Coming off three straight years of missing the playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins have entered a brand new era.
Gone are the times of the Penguins being a perennial contender, and as an alternative, the team has been within the midst of a rebuild. In consequence, there weren’t any expectations of the team making any major additions this offseason.
At the identical time, the Penguins did have one major asset at their disposal this summer: an abundance of cap space. So while most teams used their cap space so as to add players for immediate impact, the Penguins operated a bit in another way, opting to construct for the longer term as an alternative.
Penguins perfectly weaponized cap space so as to add assets
Despite significant cap space, signing a player or two wasn’t really going to assist a ton. Given the team is currently well out of playoff contention, looking for major additions via free agency or trade would’ve been short-sighted.
Nonetheless, the Penguins were as an alternative capable of use their cap space to proceed constructing for the longer term. By taking over players attached to undesirable contracts and signing a player who could possibly be flipped on the trade deadline, the Penguins set themselves up higher down the road.
So for the Penguins, their best move of the 2025 offseason got here in using their cap space effectively.
Penguins received the thirty ninth overall pick from the Sabres
First, the team acquired Connor Clifton from the Buffalo Sabres while also adding the thirty ninth overall pick on this yr’s draft as a part of the trade.
Clifton spent the last two years in Buffalo and has one yr left at a $3.33M cap hit. The defenseman originally signed with the Sabres in 2023, after spending the primary five seasons of his profession with the Boston Bruins. Nonetheless, Clifton didn’t necessarily have the specified impact in Buffalo and ended up averaging just over 16 minutes per game in his two seasons with the Sabres. With only a single yr left on his deal, though, and the Penguins not ready to compete next yr anyway, acquiring Clifton is not going to have any negative consequences.
The one caveat is that the Penguins also needed to send two players the opposite way. Pittsburgh dealt each defenseman Conor Timmins and prospect Isaac Belliveau to the Sabres as a part of the deal. Timmins, particularly, did have strong ends in his limited run with the Penguins, posting seven points and a plus-nine rating in 17 games with the team.
That said, considering the Penguins had acquired Timmins – together with Conor Dewar – from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a fifth-round pick in March, it’s still good asset management. Meanwhile, Belliveau has spent the vast majority of the last two seasons within the ECHL.
The Penguins then used the pick to pick out 6-foot-5 right-shot defenseman Peyton Kettles. So, in preserving cap flexibility, the Penguins were capable of take Clifton for the yr and add a prospect in the method.
Acquiring Matt Dumba brought one other second-round pick
The Penguins then acquired Matt Dumba from the Dallas Stars, adding a 2028 second-round pick in the method.
Dumba originally signed a two-year take care of the Stars last summer at a $3.75 million cap hit. Nonetheless, the defensemen managed just 10 points across 63 games with the team while averaging 15:18 per game. Dumba also didn’t suit up for any playoff games with the Stars.
The Penguins also had to incorporate a player on this deal, sending Vladislav Kolyachonok the opposite way. Kolyachonok was a 2019 second-round pick, but hasn’t managed to solidify himself as an on a regular basis NHL player. He was claimed off waivers by the Penguins earlier within the yr and ended up playing 12 games with the team. At the identical time, it doesn’t seem overly likely that the defender will find yourself emerging as a real NHL defender.
Like Clifton, Dumba also has only one yr left on his contract. So, between the Clifton and Dumba deals, the Penguins tackle slightly greater than $7 million in cap hits for the approaching yr, but added two second-round picks in the method.
Anthony Mantha could turn into a possible trade chip
While the Penguins used their cap space to amass future assets, in addition they made a few signings. Essentially the most notable of the bunch was Anthony Mantha, who inked a one-year take care of the team.
Mantha missed the vast majority of the 2024-25 season after an ACL injury that required surgery. He played just 13 games with the Calgary Flames, posting 4 goals and 7 points. That said, the winger has been capable of produce at rate across his NHL profession. While his numbers have dipped over recent years, he did rating 23 goals and 44 points across 74 games within the 2023-24 season.
With Mantha on only a one-year deal and unlikely to factor into the team’s future plans, he could possibly be used as a possible trade chip. The forward’s deal carries a $2.5 million cap hit, with as much as a further $2 million in performance bonuses. Plus, the deal also comes with no trade protection.
Especially considering the low cap hit, if Mantha can rebuild his value this season, the Penguins could net a good return on the trade deadline.
Penguins are slowly moving in the correct direction
While the Penguins are still a ways off from getting back into playoff contention, they’ve began to slowly construct back towards a brighter future. The team made some smaller moves this summer as well, getting a 2028 third-round pick from the San Jose Sharks for Alex Nedeljkovic and acquiring Arturs Silovs from the Vancouver Canucks.
The team has slowly built an incredible pool of draft picks, with multiple second and third-round picks across each of the following three drafts. The Penguins are also coming off a yr wherein they made three first-round selections.
So while Pittsburgh is probably not a right away threat, they’ve managed to start out putting the pieces in place to construct for the longer term.