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Penguins Sign Luke Richardson To PTO

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed goaltender Luke Richardson to a professional try-out agreement, per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports. Rorabaugh points out that Kain Tisi – the current goalie coach of the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton – coached him during his time with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers.

Richardson, 25, is five years removed from his years in Kitchener, since spending three years at Queens University, signing with the AHL’s Belleville Senators at the tail-end of the 2022-23 season. That made last year Richardson’s first full pro season, though he only managed to slot into 12 games for the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits. However, he won in seven of those appearances, while saving 298 of the 320 shots he faced (.931). That’s a strong way to start a career and continues Richardson’s reliability from college. He posted a combined .922 save percentage through 62 games and three seasons, per HockeyDB.

Richardson will now look to truly sink his teeth into a pro career under his former coach. He’ll step into a crowded Penguins goaltending room – joining Joel Blomqvist, Sergei Murashov, Taylor Gauthier, and Filip Larsson in the fight for AHL ice time. Winning out minutes over that bunch could be difficult, though even a full season as the ECHL backup could provide Richardson with an uptick in games. He’s stood tall in his pro appearances so far and may even end up a surprise of training camp if he stays locked in.

Erik Karlsson Out Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury

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Metropolitan Notes: Crosby, Ovechkin, Broz

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Sidney Crosby’s extension structure could help open the door to a trade deadline move in 2027 if the Penguins aren’t competitive in the final year of his new deal, Rob Rossi of The Athletic writes.

The two-year, 35+ extension Crosby signed yesterday will be paid out mostly via signing bonuses – $15.53MM of its $17.4MM total value, to be exact. That means his base salary for the final year of the contract is just $1.09MM, per PuckPedia.

By the time the trade deadline rolls around in March 2027, Crosby would only cost roughly $240K in actual cash to any team hoping to bring the generational talent to their city for a Stanley Cup run. It would also be a relatively cheap proposition for a team to acquire Crosby during the 2026 offseason after his $6.53MM signing bonus is paid out on July 1, especially if the Penguins retained half his salary to reduce his cap hit to $4.35MM, as Rossi points out.

While core piece Kris Letang is signed through 2028, Crosby’s second-in-command at center Evgeni Malkin is now slated for free agency a year earlier than Sid in 2026. “If, after next season, one or both of his dear friends have moved on and the Penguins aren’t closer to winning their first playoff series since 2018, who would begrudge Crosby for wanting what could be his final NHL season to be a shot at the Cup somewhere else?“, Rossi wrote.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Moving to Crosby’s longtime rival, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is no worse for wear after appearing to strain a muscle early in Monday’s informal skate, reports Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Ovechkin, who turns 39 today, participated in another informal skate Tuesday with no apparent restrictions ahead of training camp beginning Wednesday. The 2004 first-overall pick enters the season 41 goals shy of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894.
  • Back to Pittsburgh, Penguins center prospect Tristan Broz is quickly pushing his way up the organizational depth chart amid a strong rookie camp performance, writes Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Minnesota native, who turns 22 in October, was a second-round pick back in 2021 and will embark on his first professional season this fall after winning a national championship last season as a junior at the University of Denver. Broz finished fourth on the loaded Pioneers team in scoring with 40 points (16 G, 24 A) in 43 games. A spot on the opening night roster will be difficult to land, but he’s at least putting himself high on the list of potential in-season call-ups from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Metropolitan Notes: St. Ivany, Tuomaala, Duclair

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Jack St. Ivany has the inside track at landing the third pairing right defense spot that will be up for grabs during Penguins training camp, opines Josh Yohe of The Athletic.

St. Ivany, 25, was a fourth-round pick of the rival Flyers in 2018 but didn’t sign with them following his senior season at Boston College in 2022. He instead landed in Pittsburgh as a free agent, signing a two-year, entry-level contract.

The California native reached the NHL last season after spending his first pro campaign entirely in the minors, recording an assist while averaging 13:42 per game over 14 contests over a late-season call-up. He didn’t have many visible mistakes, only logging three giveaways, although his overall defensive impact was questionable, with a -6.5 relative CF% at even strength in tough but not overwhelmingly difficult minutes.

But as Yohe points out, St. Ivany doesn’t have many legitimate challengers for the role, at least among right-shot defenders. Free agent addition Sebastian Aho could flip to his off-side and be a higher-upside option offensively if the Penguins wish, though.

