Yohe’s 10 observations: What to make of Penguins’ July 1 moves

Sports

add

PITTSBURGH — Another July 1 has come and gone, and much like last season, Kyle Dubas wasn’t big game hunting.

Far from it.

Dubas added a fourth-liner, brought back a couple of middling restricted free agents, traded a backup goaltender and signed a couple of depth defensemen.

So, what does it all mean?

Let’s take a look.

• For starters, I’m having a hard time envisioning a scenario where the Penguins are a playoff team in the 2025-26 season.

It’s easy to say that a team with Sidney Crosby should never be discounted, and this is true, but even he hasn’t been able to guide this roster to a playoff berth since 2022.

While some of the additions Dubas made were sensible and could help the Penguins, nothing he did Tuesday — and almost surely nothing he could do at any point this summer — is going to make a positive impact on the current roster.

Yes, he produced a handful of wise pieces of business, but his team didn’t add anything resembling top-tier talent.

• Get used to hearing the phrase “Tank for McKenna.”

There are those who believe the Penguins are doing everything in their power to land Gavin McKenna, the forward who will be the first pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. He is, by almost all accounts, the NHL’s finest prospect since Connor McDavid.

And hey, that would eliminate some problems for the Penguins if they find a way to land McKenna. It would be the most Penguins thing ever.

So, are the Penguins tanking?

I don’t think so. But I also don’t think Dubas sees a path that includes spending substantial money on the upcoming season. As I always say, 2026 is when the Penguins make a transition into a more aggressive franchise. That’s when some legitimate prospects will have marinated to the point that they’re NHL-ready. That’s when the Penguins have an enormous amount of money to spend.

If they have a surprisingly good season next year, hey, great. I don’t think Dubas will complain.

But I think he knows there’s a real chance the Penguins will be bad next season, and I think he knows that a top-five pick next June might well be in the best interest of his franchise.

• What about Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell?

Their names are out there in trade buzz, and, as of about 24 hours ago, Rust’s no-movement clause is a thing of the past.

Were I a betting man, I’d bet that both men will begin the season as Penguins in October. I wouldn’t bet a lot of money, but that would be my hunch.

I would not, however, bet that both men will be Penguins by the conclusion of the 2025-26 season. At least one of them will be gone by the NHL trade deadline.

They’re great players, great guys and fairly paid.

But they’re also valuable commodities who are in their 30s. Does keeping them make sense?

Both could command a first-round pick in return. At least one of them will go. Maybe both.

• The Penguins traded backup goalie Alex Nedeljkovic to the San Jose Sharks for a third-round pick in 2028.

The Penguins have acquired a 2028 third-round draft pick from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic.

Pittsburgh now has 28 draft picks over the next three NHL drafts, including 16 picks in the first three rounds.

Details: https://t.co/p2z2f1s5ft pic.twitter.com/SK4QqhwrMk

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) July 1, 2025

First things first, Nedeljkovic is among the finest human beings I’ve encountered while covering the NHL. Our city was a better place for having him and he will be missed.

This tells me that, almost without question, Tristan Jarry will begin the season as the Penguins’ No. 1 goaltender, a stunning turnaround from last season, when he twice was placed on waivers and sent to Wilkes-Barre.

But he played well down the stretch, Nedeljkovic is gone, Joel Blomqvist doesn’t look NHL-ready and certainly isn’t ready to be a No. 1 goaltender, and Sergei Murashov could use one more season in the minor leagues before he arrives to save the Penguins.

It’s not a given that Blomqvist will be the No. 2 goalie to start the season. The Penguins may well bring in a veteran. One way or the other, I’d guess the net will be Jarry’s.

• Mikael Granlund makes $7 million per year now, huh?

Maybe Ron Hextall wasn’t an idiot after all.

Or maybe NHL spending is out of control every time the salary cap rises.

• I like the signings of Parker Wotherspoon and Justin Brazeau.

Most importantly, Dubas isn’t spending much money on these guys. Brazeau is earning $1.5 million annually for two seasons, while Wotherspoon will make $1 million in each of the next two seasons.

Spending big amounts of money when your team is in this kind of phase makes zero sense. Dubas got good value with these two.

• Brazeau is a big, physical player. We have seen this with the Penguins’ recent draft picks, and we’re seeing it again in free agency.

Dubas doesn’t think the Penguins are big enough, and he doesn’t think they’re tough enough. He surely doesn’t think they’re talented enough, either. But blue-chip talent isn’t easy to find and isn’t cheap on July 1.

He at least wants to take the steps of making the Penguins harder to play against, both now and in the future. I think he’s made progress in that regard.

• The Penguins still have $17.5 million of cap space.

There’s no point in coming close to spending all of it, and I don’t think they will.

• I like the decision to bring back restricted free agents Connor Dewar and Philip Tomasino.

Dewar understands what it is to be a bottom-six forward. In recent years, the Penguins have had many players who understand this role, who know how to take hits to make plays, who know how to get pucks deep when necessary, who understand the art of being somewhat physical without taking yourself out of position. He gets it. He’s nothing special, but he’s solid.

Tomasino hasn’t put it all together, but he’s young and he has real talent. That’s the kind of player you show patience with. Dubas is wisely doing this. There’s something there with him. The talent is real.

• More than anything, I think next season will be a farewell tour for Evgeni Malkin.

This is the cool thing about the Penguins. Even when the season looks like a downer, and there is a very clear ceiling hanging over the franchise for at least one more season, you still get to watch Malkin play with Crosby every night, for one last season.

• Special bonus observation: The Penguins suddenly have decent depth in the bottom-six positions, and they have young forwards who will make the team. I see no reason for Kevin Hayes or Noel Acciari to be in the lineup when the season begins, presuming everyone else is healthy.

(Photo of Justin Brazeau: Bob Frid / Imagn Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

Share on

email

Previous

trending_flat

NWSL expansion team Boston Legacy FC signs Annie Karich, its first player

Sports

Next

trending_flat

Euro feminina começa hoje: veja formato, participantes, premiação e onde assistir

O Globo