The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the 2025 free agency period with one goal to add forwards without moving the needle. The team remains in trade talks to move out impact forwards Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust. Apart from those two, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are the only other true top-six forward talent on the roster. Expecting to move both Rakell and Rust, general manager Kyle Dubas has filled the roster with less skilled players. These moves should help ensure a bottom-ten, maybe even bottom-five finish in a draft year led by prospect sensation Gavin McKenna.
Pens Re-Sign Philip Tomasino and Connor Dewar
Philip Tomasino and Connor Dewar are the two NHL-rostered forwards brought back by the Penguins for 2025-26. Tomasino for one year at a $1.75 million average annual value. In addition, Dewar for one year at a $1.1 million AAV. Both players were acquired within the last year. A former first-round pick, Tomasino scored 11 goals, 12 assists and 23 points in a 50-game stint with the team. He’s a solid middle-six wing option with the potential to develop into an impact scorer. At just 23 years old, Tomasino has room to continue growing. He hopes to establish a permanent spot on the roster for himself.
Connor Dewar is the epitome of a fourth-line sparkplug. He’s shown some level of offensive potential in the past, and this potential came out in his short time with the Penguins. Following an acquisition from Toronto, Dewar scored four goals and seven points in 17 games with Pittsburgh. On a cheap one-year deal, Dewar will also be looking to cement a permanent NHL role with the Penguins. His unique blend of tenacity and two-way potential makes him an intriguing long-term option for the bottom six.
Adding Size In the Form of Justin Brazeau
Former Boston Bruins winger Justin Brazeau has signed a two-year deal at a $1.5M AAV. The signing of Brazeau is one of many moves the Penguins made in their concerted effort to get bigger. The 6’5″ winger, age 27, scored 10 goals and 20 points through 57 games with Boston last season. He was then moved to the Minnesota Wild, where he struggled with just one goal and one assist in 19 games.
Brazeau represents a fantastic low-risk gamble for Pittsburgh. As a 27-year-old entering his prime on a lower-priced deal, Brazeau doubles up as both a solid long-term bottom-six forward and a trade deadline asset. Expect him to compete with players like Dewar and Noel Acciari for bottom-six wing roles this season.
Adding Size and Some Skill in Anthony Mantha
Once seen as a blue-chip prospect, Anthony Mantha has seen an unfortunate fall from grace. The 30-year-old winger scored four goals and seven points in 13 games last season with the Flames. Although Mantha hasn’t carved out the career expected of him, he’s been in the NHL for quite a while. Through 12 seasons and 507 games, Mantha has scored 146 goals and 303 points.
On a one-year deal at a $2.5M AAV, Mantha’s signing gives us some potential insights into Pittsburgh’s plans. Mantha has shown the ability to play with elite talent in the past. With the potential offloading of Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell, the Penguins would have a gaping hole in the veteran winger department that could be filled by Mantha. Playing alongside Sidney Crosby could help inflate Mantha’s totals, making him an attractive trade piece at the deadline for a team needing some scoring punch. Of the four significant forward signings made by the Penguins so far, Anthony Mantha figures to be the most likely trade piece this coming season.
A Quiet Free Agency for a Rebuilding Team
The 2025 NHL Free Agency period has been a quiet one thus far for Pittsburgh. Heading into a season where the team could be in the realm of selecting first overall, there was an emphasis on ensuring players brought in wouldn’t move the needle. Kyle Dubas succeeded in this, with role players like Mantha and Brazeau acting as great mercenaries that could bring in assets later on. With their eyes on Gavin McKenna, expect for these players to get increased roles when forwards like Rust and Rakell are moved out.
Main Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
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