The Pittsburgh Penguins are undoubtedly a team to watch very closely this off-season. With the team in the middle of a retool, they are expected to be busy this summer. 

One area that the Penguins should be aiming to improve is their forward group, and they are being linked to an intriguing center because of it.

According to The Athletic's Josh Yohe, he has heard from sources that the Penguins are interested in Utah Mammoth forward Jack McBain. 

Yohe writes: 

"Here's a name to keep in mind: League and Utah Mammoth sources told me the Penguins have interest in Mammoth center Jack McBain, a restricted free agent." 

When looking at the Penguins' roster, they certainly would benefit from a McBain addition. He would boost the Penguins' depth at the center position, which is a need, as Yohe notes. However, he is also capable of playing the wing and on the penalty kill, so he could help the Penguins in multiple ways if needed. 

McBain is also coming off a strong 2024-25 season with Utah. In 82 games, he set new offensive career highs with 13 goals and 27 points. The 6-foot-4 forward also maintained his immensely physical style of play in the process, recording 291 hits on the year. With numbers like these, the 25-year-old would give the Penguins a bit more secondary scoring and plenty more grit in their bottom six.

With McBain being a pending restricted free agent (RFA), he needs a new contract and is, without a doubt, due for a raise from his previous $1.6 million average annual value. Furthermore, if they tried to acquire him through trade, it would likely need to take a pretty sizeable offer to get him. However, it may be worth it for the Penguins, as McBain provides a little bit of everything. 

In four NHL seasons, McBain has recorded 35 goals, 47 assists, 82 points, 832 hits, and a plus-2 rating in 241 games. Overall, the Toronto native has certainly cemented himself as an impactful hard-nosed bottom-six forward, and he would be a nice pickup for the Penguins if they brought him in.

It will be intriguing to see if their interest in McBain leads to him heading to Pittsburgh during this off-season from here. However, if he is officially made available by Utah, the Penguins would likely have plenty of competition to land his services.

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