The Wheeling Nailers and Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they have continued their partnership for another season. The Nailers, the ECHL affiliate of the Penguins, will begin its 16th season affiliated with the NHL’s Penguins. During that span, 13 former Nailers have gone on to play with the Pens, including most recently forwards Adam Payerl and Zach Sill, and defensemen Philip Samuelsson, who all made the leap to the NHL last season. "We are thrilled to extend our relationship with ... Read More
Pittsburgh Penguins’ Regime Change Will Give New Meaning To ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’
(Photo: Pittsburgh Penguins) As the #IceBucketChallenge summer rolls along, it reminds us that the Pittsburgh Penguins are about to experience a splash of frigid water to the face. Even though general manager Jim Rutherford and head coach Mike Johnston have been in place since June, the realities of the new regime probably haven't taken hold for most of the Penguins yet. That will change in a few weeks when training camp begins. For five years, the Penguins had the luxury of a consistent ... Read More
Penguins’ Brandon Sutter Should Look At New Contract As Challenge
The Pittsburgh Penguins essentially wrapped up their offseason Tuesday afternoon when they announced the signing of restricted free agent Brandon Sutter to a two-year, $6.6 million contract. Factoring in probable healthy scratches during the upcoming season, the Penguins have less than $500,000 left to spend under the salary cap, so this is the roster they will likely take into opening night against Anaheim on Oct. 9. General manager Jim Rutherford has said he'll reassess the team around ... Read More
Penguins re-sign Brandon Sutter
The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed center Brandon Sutter. The 25-year-old from Red Deer, Alberta agreed to a two-year, $6.6 million contract. Sutter had an up-and-down 2013-14 season. He had a mediocre regular season, posting only 13 goals and 13 assists in 81 games. His .32 points per game was his lowest since his rookie season with Carolina in 2008-09. He rebounded to score 5 goals and 2 assists in the Penguins’ 13 playoff games. He is projected to again center the Penguins’ third ... Read More
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Nick Spaling To Two-Year Deal, Avoiding Arbitration
Two down, one to go. The Pittsburgh Penguins entered this month with three restricted free agents to deal with: Simon Despres, Nick Spaling and Brandon Sutter. General manager Jim Rutherford agreed to contract terms with Despres two weeks ago, paying the defenseman $1.8 million over two years. That left Spaling and Sutter, with the former choosing to file for salary arbitration while the latter declined. Perhaps the threat of the arbitration process pushed things along regarding Spaling, ... Read More
Former Penguins Defenseman Jim Paek Takes Over South Korean Hockey Program
The first South Korean to get his name on the Stanley Cup will now seek a different kind of history, as former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Jim Paek will be taking over his home country's national hockey program. As first reported by Pete Wallner of the Grand Rapids Press, Paek will not only be the new director of the Korea Ice Hockey Association, he will also coach the men's national team as it attempts to qualify for the 2018 Olympics, which will be held in Pyeongchang, South ... Read More
Penguins Prospects Compete In Spirited Scrimmage To Close Development Camp
The Pittsburgh Penguins faced an interesting paradox this week, as they welcomed their top prospects to Consol Energy Center for their annual development camp. On one hand, they are in the midst of a transition of power in hockey operations, with the Jim Rutherford/Mike Johnston axis looking to put its own stamp on the organization. On the other hand, assistant general managers Tom Fitzgerald and Bill Guerin sought to maintain some continuity for the youngsters they've been working with ... Read More
Pittsburgh Penguins sign 1st-rd pick Kaspari Kapanen
One thing we have noticed about Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford during his short stint on the job is the fact that he is really high on first-round pick Kaspari Kapanen. Rutherford inked the 17-year old forward to a three-year entry-level contract on Friday. There has been some speculation that Kapanen could make the Penguins team out of camp as Rutherford is in love with the speed that he brings. Kapanen is the son for former NHL star Sami Kapanen, who Rutherford ... Read More
Pittsburgh Penguins ink Megna, Samuelsson to one-year deals
With their shopping apparently done when it comes to unrestricted free agents, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford took care of a couple of the teams restricted free agents on Thursday, inking both forward Jayson Megna and defenseman Philip Samuelsson to one-year deals. Megna’s deal is a two-way contract and has an average annual value of $874,125 at the NHL level. The 24-year old saw action at the NHL level for the first time in 2013-14 where he scored five goals, had four ... Read More
Can Pittsburgh Penguins power play be better in 2015?
Now that the dust has settled and the Pittsburgh Penguins are pretty much done free agent shopping, it is a good time to look at the roles of some of the new additions, especially in terms of newly signed defenseman Christian Ehrhoff. More specifically I wonder if the Penguins’ power play will be even better with the addition of the 32-year old veteran. There’s a good chance that it will. Those are lofty expectations considering that the Pens led the NHL in power play percentage last ... Read More