5 Penguins RFA Targets, & Projected Contracts

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas has matter of factly said the Pittsburgh Penguins would pursue all avenues of acquiring younger players.

That process includes potentially swiping restricted free agents that other teams cannot afford to sign, won’t re-sign, or players who don’t want to re-sign with their current club.

The RFA process is not as simple as the unrestricted market. A team can sign an RFA, but the current team that owns the player’s rights then has seven days to match the offer or receive a draft pick or picks in return, as determined by the amount of the salary.

The NHL will release the RFA compensatory pick schedule after the season, but we’ll go by 2024-25’s schedule and assume the expected bump upward of about 10%.

Another little caveat here: just because the Penguins have a truckload of draft picks (30 over the next three years) doesn’t mean Dubas can go on a spending spree. The draft pick or picks surrendered must be the team’s original pick for the coming year’s draft.

In other words, the Penguins will be playing with their first-, second-, and third-round picks in the talent-rich 2026 draft.

They will also have over $25 million to spend and no expensive contracts pending.

Given the Penguins’ downward trajectory, their 2026 pick is likely a top-10 pick, if not a top-five pick, with a solid chance of leaping to the first overall selection, likely phenom Gavin McKenna.

Bluntly, if Dubas signs an RFA over the threshold of giving up a first-round pick, that player must be a game-breaker. So, don’t expect Dubas to go big-game hunting and lose that first pick.

Last season, the upper limit to give up only a second-round pick was $4.58 million. So, in 2025-26, the limit will be about $5 million (a 10% jump would be $5.03 million).

The upper limit to yield only a third-round pick will be about $2.5 million.

With the help of AFP Analytics, which has accurately projected salaries for the last few seasons, PHN can circle a handful of potential RFAs who fit the Penguins’ needs and salary range.

J.J. Peterka is a hot name, and multiple national reporters have connected the Penguins to the Buffalo Sabres in trade talks or interest in Buffalo’s plethora of young talent. However, we’re not going to include Peterka on the list.

The 23-year-old RW has 51 points (19-32-51) in 61 games this season. AFP projects him to sign a long-term deal for over $6.6 million. AFP also projected a bridge deal for Peterka to cost only $4.4 million, but Buffalo could too easily match a short-term deal, so the point seems moot.

And since several of our readers have brought up the name Bo Byram, he, too, is projected to sign for over $7 million.

There is also the matter of competition. Other teams will also have salary cap space and an increasing willingness to wade into the RFA pond, which was once forbidden waters among the GM class. So, there will be competition, which makes a player like Matthew Knies very unlikely. Even though Toronto might be cash-strapped with a new Mitch Marner contract, other teams would swoop in for Knies, probably pushing his value into first-round pick territory, too.

We also believe Boston is most likely to re-sign Morgan Geekie.

If you’re wondering if there is one pending RFA who might tempt the Penguins to forgo their first-round pick, it would be defenseman Luke Hughes. The Penguins could afford an overpay, whereas the current New Jersey Devils cap structure probably could not.

But that’s more fantasy land nonsense than reality. Probably.

In no particular order…

5 Potential Penguins RFA Targets

1. Mason McTavish, C, Anaheim Ducks

AFP Projected contract: Two years, $3.5 million AAV.

McTavish, 22, would cost only a second-round pick in return to the Anaheim Ducks, who in return would probably accept the pick. McTavish is one of the young players who hasn’t found their stride in Anaheim’s muddled direction.

He can be lumbering on his skates, but he has 18 goals and 40 points in 61 games this season. McTavish would check a few boxes for the Penguins, including size (6-foot-1, 207), skill, and an acceptable level of production from the middle.

If the market is soft for McTavish, perhaps the Penguins could even offer him a third-rounder compensation package of $2.5 million. That’s unlikely, but it’s worth monitoring.

2. Will Cuylle, F, New York Rangers

AFP projected contract: Three years, $3.43 million AAV.

There’s a lot to like about Cuylle’s potential. He’s played some big games against the Penguins and seems to assert himself in those games. This season, the budding power forward has 18 goals and 37 points in 68 games. He can play both wings.

The Rangers are in win-now mode and might not have the cap space to match an offer, especially if the Penguins overpay Cuylle. A $500,000 overpay for the Penguins is inconsequential but could be the deciding factor for the Rangers, who are projected to have about $10 million in cap space but need to re-sign defenseman K’Andre Miller.

Cuylle is 6-foot-3, 212 pounds, and is currently the Rangers’ top-line RW, with Vincent Trocheck in the middle and Artemi Panarin on the left.

Yes, please.

3. Jack Quinn, F, Buffalo Sabres

AFP long-term projected contract: $5.8 million

This one will be tricky. AFP’s projection puts Quinn’s compensation in the first-round category. However, we’re going to disagree with the numbers on this one. Quinn has the talent but has not yet put it all together in three NHL seasons.

At 23, Quinn is a scoring winger with a wicked shot but needs to get a bit stronger. He’s 6-feet tall but listed at just 176 pounds. This season, Quinn has just 10 goals and 26 points in 59 games. Injuries cost him most of last season, but he had 19 points in 27 games, and hockey folks thought he may have finally turned the corner.

However, coach Lindy Ruff benched him after he registered just four points in his first 24 games this season. He has 22 points in his last 35 games, but is his potential worth nearly $6 million per season? We think the market will be soft for him, and Buffalo will not be anxious to splash the cash on yet another underachieving youngster.

However, the Penguins could easily pay Quinn about $5 million for a couple of years. This would be an expensive tryout but one that could yield hugely positive results.

4. Mackie Samoskevic, F, Florida Panthers

AFP projected contract: Two years, $2.4 million AAV.

The projection puts the rookie forward in the third-rounder category, which makes him quite attractive. Samoskevic is a slick-puck skills player who spent most of the season in the Florida Panthers’ bottom six, even on the fourth line. However, he sprang to life and now has 13 goals and 25 points in 59 games.

He’s got speed, too. Florida has $19 million to spend for next season but must sign some heavy-duty UFAs, including Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad (or replace Ekblad with a No. 1 defenseman). Florida could be capped out before getting to Samoskevic, who was the 24th overall pick in 2021.

He’s not a big player (5-foot-10, 183 pounds), but he’s just scratching the surface of his potential.

5. Mavrik Bourque, F, Dallas Stars

Another player in the third-rounder bracket, Bourque, was thought of as the best player in the AHL for a couple of years running, but the Dallas Stars neither had room for him nor the inclination to trade him.

It’s time to free the 23-year-old Bourque. He’s played in 60 NHL games this season, registering just 21 points (10-11-21). He’s a smaller, energetic player, but he should not be pigeonholed as a grinder. He’s put up big points in the AHL (77 points in 71 games last season).

Dallas is already up against the salary cap ceiling for next season and is projected to have just $5 million to spend with a few holes to fill.

Free Mavrik Bourque. An overpay here would be a worthwhile gamble and well worth a third-round pick.

Honorable Mentions

Ryan McLeod, Buffalo

AFP projected contract: Three years, $3.04 million.

Fabian Zetterlund, Ottawa

AFP projected contract: Two years, $3.82 million.

Nick Robertson, Toronto

AFP projected contract: One year, $1.02 million (no compensation) required.

Perhaps it’s time to free Nick Robertson, too. However, we think if Dubas wanted to do so, it would have been done by now.