Pittsburgh Penguins <\/p>\n
Current Cap Hit: $82,466,429<\/a> (below the $95.5MM Upper Limit)<\/p>\n Entry-Level Contracts<\/p>\n F Rutger McGroarty<\/a> (two years, $950K) Potential Bonuses The hope was that McGroarty would lock down a full-time spot last season but it didn\u2019t happen.\u00a0 Instead, he spent most of the season with Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton but showed well down the stretch which could give him a chance amidst a fairly deep group of depth forwards.\u00a0 Even if he does play regularly, he\u2019s unlikely to hit his two \u2018A\u2019 bonuses.<\/p>\n Pickering might be in the mix on the back end but their offseason defensive depth additions make it likely as things stand that he starts in the minors.\u00a0 With 25 NHL games last season, he\u2019s tracking towards a bridge deal, especially if he spends a good chunk of the year in the AHL.<\/p>\n Signed Through 2025-26, Non-Entry-Level<\/p>\n F Noel Acciari<\/a> ($2MM, UFA) *Philadelphia is retaining an additional $3.571MM on Hayes\u2019 deal.<\/p>\n Potential Bonuses Let\u2019s face it, this is quite the long list and that\u2019s by design for GM Kyle Dubas who is setting up for maximum flexibility over the next couple of summers.<\/p>\n The hope was that a change of scenery for Hayes might get him going after a tough year in St. Louis but instead, his role was reduced further and his performance dipped more.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to see that changing but his track record is still good enough that he could land around $3MM or so on another short-term deal as long as this season is around how he did last year.\u00a0 Mantha comes over from Calgary following an injury-riddled year that caused him to miss the final 69 games due to ACL surgery.\u00a0 When he\u2019s on, he can be an effective top-six piece but has done so sporadically to the point where he needed a one-year deal last summer coming off an inconsistent season.\u00a0 If he rebounds, he could get back to the $4MM range but that\u2019s far from a given.\u00a0 His bonuses are fairly simple; he\u2019ll receive $250K at every ten-game increment he plays from 10 to 80.<\/p>\n Heinen was acquired from Vancouver as part of the Marcus Pettersson<\/a> trade last season and did okay with his new team.\u00a0 He\u2019s capable of putting up decent production from a bottom-six role which earned him this contract last summer but he\u2019s not far removed from having to take a PTO either.\u00a0 If he hovers around the 30-point mark again, he could command a similar price tag to this on the open market next summer.\u00a0 Acciari\u2019s first two seasons in Pittsburgh haven\u2019t lived up to expectations.\u00a0 More of an impactful player offensively in 2022-23, his production the last two years hasn\u2019t added up to that mark.\u00a0 He\u2019s still a physical fourth liner who can kill penalties and win faceoffs but barring an uptick in output this season, Acciari is likely heading for a small dip in pay.<\/p>\n From a point-per-game perspective, last season wasn\u2019t bad for Lizotte but the injury bug got him again for the second straight year.\u00a0 While he can be a 30-point player when healthy, he needs to show he can stay in the lineup for closer to a full 82 games to have a shot at besting this deal next summer.\u00a0 Tomasino had some decent moments after being picked up from Nashville.\u00a0 It\u2019s too early to say that he could be part of their longer-term plans which is why the one-year pact made sense for both sides.\u00a0 He was non-tendered to avoid arbitration rights in June before re-signing and that could be his fate again unless there\u2019s an uptick in his production.\u00a0 Dewar also went through the non-tender process six weeks ago but, like Tomasino, quickly re-signed.\u00a0 After seeing low minutes in Toronto, he fared better down the stretch but will need to be more of a third liner than a fourth if he wants to get to another level in terms of his contract instead of going year-to-year at only a bit above the league minimum.<\/p>\n Dallas signed Dumba last summer, feeling that he could still be a serviceable second-pairing player.\u00a0 That didn\u2019t happen.\u00a0 Instead, he struggled in a very limited role before being scratched entirely in the playoffs and traded away with draft compensation for taking on the final year of his deal.