The Pittsburgh Penguins are heading toward training camp with more forwards than they can comfortably fit, but the bigger question may be on the back end, where the left side still looks unsettled enough that a professional tryout could make sense.
That’s the kind of low-risk move general manager Kyle Dubas has used before. With September near, unsigned players often land on PTOs, and the Penguins could use one to stir up competition on defense without committing real money.
The right side is crowded. The left side is where the uncertainty lives.
At the top of the depth chart, there are two expected regulars in free agent addition Declan Carlile and last season’s trade acquisition Sam Girard. After that, it gets murky fast. Trevor van Riemsdyk is the most likely right-handed defender to slide into a left-side role, but the group behind him includes Ryan Graves, Owen Pickering, Ilya Solovyov and Caleb Jones, who is coming off March shoulder surgery and may or may not be ready for camp.
None of those options are locked in.
That’s why a PTO could be useful, whether the goal is to buy time until Pickering is ready or to find a veteran who can stabilize the blue line and maybe become tradeable later. Logan Stanley is one name that stands out, but he’s probably headed for a contract somewhere or a guaranteed roster spot if he reports, especially after earlier summer reports said he wanted a multi-year deal. That makes him a long shot for a tryout.
A few more realistic candidates remain.
Jake Bean, 28, fits the “buy low” label. His season ended in December after surgery for a lingering issue, and he was in and out of Calgary’s lineup before that. He can move the puck, but he doesn’t bring much size or physical edge.
Ben Hutton is another possibility. The 33-year-old’s five-year run with the Vegas Golden Knights is over, and he spent that stretch as a depth defenseman who kept finding his way into the lineup.
He’s steady, familiar with the league and doesn’t stand out in a flashy way, but he also doesn’t have obvious holes in his game. That kind of profile could help the Penguins balance any of their three pairings.
Nick Leddy, 35, is the veteran of the group and seems closest to the end. A lower-body injury wiped out most of his season with the San Jose Sharks, and when he came back late, his ice time dropped. Even so, he could serve as a temporary solution until Pickering is ready and, if he bounces back, possibly turn into a trade chip.
There are other unsigned defensemen with NHL experience, including Carson Soucy and Mike Reilly, but the source material says their styles don’t fit the Penguins well and they wouldn’t bring much trade value even if they won a camp battle.
The Penguins’ history with PTOs isn’t exactly reassuring.
In the salary cap era, this has not been a team that consistently finds gold on tryouts. The term PTO didn’t really become common until after the 2012-13 lockout, and before Dubas arrived, camp rosters could sometimes be only about 50 players. There were invitees before that, including Dennis Bonvie in 2005 and 2006, though he made his name with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
The organization has had only a handful of real hits. Chuck Kobasew in 2012-13 and Tom Sestito in 2015 stand out among the early examples, with Sestito later joining the organization and playing a few games to make Sidney Crosby “feel a foot taller.”
Under Dubas, the track record has been rough. The Penguins have signed 10 PTOs, and most of them have gone nowhere.
Jesse Puljujarvi and Libor Hájek asked for contract terminations while in the AHL. Robby Fabbri signed elsewhere.
Only Puljujarvi and Colin White reached NHL games, with Puljujarvi appearing in 48 games over two seasons and White appearing in 11.
Brian Boyle is the clearest success story from that group, unless Marc-Andre Fleury’s brief return last fall counts for the good vibes it brought before he retired.
Here’s the full list of Penguins PTOs since 2012:
2013-14: Chuck Kobasew - NHL camp PTO; signed a one-year contract with Pittsburgh
2014-15: Daniel Carcillo - NHL camp PTO; released
2015-16: Sergei Gonchar - NHL camp PTO; released, then retired
2015-16: Tom Sestito - NHL camp PTO; joined WBS and later signed an NHL contract with Pittsburgh
2017-18: Jay McClement - NHL camp PTO; released
2021-22: Brian Boyle - NHL camp PTO; signed a one-year NHL contract
2021-22: Matt Bartkowski - NHL camp PTO; released from NHL camp, then joined WBS
2023-24: Peter Abbandonato - NHL camp PTO; released
2023-24: Libor Hájek - NHL camp PTO; signed a contract and joined WBS
2023-24: Mark Pysyk - NHL camp PTO; remained in camp while injured but did not earn a contract
2023-24: Austin Wagner - NHL camp PTO; did not earn an NHL contract, then joined WBS
2023-24: Colin White - NHL camp PTO; signed a one-year, two-way contract with Pittsburgh
2023-24: Jesse Puljujärvi - Pittsburgh free-agent tryout, later WBS PTO; scored nine points in 13 AHL games and signed a two-year NHL contract
2024-25: Nikolai Knyzhov - NHL camp PTO; released
2025-26: Robby Fabbri - NHL camp PTO; released
2025-26: Cal Burke - NHL camp PTO; sent to WBS camp and subsequently released
2025-26: Brett Murray - NHL camp PTO; sent to WBS camp and subsequently released
2025-26: Jake Livingstone - NHL camp PTO; released
2025-26: Marc-André Fleury - Ceremonial NHL PTO; played part of one preseason game and retired
In Other News...
Penguins Camp Could Shake Up A Forward Battle Fans Are Watching
Players are starting to trickle back for a shortened Penguins training camp, and that alone puts a little extra edge on the weeks ahead. Pittsburgh enters camp with some real roster choices to make, especially when it comes to balancing younger talent with veteran experience, and those decisions are going to be felt both on defense and up front.
Ville Koivunen and Owen Pickering are among the names worth watching closely because what they do in camp could help shape the final roster picture. For a team trying to sort out who fits where before the season begins, every practice rep and preseason look matters, and the competition for forward spots could be one of the more interesting battles to follow. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Have A Camp Battle Fans Should Be Watching Closely
The Penguins added a little extra size and intrigue up front when they brought in Elmer Soderblom from the Red Wings in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick. He didnt take long to make an impression after the move, producing five goals and 10 points in 20 games for Pittsburgh while also getting into five playoff games and scoring once, enough to keep him in the conversation as the roster starts to take shape again.
Soderblom is signed through the 2026-27 season, which gives Pittsburgh some security if his camp push carries over into the fall. The real question now is whether he can turn that brief glimpse into a more permanent spot, because the Penguins have at least one forward battle worth watching closely when camp opens. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Could Revisit A Risky Roster Move Fans Know Too Well
With the NHL moving toward a 33rd team by the end of the year and a possible 34th franchise not far behind, league front offices are already having to think ahead to the kind of roster gymnastics expansion forces. For the Penguins, that kind of planning can bring back a familiar conversation, because expansion drafts tend to squeeze contenders into choosing between protecting depth and preserving flexibility for the future.
Pittsburgh fans know the tension well enough, and it could be back on the radar as the leagues next wave of growth takes shape. The broader NHL chatter has also been full of movement around other clubs, from E.J. Hradek floating possible landing spots for Connor McDavid if he ever leaves Edmonton to the Islanders unveiling a fan-selected alternate jersey for 2027-28, but the Penguins interest is more immediate: how to navigate another potentially risky roster decision without getting caught flat-footed. [Read more 🡒]