The Penguins’ decision to hand Ville Koivunen an eight-year deal is already echoing beyond Pittsburgh. Kyle Dubas pointed to shifting contracts and league-wide values when he made the move, and while that explanation didn’t land cleanly, the ripple effect is real. Around the NHL, the contract is now part of the conversation for other players who sit in a similar range - and even for some who are above Koivunen.
That broader debate is one of the main themes running through the day’s hockey chatter, but Pittsburgh also had a more personal slight to absorb. Erik Karlsson, a three-time Norris Trophy winner who drew top-five votes last season, was left out of the NHL Network’s top 20 defensemen list.
Karlsson’s own response is easy to imagine. When he and the reporter had previously confirmed the Norris ballot, Karlsson said, “It’s OK.
I know my worth.”
Elsewhere, PHN turned the microphone over to the readers and asked them to weigh in on a set of realistic Penguins trade scenarios. Five questions, plenty of armchair GM energy, and a chance for fans to decide which deals make sense.
Around the rest of the Pittsburgh sports scene, the Steelers are grinding through another week of training camp in Latrobe, and the latest takeaways point to a hard question: is the defense that dominant, or is the offense simply that messy? On the baseball side, Mitch Keller’s rough season got worse.
His numbers have dropped, his performance has been shaky, and now a forearm injury has ended his year. Keller reacted, and the full Pirates news is out there.
Across the league, the Pacific Division has become a summer talking point, with Sportsnet taking a look at everything from the Edmonton Oilers “pouring gasoline on their tire fire” to the strange ride of the Anaheim Ducks and the rise of the San Jose Sharks. The Hockey News also highlighted five players who could benefit from the Koivunen contract terms, while the Montreal Gazette turned its attention to goalie Sam Montembeault and what comes next after a season that swung from breakout success to a sub .880 save percentage.
And in Montreal, there’s growing buzz around American forward L.J. Mooney, the Pittsburgh kid selected by the Canadiens in the fourth round of the 2025 draft, even though the Penguins passed on him.
In Other News...
Tristan Broz Faces A Tough Penguins Reality He Cant Control
Tristan Broz has already shown enough in the AHL to keep his name in the Penguins conversation, but his path to a steady NHL role has been anything but smooth. Injuries have interrupted his momentum, and with Pittsburgh already having depth at center, every missed stretch has made it harder for the young forward to turn a debut into something more permanent.
The latest wrinkle is Tommy Novaks arrival, which only tightens the competition for ice time down the middle. For Broz, the challenge is no longer just about proving he can play at the NHL level. It is about staying healthy long enough to force the Penguins to make room for him, and right now that part of the equation is still out of his control. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Veterans Could Be Playing For Their Pittsburgh Future
The Penguins are heading into camp with a familiar tension hanging over the roster: a strong season behind them, but not much offseason change to build on it. With the core getting older and new ownership focused on long-term success, this fall feels less like a victory lap and more like a proving ground for veterans who still matter to the teams present, but may not fit neatly into its future plans.
That puts a spotlight on names such as Erik Karlsson and Evgeni Malkin, along with newer additions Samuel Girard, Justin Brazeau and Andrei Kuzmenko, as the front office weighs what comes next. Pittsburgh also has significant cap space available next offseason, which gives the club room to keep pieces in place or pivot if the season points it in another direction. [Read more 🡒]
Kyle Dubas Has Created A Penguins Camp Battle Fans Will Watch
A packed camp and a shortened preseason have turned the Penguins roster fight into one of the more interesting early storylines around the team, especially for younger forwards trying to break through. Justin Brazeau is part of that mix after a breakout season that saw him score 18 goals and 36 points, yet he still enters this stretch without a clear place to stand on the NHL roster.
Kyle Dubas has kept the board moving with a series of veteran and youth-related decisions, which has only made the picture messier for the players hoping to carve out room. The recent addition of Andrei Kuzmenko did not exactly open the door for the younger group, either, leaving names like Elmer Soderblom, Rutger McGroarty, Hendrix Lapierre, Avery Hayes and Nick Robertson all fighting for attention while the Penguins also face a trade market that looks unlikely to deliver a major fix. [Read more 🡒]