St. Ivany signed a three-year, league-minimum extension back in May and has a two-way salary structure this year and next. He’s also still waiver-exempt, so if he falls behind off-handed competition like Aho and Ryan Shea during training camp, there’s nothing stopping Pittsburgh from assigning him to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton without incident.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Flyers prospect Samu Tuomaala remains absent from rookie camp and is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, per Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. The 21-year-old right-winger has two years remaining on his entry-level contract and is coming off an impressive first season with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, where he finished third in scoring with 43 points (15 G, 28 A) in 69 games. The 2021 second-round pick is destined for the Phantoms once again to open the season but should put himself under consideration for an NHL call-up and corresponding debut over the course of the season.
  • The Islanders will indeed kick off camp with free agent signing Anthony Duclair riding shotgun on the top line with Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat, head coach Patrick Roy told reporters today (via Stefen Rosner of NHL.com and The Hockey News). The 29-year-old Duclair did quite well in a similar role in a limited time for the Lightning after they acquired him from the Sharks at last year’s deadline, posting 15 points in 17 games next to their star-powered duo of Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov. The Isles signed Duclair, who’s averaged 21 goals and 43 points per 82 games throughout his career, to a four-year, $14MM deal on July 1.

Penguins Sign Sidney Crosby To Two-Year Extension

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The Penguins have signed captain Sidney Crosby to a two-year, $17.4MM contract extension, the team announced. It carries a cap hit of $8.7MM.

Crosby’s deal will be paid out mostly in signing bonuses, per PuckPedia. He’ll earn $780K in base salary with a $9MM signing bonus in 2025-26 and a $1.09MM base salary with a $6.53MM signing bonus in 2026-27. As suspected, his contract includes a full no-move clause.

In an instant, a giant cloud that would have loomed over Pittsburgh’s training camp later this week dissipated. The two-year pact ends an unexpected extension saga that began two months ago after reports that Crosby and the Pens were finalizing a deal went unfulfilled.

Some anxiety returned when Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on the “32 Thoughts” podcast earlier this month that Crosby was still weighing multiple extension offers from the Penguins but had yet to put pen to paper because he wasn’t sure whether he’d be able to “handle” missing the playoffs on a retooling club while still performing at an elite level. The 37-year-old told Friedman last week that he was “pretty optimistic” an extension would be done before training camp.

The two-year length shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. It allows the Penguins more salary cap flexibility in the future should the aging curve finally come for Crosby, as alluded to by Friedman on Friday, and it also gives him another opportunity to move on from Pittsburgh in 2027 should the Penguins’ record not return to a meaningfully competitive level.

Entering his 20th season, Crosby is still the heart and soul of hockey in Pittsburgh. The 2005 first-overall pick finished ninth in both Hart and Selke Trophy voting last season after leading the Penguins in goals (42), assists (52), points (94), and shots on goal (278).

“There are no words to properly describe what Sidney Crosby means to the game of hockey, the city of Pittsburgh and the Penguins organization,” said general manager Kyle Dubas. “Sidney is the greatest player of his generation and one of the greatest players in the history of the game. His actions today show why he is one of hockey’s greatest winners and leaders. Sid is making a tremendous personal sacrifice in an effort to help the Penguins win, both now and in the future, as he has done for his entire career.”

Crosby could have become an unrestricted free agent for the first time next summer without an extension. The three-time Stanley Cup champion is entering the final season of the 12-year, $104.4MM mega-deal with an $8.7MM cap hit he signed in 2012. The first deal he signed following the expiry of his entry-level contract, a five-year, $43.5MM pact that covered from 2008-09 to 2012-13, also had an $8.7MM AAV.

He is still playing at a superstar level, yet this is a much more cost-effective contract for Pittsburgh than his previous ones. That first extension cost 15.34% of the cap when it went into effect in 2008, while today’s deal takes up just 9.89% of the salary cap at its start. That’s not to say his previous deals weren’t bargains, though – The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn estimates Crosby has left roughly $43MM on the table throughout his career by taking deals lower than market value.

Assuming a $92MM salary cap for 2025-26, the Pens have $23.3MM in projected cap space for next season with seven open roster spots, per PuckPedia. They only have one notable pending RFA, fresh trade pickup Cody Glass. But there’s a decent slate of pending UFAs on Pittsburgh’s books, headlined by defenseman Marcus Pettersson. Those extension talks are expected to shift into high gear with Crosby’s deal becoming official.

Crosby sits 21st in league history in goals (592), 14th in assists (1,004), 10th in points (1,596), and eighth in points per game (1.25) among players with at least 500 appearances. The latter is the most telling stat, with concussions costing ’Sid The Kid’ a good chunk of his prime in the early 2010s. He was rightfully named among the 100 greatest players in NHL history during the league’s centennial celebration in 2017.

