July 12 – The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a somewhat anonymous start to the 2024 offseason. Coming off a second straight failure to make the playoffs, General Manager Kyle Dubas led a bit of a retooling this summer. With only slightly over $11 million dollars in cap space going into free agency, big game hunting wasn’t an option for Dubas and company. The team is in a weird spot. Sidney Crosby is still playing elite hockey and the veteran pieces around him (Malkin, Letang, Karlsson, etc.) have enough in the tank to fight for a playoff berth. Dubas made a number of moves to try to plug some roster holes, while mostly not committing term to new acquisitions. Cody and I are going to dive into each specific move and predict the impact each will have.

Penguins Acquire Kevin Hayes

Kevin Hayes (2/3.75M) and a 2025 2nd round pick for Future Considerations 

Adam: The first major move Dubas made this offseason came a few days before the opening of free agency. The Penguins traded future considerations (lol) for Kevin Hayes and a 2025 2nd rounder. From the Blues’ perspective, this is a total cap dump. The Pens were paid a 2nd rounder to take on the last 2 seasons of Hayes’ contract. Hayes signed a 7 year $50 million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2019, which was traded to St. Louis in 2023 with 50% retained, putting the cap hit at about $3.5 million for the remaining three seasons. After 1 disappointing year in St. Louis, Hayes has 2 seasons left on his deal with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia each taking the $3.5 million cap hit. 

Hayes enters his age 32 season as the Penguins youngest center which is pretty insane. For fans that wanted the team to get younger, this technically satisfies that ask, although I don’t think anyone is particularly thrilled about it. Hayes has a history of being a very solid player, even as recently as the 22-23 season before falling out with Flyers coach John Tortorella. Hayes put up 54 points that season, mainly operating as a middle six center for the Flyers. This past season was a different story. Hayes never seemed to fit in St. Louis and offered up the statistically worst season of his career. He scored the lowest points tally of his career with 29 (13G, 16A) and his underlying numbers are pretty poor as well. Hayes is an older player who lacks speed and physicality, but has always been a solid offensive contributor as a playmaker. Is he worth 7 million dollars for the next two seasons? Absolutely not. Is he worth three and a half million? Honestly, I don’t even know, probably not. I think what it came down to for the Penguins front office is that they didn’t think any of the third line centers in free agency would be in their price range and made a move to acquire a future high pick and a guy who might bounce back.

As for Hayes’ fit on the 2024 Penguins, I think that’s pretty simple. He will undoubtedly open the season as the third line center. Most likely flanked by another offseason acquisition in Anthony Beauvillier and maybe Valteri Puustinen on the wings, Hayes will be hard pressed to score at the level he has in the past. That being said, it’s also a far more competent third line than they’ve put out the last two seasons. No disrespect to Jeff Carter or Lars Eller (who I love as a 4th line center by the way), but Hayes at this point should be more productive offensively in that spot than either of them had been. Hayes has also been a solid penalty killer in the past. I don’t know if Mike Sullivan will view him as an option there, we’ll have to wait and see. Kevin Hayes is not the guy anyone would have wanted the Penguins to go after, but I personally think he could be an alright option in the third center role for the team next year. 

Cody: Normally it would be a bad thing for the Penguins to get older and even slower, but for the price of a 2nd round pick to take on the contract of Hayes, I believe it is a worthwhile move. Dubas and the Penguins would never admit to committing to a rebuild, but this would seem to indicate a slight lean in that direction. As for Hayes’ impact for this season, I believe it’s going to be negligible. I’m not sure if he’ll be seeing time as the 3C or 4C, but he’s essentially the replacement for Jeff Carter, but this time the team at least got paid to take on a terrible deal. Hayes is, if not the slowest, one of the slowest skaters in the league. He can still provide some offensive touch, but I would not like to see him play in front of Lars Eller personally, who can still play an effective two-way game himself. Regardless, the deal was made to stock up on draft capital, so I do not think it will matter that much to how well Hayes plays.

Matt Grzelcyk (1 x 2.75)

Adam: A former analytics darling coming off a career worst season, Matt Grzelcyk joined the Penguins on a one year deal for $2.75 million for this season. Grzelcyk had spent his entire NHL career playing for his hometown Boston Bruins. He was utilized all over the lineup during his 6 full seasons in Boston, from playing first pairing minutes with Charlie McAvoy early on to sitting in the press box in crunch time this past season. It definitely isn’t a great sign that he was scratched in a number of Boston’s playoff games last year. Prior to last season, he had been a very solid player on the backend and a guy who teams would be fighting to sign. Considering that he took a one year deal in Pittsburgh, I don’t think that was the case this offseason.

