Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas had a very busy weekend as the NHL free agency period began and he might not be finished reshaping the Pens’ roster yet.
Dubas began the weekend by re-signing goaltender Tristan Jarry to a five-year contract. He then signed a bunch of free agents, including a top-four defenseman in former Devils and Avalanche blue-liner Ryan Graves. Also Saturday, Dubas signed:
- Former Avalanche forward Lars Eller
- Former Bruins forward Joona Koppanen
- Former Maple Leafs forward Noel Acciari
- Former Red Wings goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic
- Former Avalanche forward Matt Nieto
- Minor league defenseman Ryan Shea
And yesterday, he signed:
- Former Penguins forward Radim Zohorna, who spent last season in the Calgary and Toronto organizations.
- Another former Toronto farmhand, forward Marc Johnstone
- And goaltender Magnus Hellberg, who spent last season in the Ottawa, Seattle, and Detroit organizations.
Among the players the Penguins lost to free agency were Jason Zucker, Brian Dumoulin, Ryan Poehling, Nick Bonino, Josh Archibald, Dmitry Kulikov, and Dustin Tokarski.
Dubas says he believes in Tristan Jarry in goal for the Penguins.
Dubas has three goalies on the Penguins’ roster, and before announcing the signing of Hellberg, he said he would not mind opening camp with at least four.
The Penguins are technically over the salary cap limit, but Dubas says he has a plan in place to get compliant before training camp begins.
Dubas says he is keeping his eyes open to help his roster.
Lost in the frenzy of free agency over the weekend was the fact that the Penguins were in the midst of their development camp at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. The camp concludes today with a tournament among the prospects. It’s at noon and it’s open to the public, free of charge.