The Penguins have missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, their first time outside the playoff picture since Crosby’s rookie season in 2006. Both sides hope Crosby’s discount deal helps them return to form.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Snapshots: Crosby, Ullmark, Perfetti

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Elliotte Friedman spoke on his 32 Thoughts podcast about Sidney Crosby’s contract negotiations with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Friedman believes that Crosby will sign a short-term deal because he doesn’t want to leave the Penguins in a difficult salary cap situation if his play was to fall off. Friedman adds that he has talked to sources who’ve said that Crosby doesn’t want to do anything that would affect the long-term outlook for the Penguins or his legacy with the team. Crosby is coming off one of the finest seasons ever for a 36-year-old after posting 94 points in 82 games and appears more open to playing into his 40s, however, no one knows if that is his intention.

In other news from around the NHL:

  • Elliotte Friedman reported on the 32 Thoughts podcast that the Boston Bruins traded Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators before signing Jeremy Swayman, because they were concerned that if they waited until July, Ullmark could change his no-trade list and put Ottawa on it. Boston did not have to ask the former Vezina Trophy winner for permission to move him to the Senators, however, it did create a situation where they now rely solely on Swayman for starting goaltending this season, which could be problematic if Swayman misses any length of time due to a contract dispute.
  • The Winnipeg Jets and forward Cole Perfetti appear to have a gap in the financials regarding the 22-year-old’s contract extension (as per Elliotte Friedman). Perfetti is reportedly negotiating a bridge deal with the Jets, and while they appear to be on the same page with regard to terms, the two sides have room between them when it comes to dollars. Perfetti is coming off his third NHL season and posted 19 goals and 19 assists last year in 71 games while averaging just 13:35 of ice time per game. He was benched down the stretch last season but does seem poised for a breakout this year, particularly if he can continue to generate chances in the offensive zone and post good defensive numbers.

Metropolitan Notes: Howe, Hurricanes, Kolosov

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Pittsburgh Penguins forward prospect Tanner Howe will reportedly not take part in the prospect challenge event that is taking place in Buffalo this weekend due to an injury (as per Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports). Howe is dealing with a facial injury that will keep him out of action in the short term, although he is being called day to day. No specifics of the facial injury were released.

Howe was selected by the Penguins in the second round of this year’s NHL entry draft (46th overall) and was quickly signed to an ELC in early July. The 18-year-old will likely return to Regina to captain the Pats once again this season and shouldn’t face any issues with the injury as it isn’t expected to be a long-term concern.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • The Carolina Hurricanes unveiled development plans today that are expected to create a Raleigh Sports and Entertainment District that will surround Carolina’s home PNC Arena. Pacific Elm Properties and Gale Force Sports and Entertainment formally announced the plans that will see the redevelopment of the 80-acre site into a $1B mixed-use development. The new area will provide dining and entertainment options for fans of both the Hurricanes and nearby North Carolina State basketball as well as sports tailgating and programming, including a large 4300-seat music venue. Work on the project is expected to begin in December 2025.
  • Philadelphia Flyers goaltending prospect Alexei Kolosov will reportedly not be taking part in the team’s 2024 rookie training camp that starts tomorrow (as per Jordan Hall of NBC Sports). The news likely means that the 22-year-old will not be part of the team’s main camp and leaves his status up in the air heading into the 2024-25 season. Reports had leaked earlier in the summer that Kolosov may return to the KHL because of issues adapting to life in North America after he spent a month in the AHL with the Flyers affiliate. Kolosov has signed his entry-level deal with the Flyers and the team expects him to play in North America this season, but his absence from rookie camp further complicates the situation between the player and team.

Penguins Expected To Begin Negotiations With Marcus Pettersson Soon

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are expected to turn their attention to extending defenseman Marcus Pettersson once they have finalized a new contract for captain Sidney Crosby (as per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period). Pettersson is entering the final year of a five-year $20.13MM contract that he originally signed in January 2020. The deal has been an absolute bargain for the Penguins as the 29-year-old has blossomed into Pittsburgh’s most reliable defender.

Pettersson was originally acquired by Pittsburgh from the Anaheim Ducks back in December 2018. The deal was a one-for-one with forward Daniel Sprong heading back to the Ducks. The deal turned out to be fairly one-sided as Sprong has become a journeyman depth scorer while Pettersson has developed into a legitimate top four defenseman.

