The burgeoning rivalry between the Pittsburgh Penguins and their nearest opponent is heating up as they have been butting heads with the Columbus Blue Jackets over social media and have been vying for free agent supremacy. Whose summer signings look to make the biggest impact this year? Cornerstone Additions: Columbus made a splash when it was announced that they had acquired Brandon Saad from the Chicago Blackhawks, while the Penguins stole the show on the opening day of free agency with a ... Read More
Pens mailbag: Kessel, the cap, who is Kael Mouillierat and more
I heard that Kessel is a bit of a dressing room problem. While not technically a question, it is a concern, and a fairly serious one. Deserved or not, Phil Kessel’s reputation ranges from that of a guy that’s a bit out of shape and doesn’t always try his hardest to a full-blown locker room cancer. I’ve also heard others say that Kessel is a little bit misunderstood and that his social anxiety causes tension between him and the media. Here’s what Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford ... Read More
Pens GM Rutherford gets his man
Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford finally got his man. After several weeks of handwringing over would he or wouldn’t he, Rutherford pulled the trigger on a six-player deal that brought in Toronto Maple Leafs star right-winger Phil Kessel on Wednesday. “We worked on this deal with Toronto for over a month,” Rutherford said in press conference Wednesday afternoon. “It got a little legs on draft day, but it really heated up last night and we were able to complete the deal today. With ... Read More
Penguins sign center Kael Mouillierat
The Penguins have had a busy first day of free agency, and it continued with the singing of former New York Islanders center Kael Mouillierat to a one-year, two-way contract worth $575,000 at the NHL level. Mouillierat, 27, is a 6-foot, 200-pound center, who has been an elite scorer at the AHL level for several seasons, but just got his first NHL opportunity in 2014-15 with the New York Islanders. He had a goal and an assists in six games with the Isles. Meanwhile, he led their top farm ... Read More
Penguins add former Bruins defenseman David Warsofsky
The Pittsburgh Penguins have brought over defenseman David Warsofsky from the Boston Bruins on a one-year, two-way contract worth $600,000 at the NHL level. Warsofsky, 25, is a native of Marshfield, Massachusetts had spent most of his career in New England, moving from Boston University to the Providence Bruins and on to Boston. He’s an offensive defenseman, averaging over 20 assists per season at the AHL level. In 2014-15, he played on 40 games at the AHL level, scoring 4 goals and ... Read More
Penguins sign ex-Capitals defenseman Steve Oleksy
The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed free agent defenseman Steve Oleksy to a one-year, two-way contract worth $575,000 at the NHL level. Oleksy, 29, is a native of Chesterfield, Michigan. He has spent the last three seasons in the Washington Capitals organization, splitting time between the Capitals and their top farm club, the Hershey Bears. Over the last three seasons, he’s played in 62 games for the Capitals, scoring three goals and recording 16 assists. He also appeared in seven NHL ... Read More
Penguins sign Red Wings farmhand
The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed Detroit Red Wings minor-leaguer Kevin Porter to a one-year, two-way contract worth $575,000 at the NHL level. Porter, 29, is a 5-foot-11, 194-pound center with a left-handed shot. He spent the 2014-15 season with the Red Wing’s Triple-A affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, where he scored 16 goals and 23 assists in 76 games. The journeyman has spent time with the Phoenix Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche and Buffalo Sabres over his seven-year professional ... Read More
Penguins add to depth on day one
While the biggest stories of Wednesday afternoon were the hotly anticipated acquisition of Phil Kessel and the exodus of the Penguins free agents, the Penguins quietly built up their depth on day one of free agency. Acquired in the Kessel trade, defenseman Tim Erixon should shore up the Penguins defense as a depth option. Erixon, 24, was the Calgary Flames first round pick in the 2009 NHL Draft. He’s bounced around the league since then, being traded several times, and was claimed on ... Read More
Penguins ink top WBS rookie Conor Sheary to NHL deal
The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Conor Sheary to a two-year entry-level contract. Terms of the contract, which is a two-way deal, were not announced. Sheary, who turned 23 at the beginning of the month, played his first season of professional hockey on an AHL contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League last year. He is a skilled forward that profiles as a top-nine winger at the NHL level. In 58 AHL games in 2014-15, he scored 20 goals and recorded 25 ... Read More
Six Penguins players move on early in free agency period
While the Penguins were busy making a big trade to acquire Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel, six of the Penguins free agents found other NHL homes. Defenseman Paul Martin, who was interested in returning to the Penguins, instead signed a four-year contract with the San Jose Sharks, according to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun. Right-winger Steve Downie has accepted a one-year deal for $1.7 million with the Arizona Coyotes per Sportsnet. That is a modest raise from the $1 million contract he ... Read More