Penguins Sign Blake Lizotte To Three-Year Extension
The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed depth centerman Blake Lizotte to a three-year, $6.75MM contract extension. The deal will carry an average annual value of $2.25MM. Lizotte was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, after spending the last two years on a deal that paid $1.85MM annually.
Lizotte has locked in his spot at the bottom of Pittsburgh’s lineup over the last two seasons. He has racked up 10 points in 35 games this season, to go with 19 shot blocks, 32 hits, and 36 shots on goal. He’s proven to be a chippy, defense-first center often tasked with pushing the Penguins out of their own zone. Lizotte ranks second on the team in defensive-zone shift starts, beginning 82.5 percent of all shifts in his own end. Despite that, Lizotte has posted a plus-six on the year – the third-highest plus-minus on the Penguins behind Ryan Shea and Anthony Mantha. Lizotte also has a 51.4 faceoff percentage, third-best among the team’s centers behind Sidney Crosby and Noel Acciari.
His knack on defense has pushed Lizotte into a prime penalty killing role. He leads the Penguins in shorthanded ice-time per-game. He has been on the ice for six power-play goals against, half as many as top penalty-killing defenseman Parker Wotherspoon. Tenacious defense has proven the marker of Lizotte’s eight-year career in the NHL. He has managed a positive plus-minus in half of those seasons, despite a routine presence on his team’s shorthanded units.
Lizotte was signed by the Los Angeles Kings asa a college free agent in 2019. He broke into the NHL right away and earned 23 points, 20 penalty minutes, and a minus-five in his first 65 career games. That was enough to keep Lizotte at the top level through the shortened 2020-21 season, where he added 10 points and a plus-two in 41 games. He continued to improve with the Kings – netting 24 points in 2021-22 and a career-high 34 points in 2022-23. Those numbers began to falter as Lizotte faced injury and healthy scratches in the 2022-23 season. He only scored 15 points in 62 games of the contract year, prompting L.A. to leave Lizotte unqualified for the 2024 summer. The Penguins signed the depth center out of the open market and have kept his NHL streak alive ever since. Through eight years in the pros, the undrafted Lizotte has only appeared in one AHL game.
It seems that streak will continue on as Pittsburgh dedicates more money to Lizotte’s role. Having his chippy, depth presence has helped the Penguins allow the 10th-fewest goals in the NHL this season, after they ranked in the bottom-three last year. He will continue on in a hard-nosed, aggressive role behind Pittsburgh’s young stars as they adjust into the NHL.
Penguins Assign Caleb Jones On Conditioning Loan
The Penguins announced they’ve assigned defenseman Caleb Jones to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditioning loan. Since he is on standard injured reserve and not long-term injured reserve, he can remain in the minors for up to 14 days without needing to be activated from IR or placed on waivers.
Jones, 28, hasn’t played since October. The 6’1″ lefty appeared in seven of Pittsburgh’s first eight games before sustaining a lower-body injury that’s now kept him on IR for well over two months, blowing past his initial eight-week return timeline.
Last Friday, Jones told Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he was targeting a return next weekend. That either means his conditioning stint in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will be brief, or he won’t get into game action with the Baby Pens until then. WBS has two games this week: Wednesday at Providence and Friday at home against Hartford, marking the first half of a back-to-back.
The AHL is a familiar environment for Jones. A lineup regular with the Oilers and Blackhawks a few years back, he’s split the last couple of seasons between leagues and played almost exclusively in the AHL last season while in the Kings organization. His fortunes appeared to change after making Pittsburgh’s opening night roster. However, with their defense group stabilizing and the acquisition of Brett Kulak taking away a spot on the left side, it remains to be seen whether Jones will remain on the active roster or land on waivers once he’s activated from IR in the coming days.
The Texas native played solid bottom-pairing hockey to open the season. In seven appearances, he registered an assist and a +1 rating while averaging 17:10 of ice time per game. He was credited with 15 blocks and 10 hits, but controlled only 41.4% of shot attempts at 5-on-5 in a taxing defensive deployment.
