The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins made a clear push to bolster both ends of the lineup on Tuesday, locking in AHL contracts for forwards Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Hugh McGing, plus defenseman Ryan Mast for the 2026-27 season.
Harvey-Pinard is the biggest name in the group. The 27-year-old is coming off a 66-game season in which he matched his AHL career high with 21 goals and finished tied for third on the Penguins with 39 points.
He also added four points in 10 Calder Cup Playoff games. Across his career, he has logged 85 NHL games split between Pittsburgh and Montreal, along with 165 points in the AHL.
McGing, also 27, arrives after six seasons in the St. Louis organization.
He became the Springfield Thunderbirds’ all-time leader in games played with 323 and put up 31 points in 66 games last season. He has appeared in nine NHL games and scored his first NHL goal this past year.
Mast gives the Penguins another right-shot option on the back end. The 23-year-old defenseman was a 2021 sixth-round pick of the Bruins and spent last season between Providence and Rockford.
There was also movement elsewhere in the league. Agent Dan Milstein said his client, defenseman Roman Schmidt, has signed a one-year contract extension with the Minnesota Wild.
Schmidt is a 6-foot-5, 225-pound right shot from Midland, Michigan, and the 23-year-old fits the mold of a physical, defense-first blueliner. A former U.S.
National Team Development Program and OHL player, he has 173 penalty minutes in 98 career AHL games and nine points. Originally a 2021 third-round pick, 96th overall, by Tampa Bay, Schmidt’s entry-level deal expired this summer.
He was given a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent before agreeing to the new contract, which is expected to keep him with AHL Iowa.
And in Ottawa’s orbit, Arthur Kaliyev could be on the move again. Elite Prospect’s Dylan Griffing reported that multiple KHL clubs are interested in the unrestricted free agent, and noted that Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod chased him last summer before he signed with Ottawa.
The appeal is obvious: Kaliyev led the AHL with 40 goals and 68 points in 70 games for Belleville this past season, but he played only two NHL games for the Senators, who did not tender him a qualifying offer. The 25-year-old former Kings second-round pick still hasn’t found a permanent NHL foothold, and a KHL return would give him a fresh start.
In Other News...
Steve Staios Just Faced A Huge Claude Giroux Test
When free agency opened, Steve Staios made it clear he did not want to treat Claude Giroux like just another name on the board. The Senators executive kept a roster spot available for the veteran, a sign Ottawa valued more than production from a player who has become one of the teams most trusted voices and a steadying presence in the room.
The push to keep Giroux around has been going on for months, with the Senators even putting a contract in front of him before the trade deadline. His role has only grown more important as leadership questions have sharpened around the roster, and Giroux has repeatedly sounded comfortable in Ottawas locker room, where he has said he enjoys being around the group. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Power Play Could Be Headed For A Risky New Direction
The Senators made sure Claude Giroux isnt going anywhere after all, bringing him back on a one-year deal that keeps a familiar veteran presence in the room as Ottawa continues to build around its young core. Its a move that fits the clubs broader approach: keep enough experience around to steady the lineup while still giving the next wave of players room to grow.
Girouxs return also gives Ottawa a little more certainty in a summer where veteran pieces around the league are still shifting, from coaching changes in Toronto to roster tweaks in Edmonton. For the Senators, the appeal is straightforward enough, but the structure of the contract shows there was more going on behind the scenes than a simple reunion, and the final terms say plenty about how both sides viewed the fit. [Read more 🡒]