Ville Koivunen is already giving the Penguins reasons to feel better about one of their boldest bets from the summer.
On Aug. 6, Pittsburgh handed the young forward an unexpected eight-year, $32 million contract, a move that landed with more surprise than splash.
It wasn’t the kind of headline that comes with a blockbuster trade or a reunion with a franchise icon. Instead, it was a long-term commitment to a player with limited NHL track record and not much on his résumé at that point.
Three games into the 2026-27 season, that gamble is showing real early-life signs of paying off.
Koivunen has opened the year with a goal and two points in three games, and he has stayed in the Penguins’ lineup even with the club’s deep forward group. That alone says plenty about where he stands right now. His play has been enough to keep him in the mix, and the confidence is starting to show in the way he handles the puck.
“I feel like [I'm making] good plays with the puck and making some plays,” Koivunen said. “Maybe last game wasn't too good, but wasn't too bad, either. So, I feel pretty good right now.”
What’s showing up on the ice is the same thing the Penguins were hoping to see after Koivunen spent the summer adding weight and getting stronger. Pittsburgh wanted him harder to knock off the puck and better along the walls, and both of those areas have looked sharper in the first three games.
He’s not rushing to dump the puck just to avoid contact anymore. He looks more willing to hold onto it, protect it, and play through pressure.
“I feel like I'm stronger and I can keep the puck, hold onto pucks more,” Koivunen said. “So, yeah, it feels like it's translated to the ice.
“I think I feel more confident. I'm more confident on the boards, and I don't have to get rid of the puck if I have it there and I feel the pressure. So, that's a thing where, right now, I feel better on the walls.”
The 23-year-old earned his spot the hard way during a shortened training camp, when younger players had less time to make an impression. Koivunen’s preseason work, plus injuries to NHL regulars, helped him crack the opening-night roster. He rewarded that opportunity in a big way, scoring a breakaway goal in the Penguins’ 7-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in the season opener.
He was scratched for the second game, then returned to the lineup for the last two and picked up an assist.
The roster squeeze got tighter before Wednesday’s game against the Washington Capitals, when Pittsburgh needed to activate Bryan Rust from injured reserve and had to make room at full capacity. Koivunen’s eight-year deal has led some to view him as waivers-proof, though the situation still carried a small element of risk for an NHL general manager willing to make a move that aggressive.
From head coach Dan Muse’s perspective, though, Koivunen had already done enough to stay.
“He's played well,” Muse said. “Honestly, I think, for him, coming off of that Philly game, I can't really think of a harder conversation that I've had to have, in recent memory, at least.
“Ville put in the work this summer. I mean, you go back to that last exhibition game, he scores a breakaway goal there in Philly, he has an assist [against Winnipeg], he's making plays, he's stronger, he's done the things that were asked of him, and he's produced on the ice.
So, it's a credit to him and the work he's put in. It's good to see.”
Koivunen understands that the bar has changed now that he’s not just trying to reach the NHL, but trying to prove he can matter there. The contract brought expectations with it, and the next step is showing that the Penguins’ investment was worth it.
For now, he sounds focused on the same simple formula that got him here in the first place.
“Everyone wants to play well, everyone wants to stay up and play here and play your game in the NHL. I think that's what everyone wants to do,” Koivunen said. “I do feel like you get chances here for young guys, and that's good.
“I think it's just work hard and play my game. I know my strengths, use them, and that's pretty much what it is.
Just work hard and try to be a better version of yourself every day. It makes you go a long way.”
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