Jones signed a two-year, $1.8MM deal with Pittsburgh in the offseason and is due $1MM in actual salary next season. If he’s placed on waivers, a claim is unlikely.
Penguins Recall Rafael Harvey-Pinard
The Penguins brought up some extra forward depth for their afternoon game against Calgary today. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Rafael Harvey-Pinard from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He’s serving as injury insurance for winger Bryan Rust, who the team relayed (Twitter link) is dealing with a lower-body injury.
The 27-year-old is in his first season with Pittsburgh after signing a one-year, two-way deal with them in free agency following a non-tender from Montreal. While Harvey-Pinard has 84 games of NHL experience (where he has a respectable 17 goals and 14 assists), he wasn’t able to secure a roster spot with Pittsburgh in training camp and passed through waivers unclaimed back in October.
Since then, Harvey-Pinard has played exclusively in the minors with relatively middling numbers offensively. Through 32 games in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he has seven goals and six assists, along with 27 penalty minutes. While those numbers don’t scream promotion-worthy, he can play on both wings, giving the team a bit of versatility should they need to call upon him to play.
Pittsburgh had one open roster spot, so they didn’t need to make a demotion or IR placement to make room for Harvey-Pinard on the roster. However, their group is now full at 23 players.
Penguins Activate Evgeni Malkin
The Penguins announced they’ve activated Evgeni Malkin from injured reserve. They reassigned winger Ville Koivunen earlier in the day to open a roster spot, so no corresponding move is required.
Malkin will be in the lineup against the Devils tonight for the first time in 15 games. He’s been practicing for about a week as he works his way back from a lingering upper-body injury that he said had been plaguing him throughout the season, but got aggravated to the point where he needed to sit out.
Before exiting the lineup, the future Hall-of-Famer had arguably been having one of his most impressive seasons to date. Now 39 years old, he’s on pace to breach the point-per-game mark for the first time in three years. His eight goals and 21 assists are good for 29 points in 26 games, second on the Pens at 1.12 points per game.
The Penguins, still in the playoff hunt, didn’t shoulder the absence of a franchise icon well. The first game of his absence coincided with the beginning of an eight-game winless streak. They’ve won five out of six since to get back on track, but went 6-5-4 overall in his absence. They’re now 20-12-9, one point up on the streaking Sabres for the second wild-card spot.
Malkin will have some new linemates tonight in rookie Benjamin Kindel and countryman Yegor Chinakhov, recently acquired from the Blue Jackets, per Michelle Crechiolo of NHL.com. His usual wingers, Justin Brazeau and Anthony Mantha, drop to flank Thomas Novak on Pittsburgh’s third line. They’re likely looking to keep up the better underlying numbers that the duo posted with Novak in Malkin’s absence – they weren’t as productive but were more responsible defensively while still being good for a few scoring bursts.
Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.
Pittsburgh Penguins Reassign Ville Koivunen
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced today that winger Ville Koivunen has been reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
The move does not come as a major surprise as Koivunen has been a healthy scratch twice in the Penguins’ last three games. The 22-year-old winger, who was acquired by the Penguins as part of the 2024 Jake Guentzel trade, entered the season as a key player to watch in Pittsburgh. He scored 21 goals and 56 points for the AHL Penguins last season, and also managed seven assists in eight NHL games, the first NHL games of his career.
Koivunen entered the season ranked as the No. 2 prospect in Pittsburgh’s system according to Elite Prospects, who wrote that “he could ascend to a top-nine or even top-six role, becoming one of the keys to the Penguins’ rebuild.”
That ascension hasn’t happened so far in 2025-26. While he remained a lethal offensive weapon at the AHL level, scoring a whopping 11 points in just six games at that level, he’s struggled to make his mark at the NHL level the way he did in his short cameo last season.
One week ago, The Athletic’s Josh Yohe wrote that Koivunen “has been quite disappointing,” adding that “he isn’t ready for prime time just yet.” The 22-year-old has managed just five points in 27 games this season, averaging 12:41 time on ice per game.
