The Pittsburgh Penguins will retain the rights of multiple players as free agency is set to begin.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have extended qualifying offers to a group of five restricted free agents; forwards Drew O’Connor, Jonathan Gruden, and Filip Hallander, defenseman Ty Smith, and goalie Filip Lindberg.
Ryan Poehling is among the four players to not receive a qualifying offer from the Penguins and will become an unrestricted free agent.
Hallander and Lindberg both signed contracts in Europe, but will now maintain their NHL right if they decide to come back to North America.
O’Connor finally made his name as an NHL regular during the 2022-23 season when he played 46 games and recorded 11 points.
Gruden and Smith both spent a majority of the 2022-23 season in the AHL, but are deserving of bigger roles with the NHL club in the very near future.
Smith in particular could crack the NHL roster right away with the changes and adjustments that might take place with the Penguins blue line.
In nine games with the NHL Penguins, Smith posted four points and looked ready for a regular role.
Poehling not getting a qualifying offer might be surprising, but he suffered a fair amount of injuries in 2022-23 and the Penguins are in need of a dependable depth forward who will be in the lineup and produce on a more consistent basis.
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