Penguins' Positional Battle Tiers: Right Wing

Training camp is fast-approaching for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and that means positional battles are, too. 

And, no, these won't be the positional battles of training camps past for the Penguins. This time around, the organization has prospects who are legitimately on the verge of full-time NHL minutes, and they also have a collection of players who, even if they were on an NHL roster last season, are not guaranteed a spot this season. 

The forward front will certainly be the most interesting for the Penguins, as they have 15 forwards currently listed on their roster per Puckpedia, and that's not even accounting for prospects who are sure to push and make legitimate cases for roster spots. We already covered the battle at left wing, and now, it's time for right wing, which is a position of depth for the Penguins organizationally. 

The Penguins added Nicholas Robertson to the mix during the offseason, and that should make things more interesting. Also, a few guys who play both sides in Mikhail Ilyin, Oliver Okuliar, and Bill Zonnon were covered on the left, and they very well could vye for the right as well. So, we'll introduce some other names to keep an eye on when going over the right wing, as there are, again, so many names in contention.

How will the right wing shape up for the Penguins during training camp? Here are the guarantees, the maybes, and the long shots. 

Rust, 34, has been an integral part of the Penguins since he came onto the scene back in 2014. He may have been a bottom-six player for the first few years of his career, but he was still making enough of an impact to help the team win two Stanley Cups in that role. 

Since then, he's been a fixture in their top-six and alongside Sidney Crosby. It's likely that's where he stays next season, even if conversations could be had about where he should slot in the lineup. 

But, regardless, he'll be on this team.

It may still be a bit jarring to see Malkin listed on the wing instead of at center, where he was slotted for two decades. 

But if last season is any indication of Malkin's future, he will remain on the wing. There were times last season when head coach Dan Muse and the Penguins could have easily put him back down the middle, especially when the team was dealing with a plethora of injuries at center. 

Instead, Malkin remained at right wing. Even Rickard Rakell was used as a center before Malkin was, and Rakell hadn't played center in a decade. The 40-year-old Penguins' legend is here, he was point-per-game last season, and he will be playing right wing on the NHL club next season. 

While it could be argued that Robertson is a guarantee - especially after signing that two-year, $3.25 million contract as a restricted free agent this summer after being dealt to the Penguins - there is still just enough uncertainty surrounding the right wing position to make it so that the "100 percent" guarantee won't fly. 

If Robertson comes out and has a horrible camp but guys like Brazeau, Elmer Soderblom, Koivunen, and Hayes do not, the Penguins could, conceivably, make the diffcult decision to waive him or trade him. 

At the end of the day, though, he is the most guaranteed of the "maybes" category. There is 20-goal potential there, and his goal-scoring rises each year bit by bit. He doesn't offer much defensively, but if paired with the right linemates, he could have a career season offensively. 

More than likely, the 25-year-old is on the roster and has a lineup spot, even if his numbers don't look much different from Brazeau's last year. The offensive upside is intriguing enough to keep him in the fold, at least, to start.

Unlike Robertson's, Brazeau's situation is a bit more uncertain. He is entering the second year of his two-year, $2 million deal he signed with the Penguins last summer, and to start the season last year, things went really well for Brazeau. So well, in fact, that he led the league in goals for most of October. 

But, his performance largely waned in the second half after coming back from injury, and he ended the season with 17 goals and 34 points in 64 games and was a healthy scratch during the playoffs and for some games at the end of the regular season. His 6-foot-6 frame works to his advantage, and he is decent around the net-front. 

He will, essentially, have to beat out Robertson to secure a spot in the lineup and on the roster. That certainly isn't any guarantee.

Well, if there's a time for Koivunen to prove he belongs at the NHL level, this is it. 

The 23-year-old has had a productive summer, adding weight, working hard, and signing a whopping eight-year, $32 million contract extension that practically no one saw coming. More than any player in this camp, Koivunen has something to prove since the Penguins are betting on him despite showing a limited ceiling at the NHL level so far. 

There have been flashes. He showed out very well in training camp last year and earned a spot before being sent back to the AHL. He was spectacular in eight regular season games to close out 2024-25, registering seven points in eight games, and he has been spectacular at the AHL level ever since. 

Now, Koivunen needs to show he can make reads and decisions at an NHL pace. He also needs to start producing at the level expected of him, as the Penguins see him as a potential top-six option on the wing. 

If he makes the roster, he likely starts on the third line. It will be an uphill climb, but if he shows up ready to go and has a camp like he did in 2025, he'll make the cut. 

Out of any of the young players not named Ben Kindel to have made the jump to the NHL level last season, no one showed more than Hayes. 

He scored two goals in his NHL debut against the Buffalo Sabres and was a regular part of the lineup during the Penguins' most crucial stretch of the season in March. Hayes plays a tenacious north-south game, gets to the net, plays with an edge, and forechecks well. He is NHL-ready, and with a good camp, he will have made a strong case to remain.

The thing working against Hayes is that his home is likely the fourth line, and there is simply such a large volume of players competing for those spots. If he earns a spot, he will make this team, but his battle is going to be difficult with his waivers exemption and guys like Koivunen, Brazeau, and Robertson battling against him.

The Penguins like Hayes, and Hayes is the kind of player they could use. He shouldn't be dismissed from making this roster at all. 

Yes, Calvert is mostly a center at the AHL level, and he will appear on our list there, too. But he can also play right wing and has done so at different times for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS).

The undrafted 22-year-old forward is taking a pretty similar path as that of Hayes, and he just signed a two-year entry-level contract this summer like Hayes did the summer prior. They aren't the same type of player, though, and Hayes's style is probably more suited for the NHL level at this juncture.

But the Penguins signed Calvert to an ELC for a reason. They believe he has NHL upside and that he can be a solid depth option for them, and that's probably true. He can score goals and has a nice two-way skillset, which bodes well for him.

He's a longshot to make this roster out of camp, but this is a "never say never" type of situation. It wouldn't be surprising to see him debut at some point this season.

Fernstrom's stock dipped pretty significantly last season, as he went from SHL Rookie of the Year the season prior to getting played out of his spot on Orebro HK and brought to WBS to help sort out his game. 

And, with WBS, he did seem to figure a few things out, as he put up two goals and eight points in 14 games - four more points than he recorded with Orebro in 36 games. Unfortunately, an injury ended his season, and he didn't get the chance to build on that momentum in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

The shooting talent is there for Fernstrom, and he is a decent playmaker in the offensive zone, but the skating still needs quite a bit of work. He has made progress in that department, though, and if he can show some signs of growth in training camp, I guess it's a "never say never" situation there, too. 

But, chances are next to none for him to crack the NHL roster out of camp. If he has a good run for WBS to start the season? Maybe the conversation's different later on. 

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