Reassigning Koivunen back to the AHL gives the player an opportunity to receive a more significant level of playing time. He’ll play a leading role in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, rather than a minimal one in Pittsburgh.
In addition, getting the chance to once again play at the AHL level should help Koivunen rebuild some confidence in his scoring abilities, and that could allow him to hit the ground running the next time he’s called up to Pittsburgh.
Penguins Place Rutger McGroarty On IR, Assign Harrison Brunicke To Juniors
The Penguins have placed forward Rutger McGroarty on injured reserve, per a team announcement. McGroarty sustained a concussion after colliding with teammate Connor Clifton during Tuesday’s practice. As such, there is no timeline for his return, the team noted. Additionally, the Pens announced they’ve reassigned defenseman Harrison Brunicke to the Western Hockey League’s Kamloops Blazers after he suited up for Team Canada at this year’s World Juniors.
McGroarty entered the season as Pittsburgh’s top prospect but has had a rocky few months. After churning out 39 points in 60 AHL games as a rookie last season and making his NHL debut, he was expected to break camp with the Pens – potentially even in a top-six role – but sustained an upper-body injury that knocked him out of training camp. He was activated in November and spent his first couple of weeks in the minors on what was essentially a conditioning stint before getting added back to Pittsburgh’s roster on Dec. 1.
He’s been a staple in the lineup since returning, at least until his healthy scratch on Sunday against the Blue Jackets, but those designs of a top-six role have gone unfulfilled. McGroarty has instead spent most of his time on an all-rookie third line with Ville Koivunen and Benjamin Kindel, but the production hasn’t popped.
In 16 games, the 21-year-old has been limited to two goals and one assist with a -5 rating. Including last year’s late-season call-up, he’s only produced six points in 24 career outings. That line with Koivunen and Kindel has had great possession impacts, recording a team-high 59.8 xGF% at 5-on-5, but that hasn’t yet translated into results.
Any chance of those advanced numbers spiking a turnaround in McGroarty’s scoring will have to be put on hold. Recent trade pickup Yegor Chinakhov has slotted into McGroarty’s spot and, considering he’s got a goal and an assist in three games since his acquisition from Columbus, appears set to remain in a top-nine role for the foreseeable future.
Brunicke returning to juniors isn’t a surprise, especially with the more experienced Jack St. Ivany locking down a job as Pittsburgh’s third-pairing righty behind Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang since recovering from an early-season injury. Many still view the 19-year-old as the organization’s top defense prospect, but his initial NHL showing wasn’t much to write home about.
The 6’3″, 201-lb righty was in and out of the lineup for weeks before being loaned to the Canadian national junior team last month, only making nine appearances with one assist and a -4 rating. He averaged 15:43 of ice time per game and posted a -6 rating in his final three outings.
Since Brunicke didn’t hit the 10-game mark before being returned to Kamloops, his entry-level contract will not go into effect this season. He will still receive the $87.5K signing bonus he’s owed, though, further reducing his cap hit from its original $875K down to $816.7K when he is no longer slide eligible next year.
Penguins, Egor Zamula Terminate Contract
Jan. 6, 1:04 p.m.: Zamula has cleared waivers and is now an unrestricted free agent, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He’s expected to sign another NHL deal this week with at least six teams expressing interest, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic.
Jan. 5, 1:10 p.m.: Zamula has officially hit unconditional waivers, per Frank Seravalli of Victory+.
Jan. 5, 11:28 a.m.: The Penguins are set to place defenseman Egor Zamula on unconditional waivers on Monday, PuckPedia reports. He will have his contract terminated if he clears tomorrow, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Zamula was suspended without pay on Saturday for refusing to report to Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Russian rearguard had been acquired just days before from the Flyers in exchange for winger Philip Tomasino.
