Penguins Have Easy Choices With Unrestricted Free Agents

The Pittsburgh Penguins shouldn't struggle much when deciding what to do with their free agents.

PITTSBURGH – With every offseason comes the end of numerous contracts across the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. While many changes are once again expected from the Penguins, many departures won’t be through free agency.

Multiple players may hit the road, but the Penguins only have three players listed on the NHL roster as upcoming unrestricted free agents this summer. One of those names is Jeff Carter, who already announced his retirement, so make it two.

The only two players on the Penguins’ NHL roster who are upcoming UFAs are forward Jansen Harkins and goalie Alex Nedeljkovic. Ryan Shea and Valtteri Puustinen are also upcoming UFAs but are currently listed on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins roster after being moved there for a failed playoff run.

Between those four names, the decision-making should be pretty simple, and given comments already made by general manager Kyle Dubas, it’s likely he has his mind made up on who returns in 2024-25. Let’s look into each upcoming UFA and see where they stand with the Penguins.

This should be a no-brainer for the Penguins. Harkins rightfully earned his spot in the Penguins lineup after getting claimed off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets, but the regular season was not kind to him.

In 45 games played on the Penguins roster, he didn’t score a single goal and only picked up four assists. Sure, offense wasn’t his role, but his AHL numbers show he can score to some degree. No goals also just isn’t enough from any forward.

Meanwhile, with the WBS Penguins, Harkins played 14 games and scored 12 points. Unless he signs an AHL contract, the Penguins have no reason to keep him around.

This is another easy one for the Penguins, but it revolves around Shea sticking with the organization. Shea didn’t have a perfect start to his first season in the NHL, but he turned it on down the stretch.

Shea played in 31 games at the NHL level and impressed the Penguins organization. It shouldn’t be hard to bring Shea back on an affordable deal. As a depth defenseman who just has those 31 games of NHL experience in his career, it won’t be hard to negotiate a new deal for Shea in Pittsburgh.

Surprisingly, Puustinen is an upcoming UFA, considering his age, but the Penguins will likely re-sign him with no haggle. Puustinen deserves another year at the NHL level and looks primed to take huge steps.

In 52 games played at the NHL level, Puustinen scored five goals and 15 assists for 20 points. The Penguins like what they saw, and head coach Mike Sullivan believes there is another level still to be unlocked.

Puustinen returning on a short, cheap deal seems simple enough for everyone involved.

Here is where things get tricky for the Penguins, but it’s also possible Dubas has his mind made up. Nedeljkovic stole Tristan Jarry's starting job down the stretch of the season and made an exciting push for the playoffs. Jarry’s future in Pittsburgh looked murky with no starts in the last 13 games, even a meaningless game 82 against the New York Islanders.

Dubas said he’s expecting a bounce-back season from Jarry while also saying Joel Blomqvist might be ready for the NHL leap. That leaves Nedeljkovic as the odd man out and likely heading for the free agency market.

Vinnie Hinostroza, Radim Zohorna, Jack Rathbone, Dmitri Samorukov, Taylor Fedun, Xavier Ouellet, Ludovic Waeber

Each of these guys can be lumped into one group because they made little to no impact on the NHL roster in 2023-24. If they return for another season, they won’t bring many waves to the Penguins in 2024-25, whether it be with their play or financially.

The most interesting name in the bunch may be Jack Rathbone. He is a young defender Dubas acquired early in the year and can potentially be a piece of the NHL roster one day. He has 28 career games at the NHL level and played well with WBS this season.

In 67 games, Rathbone scored eight goals and 16 assists for 24 total points.

The Penguins will have some decisions to make this summer regarding their free agents, but they won’t be that difficult. Dubas’s focus this summer will likely center around trades or working out deals with the multiple restricted free agents.

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