\u00a0 It\u2019s possible that he rebounds but it\u2019s also possible that he has a very limited role again.\u00a0 At this point, he\u2019d be hard-pressed to reach half of what he\u2019s making now.\u00a0 Clifton wasn\u2019t able to establish himself as more of a third-pairing option with Buffalo in his two seasons with them before being moved in an offseason swap as well.\u00a0 He\u2019s a more reliable option than Dumba at this point and his market should be okay next summer, just with a price tag closer to the $2MM mark instead of more than $3MM once again.<\/p>\n Shea is a success story from Group Six free agency.\u00a0 While not many of those players find better opportunities elsewhere, he did just that, going from never seeing NHL action in Dallas to playing in 70 games with Pittsburgh over the last two seasons, landing him two straight one-way deals.\u00a0 With still a limited role, it\u2019s hard to see him going much higher than this but it\u2019s still a nice turnaround for someone earmarked as a full-time AHLer just a couple of years ago.\u00a0 Alexeyev hardly played at all last season, leading to a non-tender from Washington.\u00a0 He\u2019ll need to at least establish himself as more of a viable sixth option or he could be heading toward two-way offers moving forward.\u00a0 He\u2019s still arbitration-eligible but unless he breaks out and has a big year, he\u2019s a safe bet to be non-tendered again next offseason.<\/p>\n Silovs was brought in via a recent trade with Vancouver to take a run at a full-time NHL backup spot.\u00a0 He had that going into last season with the Canucks but struggled mightily.\u00a0 However, he had a solid year with AHL Abbotsford before playing a key role in their Calder Cup victory, making it unlikely he\u2019d slip through waivers.\u00a0 If he can establish himself as being at least a suitable full-season backup, doubling this price tag with arbitration rights is doable.<\/p>\n Signed Through 2026-27<\/p>\n F Justin Brazeau<\/a> ($1.5MM, UFA) *-San Jose is retaining an additional $1.5MM on Karlsson\u2019s contract.<\/p>\n Novak was brought over near the trade deadline in a trade with Nashville.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t come close to reaching the 40-point mark for the third straight year, instead barely amassing half of that despite some solid underlying numbers.\u00a0 If he can even get into the mid-30s offensively, this deal should hold up well given the high demand for centers.\u00a0 Brazeau was a full-time minor leaguer just a couple of years ago and only has one full NHL season under his belt.\u00a0 However, he did well enough to land this deal in free agency.\u00a0 If he puts up another couple of double-digit goal campaigns, he should be able to push past $2MM in 2027.<\/p>\n Karlsson hasn\u2019t been able to come close to reaching 100 points again as he did in his final season in San Jose but he has remained one of the better offensive blueliners in the NHL.\u00a0 His defensive warts notwithstanding, he\u2019s someone who can still handle big minutes and while his price tag is an overpayment for his current performance, it\u2019s probably only a few million above market value at most.\u00a0 If he\u2019s still an above-average offensive threat two years from now, a two-year deal even at 37 could be doable, albeit at a significantly lower price tag. \u00a0Wotherspoon had his best showing last season with Boston, holding his own in 55 games with the Bruins to earn the first seven-figure deal of his career.\u00a0 If he can remain a capable third-pairing player over his time on this contract, doubling this price tag could be doable.<\/p>\n Signed Through 2027-28<\/p>\n G Tristan Jarry<\/a> ($5.375MM, UFA) Rust has become a reliable scorer for Pittsburgh, reaching the 20-goal mark for the sixth straight time last season, a year that saw him score a career-best 31 times.\u00a0 He has slotted in nicely on the top line and having a capable top liner at this price point is a nice bargain.\u00a0 Even if he\u2019s better suited as a second-liner at times, this contract is still team-friendly in that role.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be 36 when his next deal starts which might hurt his free agent case but if he\u2019s still scoring at this rate, he could still beat this price tag.\u00a0 Rakell\u2019s tenure with the Penguins has had its ups and downs but last year was certainly the former as he had a career year with 70 points.