On this Penguins roster, there are a few possibilities for Grzelcyk. The first possibility is that he opens the season as Kris Letang’s partner on the second defensive line. It could be worth a shot because if Grzelyck bounces back, he might be a solid fit next to Letang. However, I think you almost have to give Ryan Graves the first chance next to Letang due to his cap hit and term remaining. The other possibility for Grzelyck is that he anchors the third pairing next to one of Jack St. Ivany or Sebastian Aho. St. Ivany looked like a tidy defensive player in the small sample of games we had to evaluate him last season and Aho as a new signing could be a solid piece. Grzelyck can become a really important part of this Penguins teams playing either of these two roles next season, or he could continue to regress and find himself out of the league come next offseason. It’s a solid lottery ticket that could have some value at the trade deadline if the team is in a position to sell. 

Cody: It’s these type of moves Dubas has made that I believe the Penguins should do more of. With the team on the fringes of playoff contention with an aging roster, it’s a worthwhile pursuit to sign short term deals with reclamation projects such as Grzelcyk. During his time in Boston, he was considered an underrated defender and the optimal foil to defensive cornerstone Charlie McAvoy, but has fallen off to the point of being a healthy scratch. If the Penguins were true playoff contenders, this signing would not make sense at all, but for a fringe playoff team, it’s worth it for a one year deal. If anything, they can flip him at the deadline. Overall, I’m a fan of this move, even if he is yet another 30 year old. His previous pedigree is worth trying to reclaim for a team that lacks puck moving defensemen.

Anthony Beauvillier (1 x 1.25)

Adam: Anthony Beauvillier is a player who should be recognizable to most Penguins fans. Beauvillier put up 7 points in the first round series against the Penguins in 2021 as a member of the New York Islanders. He went on a bit of an odyssey last season, spending time in Vancouver, Chicago, and Nashville. Predictably, he put together the worst season his career, seems like a common theme this offseason huh? His goal scoring total went from 18 down to 5, and he put up 10 less assists than he did in the 22-23 season. I think it’s fair to chalk up part of that to playing for three teams in one season. Not to excuse his performance, but it’s hard to settle in on a team when you’re getting moved every 20 games.

What can we expect to see out of Anthony Beauvillier? Well, if you’re looking at his entire career he’s a guy who creates a lot of offense while also being a pretty poor finisher. Even just by watching him play you can notice how active he is, and yet he’s also a wasteful player. He will be frustrating for sure, but if he bounces back to somewhere in the range of 15 goals and 20 assists, I would be thrilled. It’s another lottery ticket for Dubas, and it’s one that I think will cash. Playing on the third line alongside Kevin Hayes could result in some decent bottom six scoring. Worst case scenario, he sucks and gets traded. Last season certainly shows that he will be movable regardless. It’s a move that has no risk to it, and could result in adding a solid middle six winger to the team. 

Cody: Much like the Grzelcyk signing, this is a reclamation project. Good news for the Penguins, however, is that he is 27 years old, which makes him much younger than most of the team ahead of him. He hasn’t looked liked his former self these past two seasons, but again for a one year deal this is a worthy risk for the Penguins to take to add onto their middle six. At best, he can be 40-50 point producer for the 2nd/3rd line, at worst he can be a total liability in the bottom six. Either way, his status will depend on how the Penguins approach the deadline, where he could be flipped if necessary. Not that much else to say with Beauvillier, he is boom or bust, but it’s these type of moves the Penguins can afford to make, especially for a team lacking in youth.

Ryan Shea (1 x 775k)

Adam: Bringing Ryan Shea back on a two-way contract for another season is a good move. There isn’t a whole lot to say about it, but he provides the team with a competent defensive option in the organization. He had a strong finish to last season playing alongside Jack St. Ivany and he could potentially push for a roster spot this preseason. 

Cody: Ryan Shea paired very well with Jack St. Ivany on the third pair down the stretch last season, so it’s a great move to bring him back on a two-way deal. I can’t say for certain if he’ll find playing time again on the bottom pair, but he is a suitable replacement to Chad Ruhwedel for the seventh defenseman. I expect St. Ivany and Graves to be ahead of him in the lineup, so the impact there will not be very high, but still good to bring him back regardless.

