As the NHL season wraps up and the draft approaches, several players are set to enter free agency on July 1, following the draft weekend.
The Penguins won’t be able to retain all of their current players, with a number of them set to become either restricted or unrestricted free agents.
As the NHL season comes to an end and we approach the NHL Draft, certain players are set to hit free agency on July 1, after the draft concludes the weekend beforehand.
The Penguins are not going to be able to hold on to every player they have regardless of their status, but there are quite a few restricted free agents and unrestricted free agents.
Penguins Restricted Free Agents
Among the restricted free agents are Connor Dewar, Phillip Tomasino, Vasiliy Ponomarev, Conor Timmins, and Pierre-Olivier Joseph.
The Penguins face a decision with Ponomarev, whose rights in Russia were recently traded to another team—something to consider if he opts to return overseas. Although he didn’t make much of an impact during his time with the Penguins, he was part of the package they received in the Jake Guentzel trade a few seasons ago.
While not all of these players are expected to be re-signed, a few are likely to receive new contracts.
Penguins Unrestricted Free Agents
When it comes to unrestricted free agents, there aren’t nearly as many compared to the restricted free agents.
For the Penguins, the list includes Matt Nieto, Boko Imama, Joona Koppanen, and Matt Grzelcyk. The team has some decisions to make about which of these players they want to bring back with new contracts.
Personally, I have a clear idea of what I’d do in this situation, and hopefully Kyle Dubas does too—as he looks to build a younger, faster team.
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