January 19, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n\u201cI mean, he\u2019s got skill,\u201d Penguins coach Dan Muse said April 27. \u201cIf you go through those goals, there\u2019s been some pretty ones, too. \u2026 We\u2019ve seen other moments throughout the course of the year where that shouldn\u2019t totally come as a surprise. He\u2019s got skill. He doesn\u2019t take any shifts off.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what you\u2019re going to get from him every day, from a work standpoint. I don\u2019t think he knows anything else other than just playing the right way and playing hard. But he\u2019s got skill, and he can not just make plays, but he\u2019s also shown that ability to finish.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dewar was one of several players on the Penguins who established new career highs under Muse, a first-year head coach.<\/p>\n
\u201cA fresh slate for everyone here this season,\u201d Dewar said Friday during the team\u2019s exit interviews. \u201cA lot of guys who had something to prove. And Dan helped everyone with developing and improving and putting a good product on the ice and winning ultimately.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Muse) gave me a role here and gave me a regular shift. But I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates, especially Blake and Noel.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Penguins acquired Dewar at the 2025 trade deadline from the Toronto Maple Leafs and moved him around to fill in a variety of holes in their lineup to close out the 2024-25 season under former coach Mike Sullivan.<\/p>\n
During the 2025 offseason, Penguins management declined to offer Dewar a contract offer as a pending restricted free agent but wound up re-signing as an unrestricted free agent, agreeing to a one-year contract worth $1.1 million.<\/p>\n
That pact worked well for the Penguins, given Dewar\u2019s strong figures in the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n
But now, Dewar \u2014 who turns 27 on June 26 \u2014 is once again a pending unrestricted free agent. And given the rising salary cap figures around the NHL and the general lack of options among potential free agents, a player like Dewar, who is coming off a career season and can play left wing, as well as center, would presumably be able to command a healthy pay raise as well as a lengthy term with his next contract.<\/p>\n
For his part, Dewar has largely declined to say if there have been any talks over a new deal with Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s between my agent (Tobin Wright) and Kyle,\u201d Dewar said.<\/p>\n
But he seems to understand why his name fits here.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust the culture here. Everyone here just wants to work hard. \u2026 I feel like it\u2019s a great fit here. So, we\u2019ll see what happens.\u201d <\/p>\n
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