Blake Lizotte (2 x 1.85)

Adam: Blake Lizotte is admittedly not a player that I am super familiar with, but he looks to be a solid bottom six forward. He is still pretty young, only entering his age 27 season, which adds some fresh legs to the team. He’s put up some solid scoring numbers for averaging under 13 minutes off ice time over his career. Lizotte is a smaller guy, listed at 5-9, 170lb on Hockey Reference. That is a tiny bit concerning, but he hasn’t been limited in the regular season due to his size yet in his career. I’m excited to see what he can do in Pittsburgh and to learn more about him as a player in the coming months. 

Cody: Blake Lizotte could turn out to be the most impactful signing for the Penguins, a very underrated grab from Kyle Dubas. The bottom six already is bountiful with solid, two-way penalty killers, but Lizotte also adds much needed forechecking to the lineup AND youth, only being 26 years old. With this signing, the Penguins could afford to push guys like Matt Nieto out the lineup and manage to get slightly younger. Luckily, like Dubas’ other signings, it is not high risk, so I think this contract is a no brainer for a team needing to get younger and bring in some kind of forechecking game, despite being undersized.

Sebastian Aho (2 x 775k)

Adam: Signing the other Sebastian Aho to a two year deal at the league minimum is another fine signing. I assume he takes the Chad Ruhwedel role in the organization as the 6th or 7th defenseman at the NHL level, and he is very capable of being that type of player in Pittsburgh. Not a whole lot more to say, solid depth signing, no complaints. 

Cody: Personally, I don’t see the need to sign the Swedish Sebastian Aho unless you were sending him to play in Wilkes-Barre. I believe Ryan Shea makes more sense to make your seventh defenseman over him, but seeing he signed a two-way deal, that would not be the likely case. It’s not a very big deal, just not one I would have made at the expense of Shea.

Emil Bemstrom (1 x 775k)

Adam: Signing Emil Bemstrom to a one year deal at the league minimum is a fine move on the surface. Bemstrom was pickup up at the deadline last year from Columbus for Alex Nylander and then put up 5 points in 24 games for Pittsburgh. Mainly featuring in the bottom six, Bemstrom is a guy who has a really solid shot, but doesn’t do much else in my opinion. He actually got a bit of power play time and that should say enough about the Penguins ability to score while being a man up last season. 

It’s an inoffensive contract and it’s hard to be upset about paying the minimum salary for a guy who does have a bit of success at the NHL level, but my only gripe is that it creates a bit of a logjam on the 4th line. You have Bemstrom, Lars Eller, Noel Acciari, Jesse Puljujarvi, Blake Lizotte, and Matt Nieto (if he’s alive) all fighting for three spots, and half of those guys are naturally centers. It is fine and it’ll sort itself out, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Bemstrom is playing elsewhere come November. 

Cody: Emil Bemstrom was an okay addition to the bottom six in exchange for Alex Nylander (even if Nylander did find a bit of his scoring touch with Columbus), so bringing him back for a year will not provide much consequence. At most, he could find time in the 3rd line if needed, but the Pens have a bit of a log jam of bottom six wingers, so I expect him to be nothing but a pure depth piece.

Reilly Smith Traded to NYR

Reilly Smith (25% retained) to New York for a 2027 2nd and a 2025 5th

Adam: This is a bit of a shame. Reilly Smith, with the Pens retaining a quarter of his salary, was sent in division to the New York Rangers for a 2nd round pick in 2027 and a 5th rounder next year. It’s an impressive move from Dubas to get more than he paid for Smith, who had an extremely disappointing season in Pittsburgh last year. It is what it is. I think Reilly Smith could have been a decent piece to have next year and I expect him to bounce back, but I can’t fault Dubas and the front office for wanting to move on. It just straight up didn’t work out here. 

Cody: This was a much needed trade, and frankly I’m shocked Dubas was able to recoup a 2nd rounder AND a 5th rounder for him when he was only acquired for a 3rd. Smith started out strong on a line with Evgeni Malkin last season, but really began to taper off as the season progressed to the point of being a total liability and a locker room nuisance. Clearly, he was home sick over Vegas and that really affected his play and likability, so very good trade to get that kind of return for him. I can’t say how he’ll do with the Rangers, but I think his best playing days are behind him. He will not get more than third line minutes in New York.

Final Verdict

Adam: Kyle Dubas and the front office did a good job of working with what they had available. Splashy moves weren’t going to be an option, but hopefully Dubas has brought in a couple of solid contributors at the NHL level that will either keep the team in the playoff hunt or have value to get moved for futures at the trade deadline. The team still has a bit over $3 million in cap space remaining, so it’s possible that Pittsburgh isn’t done making moves. The team could still look to add a top six winger, which I believe would make this team more of a threat to sneak in the playoffs.