It’s not surprising to see Zamula opt for a contract termination, although few expected it to happen after a trade. Zamula cleared standard waivers while with Philadelphia and initially reported to their AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley, where he remained assigned at the time of the swap. The 25-year-old then quickly changed his agents and was reportedly considering triggering a contract termination by failing to report, with the Flyers being open to taking a forward contract back in a separate trade for future considerations.
That was, of course, assuming Zamula signed with said team after clearing unconditional waivers with the Flyers. Since he was traded before hitting the wire, Pittsburgh will now have parted ways with Tomasino without getting anything out of Zamula in his brief time under contract with the organization.
Zamula will be walking away from about half of the $1.4MM base salary he was owed this season. There is still interest in his services from other NHL teams, and he’s expected to quickly sign a new deal – likely for the prorated league minimum – quickly after becoming a free agent tomorrow, per PuckPedia.
The 6’3″, 200-lb lefty will bring an 8-33–41 career scoring line in 168 NHL games to the open market. That includes one assist and a +4 rating in 13 appearances with the Flyers earlier this year.
Jack Johnson Announces Retirement
Entering unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career, Johnson signed a five-year, $16.25MM contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins ahead of the 2018-19 season. Despite averaging nearly three hits a game for Pittsburgh, his offense didn’t hold up to the contract value. Johnson finished his tenure with the Penguins with four goals and 24 points in 149 games, and had the final three years of his contract bought out after the 2019-20 campaign.
Ryan Shea Is Going To Get A Big Raise This Summer
Saying that Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea is having a career year would be a massive understatement. The 28-year-old has two goals and 14 assists in 41 games, is a +15, and averages over 19 minutes a night.
While plus/minus is a flawed statistic, it is eye-opening to see it that high. Shea has played up and down the Penguins’ defense this season, pairing with the likes of Kris Letang, Jack St. Ivany, Harrison Brunicke, and Parker Wotherspoon. No disrespect to any of those players, but St. Ivany has been a tweener to this point in his career, Brunicke is back playing in the World Juniors, and Letang has been a mess defensively for most of the year, making the +15 all the more impressive.
Shea spent much of the season paired with Letang, but in the last week, Shea and St. Ivany have formed an effective shutdown pairing for the Penguins, coinciding with an intense stretch of play for the team. Shea’s adaptability and offensive emergence couldn’t have come at a better time for the three-year NHL pro, as he is slated to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and is set to earn a healthy raise from the $900K he is making this year.
Shea signed that one-year deal last March, and it seemed like an odd bit of business for the Penguins at the time, as they were busy selling off at the trade deadline and Shea was a candidate to be moved. Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas clearly saw something he liked in Shea’s game and gave him a raise and guaranteed NHL money for this season in an extension that has been a windfall for Pittsburgh at a time when they needed a left-handed defenseman to step up and fill a massive weakness.
Not only did Shea step up, but he also effectively became the type of player Pittsburgh needed to acquire if they wanted to contend for a playoff spot, which may or may not have been the plan. Regardless of the intentions, Pittsburgh is in the playoff hunt, and Shea has been a massive part of that.
So, what is the plan for Shea now? That is the million-dollar question, or in Shea’s case, the multi-million-dollar question.
At the beginning of the season, AFP Analytics projected a one-year deal worth $1.075MM for Shea next season. That number is obviously going to be different now, but it’s fair to wonder how different it will be.
Shea has a lot working in his favor in his contract negotiations. He is still relatively young, doesn’t have a lot of NHL mileage on his body, and capable defensemen are always in demand.
Just look at one of his predecessors as Letang’s partner, Brian Dumoulin, who is much older and worn down, and who got three years and $12MM as a UFA last summer. On the flip side, Shea doesn’t have a long NHL resume, having played 111 games and entering his third season.
He also doesn’t have a track record as an impact defender outside this year. Shea had pedestrian results last season in 39 games, posting two goals and three assists, but he was leaned on heavily defensively. He didn’t have too many opportunities to chip in offensively.
