Penguins Ink Troika

For those of you hungering for news…and/or waiting for the shoe to drop…on the Erik Karlsson front, you’ll likely be disappointed with this article. But the Penguins did make three relatively minor moves over the past couple of days.

On Friday the Pens signed 2023 third-round pick Emil Pieniniemi to a three-year entry-level deal with a cap hit of $870 K.

Although a bit raw, the 6’2” 175-pound left-shot defenseman boasts an intriguing tool kit.

“Good size, range, moves well,” said Pens director of amateur scouting Nick Pryor. “Really good with the puck, smart, gets you out of your end clean, transition game is very good. The size to go with that, we were really excited where we got him.”

My impression based on the limited highlight videos of the 18-year-old Finn? He seems to do everything well and I was duly impressed with his all-around game. We may have snagged a sleeper (and hopefully a keeper).

The Pens also inked RFA forward Jonathan Gruden to a one-year, two-way deal with a cap-hit of $775 K at the NHL level.

Acquired in the 2020 trade that sent Matt Murray to Ottawa, the 23-year-old center produced a solid season amid the rubble at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He potted 16 goals (fourth-best on the team) and 31 points in 54 games. Respectable stats for a foot soldier, especially on a poor team.

He had no points (and barely touched the ice) during a three-game cameo with the Pens.

The 6’0” 172-pounder has some sand in his game, which I like, and will drop the gloves if the situation calls for it. A rare trait among black-and-gold prospects.

Today the Pens signed RFA defenseman Ty Smith to a one-year pact with a cap hit of $775 K. Acquired last summer from the Devils for John Marino in what’s shaping up to be one of the more infamous deals in franchise history, the former first-round pick seemed set to start the season on our third pairing beside Jan Rutta, only to be displaced on the eve of the season by Pierre-Olivier Joseph.

The 23-year-old portsider proceeded to spend the majority of the season in Wilkes, tallying 24 points in 39 games while pacing all Baby Pens rearguards with seven goals.

Called up to the ‘Burgh in late December due to a tidal wave of injuries, Smith notched a goal and four points in nine games while averaging a robust 20:12 of ice time. Unusually heavy deployment for a call-up to say the least.

Paired with the now departed Brian Dumoulin and skating for the most part on his off (right) side, I thought the mobile defender acquitted himself well (a plus-three). Given his pocket-sized frame (5’11” 180) he’s not going to knock guys on their wallet. But he definitely knows what to do with the puck when it’s on his stick.

It will be interesting to see how he’s deployed…or if he’ll be used as a trade chip…during the upcoming season.

Make Way for Malgin?

I mentioned this in a comment to my previous article, but I thought I’d make it “official.” Provided he’s still available, I would not be shocked to see the Pens invite Swiss forward Denis Malgin (pictured above) to training camp on a PTO.

The former fourth-round pick of the Panthers fits our (or should I say Mike Sullivan’s) mold to a T. Malgin’s small (5’9” 182), fast and clever, with a penchant for making things happen in the offensive zone. Despite his lack of girth, he’ll stick his nose in (68 hits in 65 games). And he’s a right-shot to boot.

In short, a poor man’s Evan Rodrigues.

The 26-year-old has a history with Kyle Dubas as well. The Pens’ acting GM brought Malgin to Toronto in 2020 before peddling him to the Avalanche last season.

Malgin’s production with the Avs was intriguing …11 goals in 42 games (roughly a 20-goal pace)…while averaging 10:32 of ice time. His 5v5 goals/60 rate (1.18) was higher than any of our guys, including Sidney Crosby (1.06) and near-name sake Evgeni Malkin (.80).

Mind you, I’m not posturing for the Pens to pursue Malgin. Rather, call it a hunch or an intuition.