There is no indication on what kind of a contract Pettersson will be seeking, but given his importance to the Penguins, it’s not hard to picture him getting an extension in the range of $5.5MM to $6MM per season on a long-term pact. The Penguins don’t have another defender like Pettersson and might not be a top destination as the team enters a period of transition where they are attempting to remain competitive while building for the future.

Pettersson is hardly a household name but could certainly command a lucrative long-term deal in free agency, particularly if he can match his production from last season when he posted career highs in goals with four and assists with 26 as well as a +28 rating.

Poll: Which Non-Playoff Team From The East Will Return In 2024-25?

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The 2024 Stanley Cup playoff picture in the Eastern Conference was similar to 2023 aside from a few changes to the seeding of the eight teams. The only team switch was the Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils with the former making it in as the final wild-card team in the Conference on the last day of the regular season. The 2024-25 season will bring similar hypotheticals as any new season in which teams will ultimately find themselves in the group of 16.

New Jersey may be the early favorite to return to the playoffs after an impressive summer. The team added a salary-retained Jacob Markstrom in an early-summer swap with the Calgary Flames while handing out big-ticket contracts to Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon. That trio should help the team dramatically improve upon their 3.43 GA/G (28th) from last season with the offense still as staunch as ever. The only concern that may carry over from last season is the organization’s recurring injury concerns. Only four players are returning from last year that played in 75+ games and New Jersey will need to keep a much healthier lineup if they want another shot at the Stanley Cup.

There has been an informal race throughout the last several years as to which of the Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, or Ottawa Senators will return to the playoffs the quickest in the Atlantic Division. Detroit came close last year by tying in points with the Capitals on the final day of the regular season but ultimately losing on the tiebreaker of ’Regulation Wins’. The Sabres made a point to strengthen their bottom six this summer while the Red Wings largely added around the edges. Ottawa made the biggest splash by bringing in goaltender Linus Ullmark in a trade with the Boston Bruins and should have center Joshua Norris around for much of the season.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be another team to look out for as they’ve missed each of the last two postseasons by a combined four points. None of the other teams in the Eastern Conference have the benefit of deploying Sidney Crosby making Pittsburgh an immediate threat to qualify for the postseason. The Metropolitan Division is arguably the toughest in the NHL but the Penguins could capitalize should other divisional opponents get off to slow starts.

Other teams in the Eastern Conference could make a surprise run to the postseason but the abovementioned group serves as the favorite candidates at this point. Which one of these teams do you think has the best chance of returning in 2025?

Mobile users, click here to vote

Sidney Crosby “Optimistic” Extension Will Be Done Before Season

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Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby told media members in Las Vegas that he is “pretty optimistic” a contract extension will be in place before the start of the regular season as originally reported by Joshua Clipperton of the Canadian Press. Crosby was in town for the NHL/NHLPA Media Tour after it had returned from Europe a few weeks ago.

The quote from Crosby is certainly a different tune on the extension negotiations from only a few days ago when Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Crosby was still uncertain about signing an extension altogether. Friedman raised the concern in his original report that Crosby’s competitive nature may be giving him pause about continuing the final years of his Hall-of-Fame career on a retooling Pittsburgh roster. The Penguins organization is rumored to have multiple offers on the table to retain their captain.

It would still not be a major shock to see Crosby enter the 2024-25 regular season without an extension. Crosby has been an MVP-level talent well into his mid-to-late 30s but the Penguins have failed to put a playoff-caliber team around him. Pittsburgh missed out on the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since Crosby’s rookie season in 2022-23 and again failed last year. Crosby himself has nearly willed the Penguins into the postseason in those two years but the team’s lack of aggression in improving their team may have him considering other options.

On the flipside of the coin; Crosby may have every intention of finishing his career with the only organization he’s ever known despite the team’s on-ice success over the last several years. He has little left to accomplish in his career with three Stanley Cups, two Art Ross Trophies, three Ted Lindsay Awards, two Maurice Richard Trophies, two Conn Smythe Trophies, two Hart Memorial Trophies, and one Mark Messier Leadership Award. He currently sits 10th all-time in scoring in the NHL and could reach second all-time if he continues his torrid scoring pace.

Pittsburgh finished one point back of a playoff spot in the 2022-23 campaign and three points last year which shows one to three more wins throughout the regular season could give Crosby another shot at a Stanley Cup. He has always been known as one of the fiercest competitors in the game and Crosby’s desire to win will ultimately play a large factor on his decision-making over the next few weeks.

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