Full 2024 Penguins Offseason Recap; Hellos & Goodbyes

Hockey fans can rejoice as we’re in the home stretch of the offseason. Oddly, it seems like both yesterday and a lifetime ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins wrapped last season with an inconsequential game at UBS Arena against the New York Islanders.

The game capped a furious 14-game run for a playoff spot but ended before that April game on Long Island, which became a farewell for Jeff Carter. Referees and opponents paid their respects in the final minutes of the game.

That was four months ago.

After bidding farewell to Carter, Penguins president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas began the offseason with about $10 million in salary cap space.

And Dubas got to work, though his direction may have been a little bit surprising. As of now, the Penguins’ top six forwards are unchanged, but the team has a glut of bottom six forwards, including a pair of players for whom Dubas accepted draft picks as part of other teams’ salary dumps.

The offseason may not be over. The Penguins have about $2 million in salary cap space remaining (with 13 forwards), but pending the final roster decisions, that amount could grow to more than $2.2 million.

Penguins Transactions, April-May

—Jeff Carter retired.

—Tristan Broz signed ELC

It was a sign of things to come. The Penguins inked their 2021 second-round pick Tristan Broz to an entry-level contract a few days after Broz helped the University of Denver win the NCAA National Championship. Broz quickly reported to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for their first-round playoff series (which WBS lost 2-0).

Read More: Penguins Prospects: Scouting Blomqvist, Broz; How Close to Ready (+)

The next handful of Penguins transactions were about securing young players and adding depth. You’ll also notice a few players with previous Dubas-Toronto connections.

—Sam Poulin signed a two-year contract.

–Swedish goalie Goalie Filip Larsson signed a two-year deal.

Larsson was the Red Wings’ 2016 sixth-round pick. He left North America in the 2019-20 season and never returned. He played the last four seasons in Sweden, graduating full-time to the Swedish Elite League last season with a .920 save percentage.

–In May, Valtteri Puustinen and Jonathan Gruden signed two-year deals with the organization. Puusitnen will count $775,000 against the salary cap. Gruden’s deal is a two-way contract.

—Jack St. Ivany signed a three-year deal with a $775,000 average annual value.

–Penguins signed 24-year-old Czech free agent Filip Kral, the 2018 Toronto Maple Leafs’ fifth-round pick, to a one-year, two-way contract.

Kral, a left-handed defenseman, left the Maple Leafs organization after the 2022-23 season and played with the Pelicans of the Finnish Elite League last season, scoring 37 points (5-32-37) in 46 games.

June

–Penguins re-signed goalie Alex Nedeljkovic to a two-year, $5 million contract.

Read More: Nedeljkovic: Fiesty Penguins Can Suprise People

— On Day 2 of the NHL Draft, the Penguins traded for Kevin Hayes and a 2025 second-round draft pick in exchange for future consideration

–Minor league trade: Penguins acquire Bennett MacArthur from Tampa Bay for Lukas Svejkovsky.

–Did not qualify defenseman P.O Joseph, who signed with the St. Louis Blues for $900,000 on July 1.

–Did not re-sign forward Jansen Harkins.

2024 Penguins Draft Class

Second Round 44th overall: Harrison Brunicke.
Second Round 46th overall: Tanner Howe
Fourth Round 111th overall: Chase Pietila
Sixth Round 175th overall: Joona Vaisanen
Seventh Round 207th overall: Mac Swanson
Seventh Round 223rd overall: Finn Harding

Addition: Brunicke and Howe signed their ELC contracts.

July-August, NHL Free Agency

–Signed depth players looking for a second chance but are likely destined to play with the WBS Penguins.

• Signed former Islanders depth defenseman Sebastian Aho, who is likely to be the Penguins’ seventh defenseman, to a two-year contract.
• Defenseman Mac Hollowell, a 5-foot-9, 170-pound d-man who played at the Soo Greyhounds and in the Toronto organization. He was Toronto’s 2018 fourth-round pick (118th overall). Played six NHL games in 2022-23.
• Defenseman Ryan Shea re-signed
• Defenseman Nathan Clurman
• Forward Jimmy Huntingdon
• Forward Bokondji Imama — an enforcer type who has fought the best in the NHL and AHL.
• Forward Emil Bemstrom re-signed.
• Forward Corey Andonovsku re-signed a two-year deal.

–Signed former New York Islanders winger Anthony Beauvillier to a one-year, $1.25 million deal. Beauvillier was traded twice last season. Beginning in Vancouver, he was traded to Chicago and later to Nashville. His season was split almost equally between the three teams. He scored five goals with 12 assists in 60 games.

–Signed defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to a one-year, $2.75 million deal.

–Signed high-energy fourth-line grinder Blake Lizotte after the LA Kings did not qualify Lizotte and lost his rights.

Read More: Blake Lizotte Can Be Heartbeat of Penguins When They Need It

–On July 1, the Penguins traded Reilly Smith to the New York Rangers for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2025 conditional fifth.

–Announced Radim Zohorna left the organization and signed with Swiss Club HC Lugano.

–Signed 2023 first-round pick Brayden Yager to his three-year entry-level contract.

–NOTEWORTHY: Penguins signed 2022 fourth-round pick Sergei Murashov to a three-year entry-level contract, and Murashov will leave the KHL for the Penguins organization.

–Dubas re-did the Hayes trade as St. Louis needed its second-round pick to extend qualifying offers to Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. Penguins trade: Acquired St. Louis’s 2026 second-round pick and 2025 third-round pick (Ottawa) from St. Louis for St. Louis’s 2025 second-round pick and the Penguins’ 2026 fifth-round pick.

–The Penguins acquired Cody Glass, a 2025 third and 2026 sixth-round pick from the Nashville Predators, in exchange for depth prospect Jordan Frasca.