that he would be “surprised” if they didn’t sign Kris Letang to an extension. Hextall hopes to have it done by the time they leave Montreal, where the hockey world is congregating for tomorrow’s draft.

On Evgeni Malkin, the team’s other franchise icon closing in on unrestricted free agency, Hextall said they are “still working” but didn’t share any other details.

Letang, 35, is still an extremely effective player and is actually coming off the best offensive season of his career. With 68 points in 78 games, racking up a career-best 171 hits, and still averaging close to 26 minutes a night, he finished seventh in Norris Trophy voting.

The three-time Stanley Cup champion is arguably more important to the Penguins than Malkin, at least in terms of this current championship window, as there is no internal option to fill the hole that Letang’s departure would leave. The team would have to look outside the organization, and players of his caliber obviously don’t hit the open market very often.

That’s also why a contract for Letang could still have a big number attached to it, meaning a multi-year extension carries quite a bit of risk for the Penguins. The team will be married to this aging core, meaning if he or Sidney Crosby takes a step back in effectiveness, any thought of contending for the Stanley Cup would likely go out the window.

Still, that’s likely the case even if Letang left in free agency, as the Penguins’ results are really tied to Crosby’s career at this point. Pushing in for a player you know and love–and also one who has spent his entire career in Pittsburgh–always did seem like the prudent option, even if it will mean committing lots of money to an aging talent.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Pittsburgh Penguins Extend Casey DeSmith

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have agreed to terms with backup goaltender Casey DeSmith on a new two-year extension, keeping him from hitting the open market. The contract will carry an average annual value of $1.8MM.

DeSmith, 30, has only ever known the Penguins organization and is one of the biggest success stories of the ECHL. Originally signed to a contract by the Wheeling Nailers as an undrafted free agent in 2015, he managed to quickly climb through every level and eventually made his NHL debut in the 2017-18 season. Since then, he’s been quite reliable for Pittsburgh, posting a .916 save percentage over 97 appearances at the highest level.

While he likely won’t be challenging for the starting role anytime soon, DeSmith represents a strong backup for Tristan Jarry and the Penguins, and essentially takes them out of the running for any other free agent goaltenders–at least the ones set to compete for NHL jobs. At just $1.8MM, he also comes in at a very reasonable price, potentially freeing up some space for the team to re-sign more important free agents, including Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

Among goaltenders, DeSmith’s cap hit puts him 40th for the 2022-23 season, a ranking that will drop several more places once free agency opens later this month. Given the fact that Jarry carries just a $3.5MM hit, the Penguins will be getting pretty strong goaltending for a relatively low price.

Snapshots: DeSmith, Mock Draft, McCallum

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Once Tristan Jarry got injured late in this past season, many figured that backup goalie Casey DeSmith would have a prime opportunity to earn some extra money on his next contract. The pending unrestricted free agent was the team’s starter in Game One of the first round against the New York Rangers, but his chance at showcasing his talents on a national stage was cut short. Like Jarry, DeSmith was also knocked out with an injury. Louis Domingue, third on the Penguins’ goalie depth chart, got that valuable opportunity instead. Even with that missed opportunity, DeSmith still enters free agency on solid ground. The Penguins, though, are reportedly hoping he doesn’t get there. According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Penguins are “trying to sign” DeSmith to a new deal, with the two sides working at reaching an agreement on an acceptable contract.

The motivations for the Penguins are clear and based in DeSmith’s performance. He has been a steady, reliable backup for three seasons now, and carries a career .916 save percentage in 97 NHL games. DeSmith went 11-6-5 in 2021-22, and had a 2.79 goals-against-average and .914 save percentage. DeSmith is an undrafted player who made his professional debut as an ECHL goalie after finishing his college career at the University of New Hampshire. DeSmith’s NHL resume is more consistently successful than Scott Wedgewood’s, who today signed a two-year deal worth $1MM AAV. With DeSmith already earning $1.25MM on his last deal, and with a more extensive track record of success at the NHL level, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him double Wedgewood’s number on his own next contract.

