The Penguins have re-signed defenseman Jack St. Ivany to a three-year deal with an AAV of $775K.
A right-handed shot, the rangy 6’3” 201-pounder was slated to become an RFA when his current contract expired on July 1.
Personally, I liked what I saw of St. Ivany. A lot. His 14-game stint with the black-and-gold coincided with the team’s 8-3-3 stretch run. Calm and cool, the 24-year-old rearguard displayed a knack for making the safe, smart play while teaming with fellow rookie Ryan Shea on the third defensive pair.
He also skated alongside Ryan Graves during the 4-1 victory over Carolina on March 26 that served as a springboard for our late season push. It stuck in my head that Graves played one of his more effective games that night, providing a glimmer of hope that they might make an effective pair.
I also liked the fact that St. Ivany wasn’t shy about using his frame to full advantage, sometimes forcefully, dishing out 30 hits in his 14 games. The Pens could desperately use a physical element on the blue line.
I’m not suggesting there isn’t room for improvement in his game or that he’s a finished product by any stretch. Several of his key 5v5 metrics were well below break-even, including Corsi (43.88), Shots for Percentage (43.65) and Goals for Percentage (46.15), tempered by the fact that he was skating on the bottom pair.
Still, I have high hopes the former fourth-round pick of the Flyers and Ron Hextall pick-up will provide a steady, physical (and affordable) presence on our blue line for the foreseeable future.
Gruden Re-ups
The Pens also re-signed gritty forward Jonathan Gruden to a two-year deal with an AAV of $775K. He scored 13 goals and 24 points in 47 games for the Baby Pens in 2023-24. The 24-year-old scored his first NHL goal during our 4-3 loss to Calgary on March 2.
In yet another signing, the Pens inked defenseman Filip Kral to a one-year contract that pays $775K at the NHL level. A left shot, the 6’2″ 198-pound Czechia native was a fifth-round pick of the Maple Leafs in 2018. He spent three seasons with the AHL Toronto Marlies, enjoying modest success before jumping across the pond to play for Lahti in the SM-liiga last season.
Kral appeared in two games for the Leafs in ’22-23.
Rick & The Other Rick
I know we’re not surprised by Kral’s lack of physicality. I’m viewing this as more of an upgrade
for Shea and like the Other Rick added a tweener between the AHL/NHL.
Right now I’m more interested in Dubas signing Joshua but I’m not holding my breath.
Out of curiosity whats the deal with Austin Rueschhoff – listed at 6’7 242lbs. Dropped the gloves
several times and looks like he’s more than willing to stand up for his teammates.
Hey Mike,
I’ve been aware of Rueschhoff for a number of years, ever since he fought Jordy Bellerive, who was a really tough little bugger. He spent several seasons in the Rangers’ organization. And, yes, he can throw ’em pretty fair.
He’s put up okay numbers in the AHL (15 goals for the Baby Pens this season) but my guess is speed is an issue given his size. Not exactly a Sully/Penguin type player, either.
Yeah, it burns me that they don’t sign Joshua, although maybe the fact that he’s got another year to go on his Baby Pens contract has something to do with it. I can see him eventually going elsewhere and becoming exactly the kind of player we need and don’t have.
Rick
Hey Rick,
Thanks for the update. I wasn’t all that impressed when Hextall signed St. Ivany a couple of years ago, I chalked it up to Hextall wanting to go out and sign his cronies (Carter). However, He has been serviceable. Gruden on the other hand just may be a waste of a contract. I have seen nothing in his game that says he is an NHL level player. With a desperate need to get good young talent into the organization, his contract could cause the team to pass on a player that really did have a future.
As for Kràl, I first must confess that he has been well under my radar. There has never been anything about him that has attracted my attention. So, when I saw that Dubas signed him, I am left scrambling to get a handle on him. In fact, I still haven’t watched any video of him. However, reading through scouting reports, he doesn’t fill me with anticipation. I have read several contradictory statements as well as some rather less than complimentary discussions of his game.
Sports forecaster wrote: “He is not an especially great skater and tends to lack the agility needed to evade opposing forecheckers. Though he is not especially physical in his own zone, he has a quick stick for breaking up plays.”
Were as Ryan Pike of the Hockey Writers wrote, “Kral’s biggest asset is his skating. He’s got great mobility and uses his acceleration (and awareness) to open up opportunities on the ice.”
Donesh Mazloum wrote, “Filip Kral has left me wanting a bit more. Agile skater who shows flashes of skill, but he can be really soft on the puck. Plays small.”
While Steve Kournianos was quoted as saying “An underrated defender with very good speed …… Kral is a mobile two-way defender who emphasizes puck management in all three zones. He’s more than willing to take a hit to complete a play, plus he’s strong enough to ward off more than one opponent in order to protect the puck while moving up ice. He absorbs hits extremely well and is tough to knock down, especially during puck retrievals, and he wins the significant majority of his puck battles.”
So, is he a good skater or does he lack the agility needed to avoid the forecheck? Is he strong enough to ward off more than one opponent or soft on the puck?
I guess I will have to wait to see some game footage for myself, but as I said at the top, my expectations are not all that high.
Hey Other Rick,
Thanks for doing some digging on Kral. From the little I was able to read about him, it sounds like he’s a decent skater who’s responsible with the puck and not especially physical (gee, what a surprise).
Glancing at his stats, he put up decent offensive numbers for Spokane of the WHL as a junior. He wasn’t nearly as productive with the Toronto Marlies. He did produce 37 points (albeit only five goals) in 46 games with Lahti of the SM-liiga last season, and led the league with a plus-28.
Probably your standard fare AHL/NHL tweener…if that.
Rick
Rick
My fault – it was actually you and not the Other Rick that made the reference of
Kral being a tweener between the AHL/NHL.
Hey Rick,
To go along with what you say, another thing sports forecaster writes about Kral is “[He] can make a good first pass and line up on either side of the ice, but he is more of a facilitator than a play driver.” I read that as, “if you put him out there with talent he can leach off some points, but if you put him out there with other players like him nothing good will happen. He doesn’t make players better, he needs others to pick him up.
Mike,
You’re right, I was not surprised by the team signing another POJ clone. This is now starting to border on a tragic comedy.