\u00a0 $5MM for that value is great.\u00a0 On the other hand, he only had 37 the previous year which isn\u2019t great value for that price tag.\u00a0 If he can even settle in around 50 points moving forward, he\u2019ll have a shot to beat this price as a 35-year-old in 2028.<\/p>\n As expected, Letang did well in the first couple of seasons of his deal before taking a bit of a step back last season.\u00a0 At 38, that decline is probably going to continue.\u00a0 The good news is that they\u2019ll have ample cap flexibility to deal with it but it would be surprising to see him playing anywhere close to the type of role he\u2019s playing now in three years.<\/p>\n Jarry has shown flashes of being a legitimate starter over the years.\u00a0 The problem is that they remain flashes and are at times followed by extended struggles and there were plenty of those last season to the point where finding a trade option seems unlikely.\u00a0 He\u2019ll get another chance to lock down the number one spot with Silovs clearly not ready for a huge role yet but he will need to turn things around or risk becoming a buyout candidate before long.<\/p>\n Signed Through 2028-29 <\/p>\n D Ryan Graves<\/a> ($4.5MM, UFA)<\/p>\n Graves was brought in to stabilize the back end two years ago.\u00a0 That hasn\u2019t happened and instead, he has struggled mightily in reduced minutes.\u00a0 If Pickering or even Caleb Jones<\/a> (who signed a two-year, $900K one-way deal this summer) makes a real run at a roster spot, Graves could find himself on waivers and in the minors with a reduced cap charge of $3.35MM.\u00a0 If Pittsburgh needed cap space, he\u2019d be a strong buyout candidate.<\/p>\n Signed Through 2029-30 Or Longer<\/p>\n None<\/p>\n Still To Sign<\/p>\n None<\/p>\n Buyouts<\/p>\n
D Owen Pickering<\/a> (two years, $886.7K)<\/p>\n
McGroarty: $500K
Pickering: $250K
Total: $750K<\/p>\n
D Alexander Alexeyev<\/a> ($775K, RFA)
D Connor Clifton<\/a> ($3.333MM, UFA)
F Connor Dewar<\/a> ($1.1MM, UFA)
D Mathew Dumba<\/a> ($3.75MM, UFA)
F Kevin Hayes<\/a> ($3.571MM, UFA)*
F Danton Heinen<\/a> ($2.25MM, UFA)
F Blake Lizotte<\/a> ($1.85MM, UFA)
F Evgeni Malkin<\/a> ($6.1MM, UFA)
F Anthony Mantha<\/a> ($2.5MM, UFA)
D Ryan Shea<\/a> ($900K, UFA)
G Arturs Silovs<\/a> ($850K, RFA)
F Philip Tomasino<\/a> ($1.75MM, RFA)<\/p>\n
Mantha: $2MM<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/USATSI_25933110-236x300.jpg\")
<\/a>One part of that flexibility will be the end of Malkin\u2019s contract.\u00a0 A deal that took way longer than expected to hammer out, giving him four years at the age of 35 seemed to carry some risk but it has held up alright as he has notched 200 points in 232 games over that stretch although he is slowing down now.\u00a0 With that in mind, he might not provide a particularly strong return on this final season but overall, they did reasonably well on this contract.\u00a0 Malkin\u2019s future with Pittsburgh and the NHL in general will be in question after this as the Penguins might not want to keep a player who would be 40 on a team that\u2019s trying to rebuild while Malkin may not want to go elsewhere after spending what will be 20 years with the Penguins.\u00a0 If he does, a one-year pact with lots of performance bonuses will be the deal other teams will offer.<\/p>\n
F Sidney Crosby<\/a> ($8.7MM, UFA)
D Erik Karlsson<\/a> ($10MM, UFA)*
F Thomas Novak<\/a> ($3.5MM, UFA)
D Parker Wotherspoon<\/a> ($1MM, UFA)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/sidney-crosby-penguins-230x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Crosby is quietly beginning a new contract with the Penguins this season although it\u2019d be easy to miss that considering he has had the same cap hit since 2008, a price tag he has provided significant surplus value on.\u00a0 At 38, he might still provide plenty of value on this contract coming off a 91-point season which shows he still has plenty left in the tank.\u00a0 He\u2019s been featured in plenty of trade speculation given that he\u2019s nearing the end of his career and the Penguins aren\u2019t close to contention but with full trade protection, Crosby will get to decide his fate.\u00a0 But no matter where he winds up (and staying in Pittsburgh remains the overwhelmingly likely outcome), he\u2019s a safe bet to continue to provide positive value money-wise.<\/p>\n
D Kris Letang<\/a> ($6.1MM, UFA)
F Rickard Rakell<\/a> ($5MM, UFA)
F Bryan Rust<\/a> ($5.125MM, UFA)<\/p>\n