Now, for some other notes from across the league:

  • We are rapidly approaching the NHL Draft, and rumors are swirling constantly. This is a rare year for NHL fans as there is some real mystery at the top of the draft. Who the Montreal Canadiens, the hosts of the draft, pick there is anyone’s guess. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman waded into the murky waters of next week’s draft, and projected all seven rounds as part of a full mock draft. (subscription link) Pronman writes that the “winds seem to be blowing” towards the Canadiens selecting Slovakian winger Juraj Slafkovsky at the number-one slot, and as a result of that choice Kingston Frontenacs center Shane Wright slides all the way to the Seattle Kraken at the fourth pick. Pronman projects that the New Jersey Devils will take a big defenseman in David Jiricek, and that the Arizona Coyotes will stick with American center Logan Cooley, who they are often connected to. If Pronman’s extensive work is any indication, it will be an extremely exciting – even chaotic – draft night.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights’ AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, announced today that they have signed forward Lynden McCallum to a one-year AHL contract. McCallum is a former Brandon Wheat King, playing for the WHL club from 2017-18 to 2020-21. GM Kelly McCrimmon has deep ties to the Wheat Kings, so it’s easy to see the connection between McCallum and the organization McCrimmon currently runs. McCallum was an impressive ECHL player in his first professional season, scoring 17 goals and 32 points in 36 games for the Fort Wayne Komets. His AHL run was far less productive, as he only managed five points in 20 games, although his ice time did decline from 17:39 per game in Fort Wayne to only 10:32 per game in Henderson. With this extension, the 22-year-old McCallum will get another chance to continue his run of success at the ECHL level with the hopes that his stay in the AHL can be more permanent this time around.

Kasper Bjorkqvist Signs In Finland

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At least one pending free agent for the Pittsburgh Penguins is off the table. Kasper Bjorkqvist, who is scheduled to become an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent, has signed a new two-year contract with Karpat in Finland.  The Penguins will be able to retain his exclusive NHL rights by issuing him a qualifying offer this summer.

Bjorkqvist, 24, was the 61st overall pick in 2016 and made his NHL debut this season, playing in six games. He scored his first NHL goal during that short stint but was otherwise rather ineffective, registering just 12 points in 54 games at the AHL level. A member of the incredible 2016 Finnish World Junior team that took home the gold medal, he never has quite grown into his game at the professional level, at least on the North American circuit.

There is certainly hope for him in Finland, as during the 2020-21 season when the AHL was dormant due to COVID-19 restrictions, Bjorkqvist played in Finland and was named the Liiga rookie of the year after posting 26 points in 44 games. He also had an outstanding career at Providence College, which included being named captain for his final season, an extremely rare honor for European players at the NCAA level.

The Penguins will still have his rights when the contract expires but not for long. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent when he turns 27, which will be just a few days after the market opens in 2024. His time in Pittsburgh could very well be over.

Latest On Evgeni Malkin

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Evgeni Malkin in a different uniform? That still seems unlikely, given how much he has lobbied publicly to stay with the Pittsburgh Penguins for his entire career but Josh Yohe of The Athletic writes that there is growing pessimism about Malkin’s return.

The 35-year-old center is a franchise icon, and future Hall of Famer, and has indicated that he would take a discount to stay with Sidney Crosby and fellow free agent Kris Letang for another few years. Whether that discount is palatable to general manager Ron Hextall appears to be a different story, however. Yohe writes that “numerous agents” actually believe it is unlikely that Malkin returns to Pittsburgh next season.

It would be a shock to see the 2012 Hart Trophy winner in a different sweater, though even with his best years behind him, there would certainly be interest on the open market. Malkin still had 20 goals and 42 points in 41 games this season, producing well whenever he was healthy enough to take the ice. That health is a concern, as it’s been more than a decade since he played every game in a season, but it is not every day that you find a two-time Art Ross winner available in free agency.

With just over two weeks before the start of free agency, the clock is ticking on Malkin and the Penguins. The team has several other important UFAs to try and keep–including Letang and Rickard Rakell, whose situations are also examined in Yohe’s piece–along with arbitration-eligible RFAs in Danton Heinen and Kasperi Kapanen.

All that with a new ownership group that is not ready to take a step backward and wants to contend for the Stanley Cup next season. If there is a team worth watching over the next 16 days, it’s Pittsburgh.

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