Not since Dominik Simon has there been a more polarizing figure in a Pittsburgh Penguins sweater than Ville Koivunen.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s always been an analytics MVP, and when he has been on the ice, good things have generally happened. It has just never really turned into individual results for him, and the eye-test has not always been passed.<\/p>\n
While he has struggled to produce for himself at the NHL level, his AHL play has always been really, really solid, while he has always looked like a confident, engaged player. Getting that to translate to the big leagues has been the problem.<\/p>\n
Then the Penguins went and did something completely unexpected this offseason and signed him to an eight-year, $32 million contract that instantly shocked everybody. Given some of the other deals that were signed around the NHL this offseason with comparably unproven players, it became obvious that teams were willing to take bets on potential in the hopes that they get a long-term steal under the salary cap. They struck before the eight-year term limit went away, and they struck while there is a more reasonable buyout for players under the age of 25 in the event the gamble does not pay off.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the type of move a lot of Major League Baseball teams make with unproven young talent.<\/p>\n
There is also the reality that, given where the salary cap is going, Koivunen does not need to reach that high of a level for the contract to pay for itself and be a steal.<\/p>\n
He still has to get there, and he still has to prove he can be an NHL player.<\/p>\n
Over the past few games, you are really starting to see some signs that maybe, just maybe, he is figuring it out and everything that he was doing at the AHL is starting to translate over to the NHL.<\/p>\n
The numbers are still painting a strong picture from a team perspective. When he is on the ice, good things are still happening for the Penguins. They are outscoring teams, out-chancing teams, and the play is generally in the correct end of the ice. He is getting some soft deployments and a lot of help in that regard, but they are still taking advantage of it.<\/p>\n
He is also starting to be more noticeable in making contributions to that success.<\/p>\n
With his overtime goal on Saturday, he is up to five points in 10 games this season, with three points in his past five games. While that may not seem like anything special, that\u2019s still a 40-point pace, and it\u2019s still useful production for a player on that cap hit, in this cap environment. Especially when combined with the positive underlying numbers.<\/p>\n