The Pittsburgh Penguins came out of the opening day of NHL unrestricted free agency with more questions than clear answers, and the biggest one still hanging over everything is Jason Robertson.
That pursuit has been obvious for a while, and nothing about Wednesday changed it. The Penguins still want the Dallas forward badly enough that the connection keeps shaping the rest of their offseason.
Kyle Dubas has long liked Robertson, and the Penguins even traded for Robertson’s brother on Wednesday. But Dallas still appears to be controlling the pace, with the Stars preferring to keep him even as his asking price makes a trade feel more likely.
At the same time, Pittsburgh’s roster is getting crowded in a way that does not exactly scream “youth movement.” The Penguins already have a lot of forwards, and the list keeps growing.
Along with the players they added Wednesday, they also have Hendrix Lapierre and David Gustafsson, plus Justin Brazeau still on the roster. That puts them at 15 forwards on paper.
Even if Gustafsson doesn’t make the team, that still leaves 14. Rutger McGroarty and Avery Hayes haven’t even been counted yet, and they still have to earn NHL spots.
Depth is useful. This feels like more than that.
There’s also a clear attempt to follow the same general playbook that worked for them last summer. Assistant GM Jason Spezza said Declan Carlile, who signed for two years at a $1.5 million average annual value, can fill the role Ryan Shea left behind.
Carlile is being viewed as a player with a profile similar to Parker Wotherspoon, another inexpensive signing from July 1 last year. If Carlile turns into what Shea and Wotherspoon were for Pittsburgh, it will be a strong move.
That’s a big if, though, because Shea and Wotherspoon were the Penguins’ most dependable defensive defensemen last season.
The blue line still has an odd shape to it. The right side is crowded with Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Harrison Brunicke, Trevor van Riemsdyk and Kaedan Korczak.
The left side looks thin by comparison, with Sam Girard and Carlile standing out most at the moment. Girard didn’t play especially well after coming over from Colorado last season, and Carlile has only 46 games of NHL experience.
Shea’s departure stings more in that context. He signed with Edmonton for $20 million over five years, and the sense around Pittsburgh is that he was the kind of steady, useful player who fits well next to younger guys. The Penguins would look better with him still on the left side.
Another notable addition is Andrei Kuzmenko, who looks like the replacement for Anthony Mantha. The skill is obvious.
Kuzmenko has “million-dollar hands” and does a lot of damage around the net, which should get him onto the top power play right away. But there are real concerns, too.
He’s described as a poor skater, not good defensively, and streaky. Coaching will matter with him, because the Penguins need to squeeze out what he does best and hide what he doesn’t.
That issue matters because Nick Robertson brings a similar problem. He has talent and has scored 14, 15 and 16 goals over the past three seasons, but his defensive game is also a concern.
As things stand now, neither Kuzmenko nor Nick Robertson would likely be in the top six. They would almost certainly land on the third line with Ben Kindel, and that kind of setup would put two shaky defensive players together in a spot where balance matters.
Goaltending, meanwhile, looks settled. Sergei Murashov and Artūrs Šilovs are almost certainly the duo heading into next season in Pittsburgh, with only a disastrous camp from Murashov threatening that arrangement.
That became even clearer when Stuart Skinner signed a two-year deal with the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday. The Penguins liked Skinner as a teammate, but they believe Šilovs has a higher ceiling, and they think Murashov’s ceiling is even higher.
All of this still leaves Pittsburgh with a major advantage: room to spend. Even after all the movement, the Penguins are $25 million under the salary cap. New ownership gives them the flexibility to use that space.
And yet the story keeps circling back to Robertson. The Penguins believe he would change them right away, and Spezza said some of the veterans are pushing for signings and trades.
That makes sense. The older players want to win now, and Robertson would help in that chase while also fitting the long-term picture at 26.
Dallas still has the leverage. Stars GM Jim Nill said on Wednesday that he still wants to sign Robertson, though he also expects to make several trades this offseason. For now, the Penguins remain in the mix, regardless of how crowded the forward group looks or how thin the left side of the defense might be.
In Other News...
Former Penguins Depth Defenseman Just Landed A Stunning Long Term Deal
Ryan Sheas climb has taken an unexpected turn for a player who once looked like depth insurance. The 29-year-old left-shot defenseman made his NHL debut with Pittsburgh in 2023-24 after being drafted by the Blackhawks back in 2015, and after carving out a foothold, he just earned a major payday from Edmonton in the form of a five-year deal worth $4 million per season.
For the Penguins, it is another reminder of how quickly a low-profile blueliner can turn into a sought-after piece once he finds his footing. Sheas breakout in 2025-26 gave the Oilers plenty to buy into, and the timing of the move was notable, coming shortly after Edmonton sent Darnell Nurse to San Jose as it reshaped its defense for the long term. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Just Made A Quiet Forward Move Worth Watching
Atley Calverts climb has been a patient one, and the Penguins have now given it a little more structure with a two-year, entry-level contract for the 22-year-old winger. The undrafted forward arrived in the organization after working through the AHL and ECHL, the kind of path that usually means every step has to be earned rather than assumed.
Calvert has shown enough along the way to keep moving up, with 52 points in 96 AHL games after standing out as a scorer in junior hockey with the Moose Jaw Warriors. For Pittsburgh, it is a low-key move on paper, but the sort of depth signing that can matter if a young forward keeps translating production into a bigger opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins May Finally Use A Painful Contract To Fix Their Blue Line
The Penguins search for help on the blue line has led them back to a familiar kind of solution, one tied to a contract that has been difficult to move and a defenseman who has long carried real value. According to a report from Sportsnets Nick Kypreos, Pittsburgh has shown interest in Edmontons Darnell Nurse, with Ryan Graves at the center of the framework the Penguins have put in front of the Oilers.
So far, Edmonton has reportedly not been willing to absorb Graves deal, which leaves the idea stuck at the bargaining stage for now. The next step appears to hinge on how much Oilers general manager Stan Bowman is willing to adjust his position to get a trade done, and whether Pittsburgh would need to add more to persuade Edmonton to take on the contract baggage and turn the concept into something workable. [Read more 🡒]