Happy July everyone. As the calendar flips over into the heat of summer, the NHL prepares to open up shop with free agency kicking off at 12:00 Eastern time today.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what to know if you\u2019re circling back and need a refresher for the Penguins.<\/p>\n
Notable Unrestricted Free Agents<\/p>\n
Matt Grzelcyk
Matt Nieto
Phil Tomasino*
Connor Dewar*
P.O Joseph*
Emil Bemstrom*<\/p>\n
(* indicates UFA status due to not receiving a qualifying offer<\/a>)<\/p>\n \u2014While the Pens were talking with Dewar and Tomasino, it appears they and all the rest on this list will be hitting the open market. Could the team circle back in a day or two and bring a player or two from this list back? Possibly, but conditions would have to change a lot after GM Kyle Dubas said yesterday he anticipated being more active in trades\/restricted free agency rather than making long-term deals with unrestricted free agents.<\/p>\n Will the pending UFAs be free to hit the market on Tuesday?<\/p>\n Kyle Dubas: \u201cYeah. With our current strategy, we\u2019re going to see what\u2019s out there and see where we\u2019re at.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) June 30, 2025<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n External free agency<\/p>\n Well, not to be a wet blanket but don\u2019t expect the Penguins to be very exciting today when it comes to being active in big time free agent signings.<\/p>\n Then again, the last July 1 that they were exciting in signing was the day that Tristan Jarry, Ryan Graves, Noel Acciari, Alex Nedeljkovic, Lars Eller and Matt Nieto all signed and, well, that didn\u2019t exactly work out so great either.<\/p>\n In the long run it might be more beneficial for manager\u2019s to throw their phones off a cliff today and go replace it tomorrow. One can\u2019t do any long-term damage to their franchise by sitting out the bidding wars of July 1.<\/p>\n That appears to be the mindset of Dubas this time around too, saying yesterday that he doesn\u2019t plan to sign any UFA\u2019s for a long term (which takes him out of the running to sign most of the quality ones) and will be focused on RFA\u2019s and trades as he looks to shape the roster for next season and beyond with younger players.<\/p>\n Kyle Dubas, on Pittsburgh’s approach in free agency: “I would be surprised – unless they were RFAs or trades – that we would do long-range deals with players. But we\u2019ve got a number of players in mind that I think we can give opportunity to.”<\/p>\n \u2014 Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) June 30, 2025<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Restricted free agents<\/p>\n Internally, there isn\u2019t much happening. Pittsburgh sent a QO to Vasily Ponomarev, ceremonial at this point being as Ponomarev recently signed a three-year deal to play for a KHL team. But, you never know with contracts \u2014 Filip Hallander signed a five-year deal to leave Pittsburgh and play in Sweden in the spring of 2023<\/a>. Fast forward two years and now he\u2019s coming back to play in the Pens\u2019 organization again. Ponomarev is out of the picture for 2025-26, but the future could be open since Pittsburgh will keep his NHL rights.<\/p>\n The bigger issue for the Pens will be how RFA\u2019s shape what they can do with their team. In Buffalo, Bowen Byram and Ryan McLeod need new deals. Marco Rossi in Minnesota too. K\u2019Andre Miller and Will Cuylle in New York. Mackie Samoskevich in Florida.<\/p>\n Even if those specific players might not be targets for the Penguins, teams will be looking to clear salary cap space to make it happen. Pittsburgh has just over $20 million in such space and could serve as brokers \u2014 like they did last year taking on Cody Glass and Kevin Hayes and picking up extra draft picks from teams looking to drop some of their overpaid players.<\/p>\n Trades<\/p>\n Free agency is flashy and catches all the attention of today, but trades are going to be the real area to monitor today and moving forward this summer around the Pens. Dubas admitted he will have some very difficult decisions to make about players that will be in demand from other teams while also holding value on the ice to his own team next season in Erik Karlsson, Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust.<\/p>\n Kyle Dubas on potential trades involving Erik Karlsson, Rickard Rakell or Bryan Rust: “I know more about the free agent market because of the calls we get on our veteran guys. Teams say the the market is nuts. We might have more interest in doing a deal or a trade. …”<\/p>\n\n
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