His free agency is going to get interesting over the next two months, particularly if the Penguins stay in contention for a playoff spot and opt to hold onto him. Pittsburgh gave Shea his NHL opportunity, signing him to NHL money before he ever played an NHL game, demonstrating faith in his ability to become an NHL defenseman.
That 2023 signing showed absolute trust from Dubas and the Penguins, and it makes one wonder whether Shea will reward the team with a discount in negotiations. There is also a precise fit for both Shea and the team.
He fills a need well, and even on an extension, he won’t cost more than a potential replacement would in free agency or a trade. That said, there is always a risk in signing a one-hit wonder, as his play could be a mirage, and you end up locked in long-term with a player who can’t cut it in the NHL.
If the Penguins fall out of contention, on the other hand, it could change the complexion of Shea’s future, particularly if they deal him to a different team. Therein lies the risk for Shea, because if he gets traded elsewhere and falls flat on his face, it would pretty much tank his prospects for a long-term deal on the open market. But if he gets moved and succeeds, it removes a significant question mark surrounding him.
It remains to be seen whether Pittsburgh will even deal Shea if they fall out of contention. They didn’t last year, when Shea was more of an unknown, and it would seem silly to trade him now, when you have a better idea of what he can be in the NHL.
Pittsburgh might just sign him even if they fall out of contention, because they have the cap space and know what they have in Shea. They also have a ton of other pending UFA defensemen who don’t figure to be part of their future, and they could move those instead.
What could Shea be looking at in terms of a contract extension? It’s hard to predict, given the current economic climate.
Still, there are a couple of comparables, such as the Flyers’ Emil Andrae and the Flames’ Jake Bean. AFP Analytics has Bean pegged for a two-year deal worth $2.25MM per season, while Andrae is projected at $1.7MM AAV on a two-year deal. Declan Chisholm of the Capitals is another decent comparison in terms of career numbers. He signed his contract extension as an RFA, inking a two-year deal worth $1.6MM annually.
The issue with the Chisholm comparison is that he was an RFA, while Shea is unrestricted. However, using the framework of all the aforementioned contracts, it seems likely that Shea is headed for a two-year deal, possibly three, at a rate that probably tops the Bean projection.
However, this is the NHL, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see Shea sign a four-year deal worth $3MM or more annually, given the surging salary cap and teams’ desperation for reliable defenseman.
Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.
Egor Zamula Suspended In AHL
It appears that some controversy has already started with one of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ recent acquisitions. According to the AHL transactions log, the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have suspended defenseman Egor Zamula.
There’s minimal reporting on Zamula’s status, and the AHL Penguins have yet to announce the decision. Still, regardless of the reasoning behind the suspension, it certainly throws a wrench in the Penguins’ plans after trading for Zamula only three days ago.
Zamula may be continuing to posture that he should be on an NHL roster and is refusing to report to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Shortly before the trade to Pittsburgh, Zamula changed his representation to Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey and was considering mutually terminating his contract to explore other opportunities.
Still, refusing to report to the AHL doesn’t necessarily mean that Zamula is unhappy about his newfound home with the Penguins. There may be a potential handshake agreement between Zamula and Pittsburgh for a future recall, but the team is currently unable to implement it. If that’s the case, the AHL Penguins would have to suspend him for failing to report, regardless of any potential agreement.
Although that situation is plausible, it’s unclear how Zamula fits into the Penguins’ roster as currently constructed. The team has seven defensemen on the active roster, with Caleb Jones on the injured reserve. Given how they’ve been playing lately, it wouldn’t make much sense for Pittsburgh to make a change to their defensive core unless they trade a defenseman off the team.
For the sake of his continued development, Zamula and his representation will have to find a longer-term solution sooner rather than later. Despite being healthy this season, he’s only appeared in 13 games for the Flyers and three games for the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Fortunately, even if Zamula is unhappy with a continued stay in the AHL, the Penguins don’t stand to lose much even if he ultimately leaves the organization. Initially, they traded Philip Tomasino for Zamula in the deal with Philadelphia. He has primarily been playing for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, with limited chances to return to NHL games with the Penguins.