The Penguins are heading into camp with a left side that looks shaky on paper, and that’s putting a spotlight on every available option. One of the names in the mix is Logan Stanley, a 28-year-old UFA whose size and recent numbers make him worth at least a glance, even if the fit is far from clean.
Pittsburgh’s current left-side group is Trevor van Riemsdyk, Samuel Girard, Declan Carlile, Ilya Solovyov, and Ryan Graves. That’s a collection with questions all over it.
Van Riemsdyk is a steady veteran, but not the kind of player who anchors a top pair. Girard brings offense, though the Penguins can’t really afford to lean on a second pair built around him and Kris Letang.
Carlile is still an unknown, but the organization is clearly hopeful he can follow a Ryan Shea-like path and become a late bloomer. Solovyov has the size and mobility to handle the hard areas, even if the offense won’t come and the consistency may be uneven.
And then there’s Graves, whose contract and play have become a major problem.
Graves has three years left at $4.5MM per season, and the piece of the puzzle that matters most is this: the Penguins may be stuck with him. He has the first pass and the size, but the rest of the package has been far less reliable. The article suggests he may need to spend the rest of the deal in the AHL if a trade can’t be found.
That’s the backdrop for Stanley. He’s coming off a career year with nine goals and 17 assists in 76 games, but that production comes with a giant asterisk.
He had never scored more than one goal in any of his previous five NHL seasons, and last year’s shooting rate was more than double his career average. Still, at 6’7”, he would give Pittsburgh something it doesn’t have enough of: size.
He could bring some toughness around the crease and use that long reach to help in the defensive zone. His game is limited, but he does have NHL value.
The argument for a PTO is straightforward. It costs nothing.
The Penguins wouldn’t have to commit anything, and if Stanley didn’t fit, they could move on. It would give GM Kyle Dubas another cheap depth swing, which is very much in line with how he operates.
Stanley also has recent NHL success, including those career-best totals last season.
But the fit issues are obvious. Pittsburgh already has a cluster of left-shot defensemen who project more as third-pairing options than top-four answers, and Stanley doesn’t really solve that problem.
He is a third-pairing defender at best for the Penguins, and they already have enough of those. The bigger issue is that he isn’t really a defensive specialist, either.
His reputation in that area isn’t strong, and the Penguins already have enough defensemen with those kinds of questions: Girard, Letang, Graves, and Erik Karlsson.
Stanley’s mobility is another sticking point. Dan Muse wants defensemen who can retrieve pucks quickly, make a clean first pass, defend the rush, and move laterally. Stanley doesn’t check those boxes well enough, and Pittsburgh’s transition-heavy style can already create plenty of chances against.
So while Stanley probably isn’t an ideal match for the Penguins, the downside of a PTO is basically nonexistent. It would simply be a look at a player who was expected to land a bigger deal than he did.
That didn’t happen, and Stanley will come into this season with a chip on his shoulder and plenty of motivation to prove he belongs. Meanwhile, if Pittsburgh wants to keep giving young players a real chance, Owen Pickering may be the better path.
The 2022 first-round pick could be ready for a long NHL look this season, and the Penguins are unlikely to want to block that development.
In Other News...
Penguins Are Watching An NHL Standoff That Could Shift The Market
Connor Hellebuycks holdout has become the kind of early-season standoff that can ripple well beyond one roster, and the Penguins are among the clubs watching it with interest. If a goalie of that stature is unavailable while a potential trade hangs in the balance, it can alter the way front offices think about urgency, leverage and timing, especially with training camps already underway around the league.
Pittsburgh has its own roster questions to sort through after not inviting seven prospects to camp, while the organization also sifted through a mixed showing from its young players in a recent tournament. Around the NHL, teams have been busy locking up younger talent on long-term deals, from Anaheims new pact with Cutter Gauthier to recent signings in Washington, New Jersey, Carolina, Ottawa and Montreal, and that backdrop only adds to the sense that one unresolved goalie situation could still reshape the market. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Just Doubled Down On A Very Pittsburgh Identity
The Penguins are leaning even harder into a familiar Pittsburgh theme. United States Steel Corporation will become the clubs official helmet sponsor for the 2026-27 NHL season, with the U.S. Steel logo set to appear on every Penguins helmet, from home and road lids to alternates and practice gear. It is the latest step in a partnership that dates back to 2021, and one that feels especially on-brand for a team that has long embraced the citys industrial identity.
The sponsorship will not be seen in public right away, either. The logo is scheduled to debut when the Penguins take the ice for their preseason game on September 21, 2026, giving the organization a little runway before the change becomes part of the everyday look. For a franchise that has always been tightly tied to its city, the move is another reminder that some team partnerships go well beyond branding and land squarely in the civic DNA of Pittsburgh. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Are Giving A Familiar Defenseman One More Chance To Matter
Training camp season is bringing the usual flurry of low-risk auditions, and for the Penguins, one of the more notable name to land in that mix is goaltender Collin Delia on a professional tryout. PTOs rarely generate much noise on their own, but they can matter for a team sorting through depth, insurance and competition before the preseason settles into a clearer picture. Around the league, the Lightning brought in veteran forward Luke Glendening on the same kind of deal, while Ottawa added goalie Vadim Zherenko.
The most interesting wrinkle for Pittsburghs perspective is how these tryout agreements can open a door without guaranteeing anything beyond a chance to be seen. Delia will get that opportunity in camp and preseason, and Dallas is offering the same sort of shot to defenseman Ben Gleason, a familiar face trying to carve out a place in a crowded field. For teams and players alike, the appeal is simple enough: one more chance to matter, and one more round of evaluation before the roster decisions start to harden. [Read more 🡒]