With a few players on injured reserve and some young prospects making some pretty solid cases to stick around for good, the Pittsburgh Penguins will have some tough roster decisions to make in the coming days and weeks.
GM and POHO Kyle Dubas made it clear before the start of training camp that the team would deal with the "ripple effects" with veterans if youth made a true push for the NHL roster. Now that it's happening in real time, what can the organization do about it?
Of course, waivers are an option, and the Penguins were already unafraid to explore that option when they waived veteran defenseman Ryan Graves. But another viable option could be an early-season trade market for some of their role players.
It's unlikely that one of their "big three" trade candidates – Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust, and Erik Karlsson – will be shipped out early one in hopes of better return packages at the trade deadline for their best assets. But that doesn't mean a smaller trade cannot occur early, as it did last season when Lars Eller was traded to the Washington Capitals in November.
With that in mind, here are some players folks can, maybe, keep an eye on.
Blake Lizotte
Lizotte, 27, has proven to be a perfectly serviceable – and effective – fourth-line center for the Penguins since the beginning of the 2024-25 season. He signed a two-year deal last summer, and he registered 11 goals and 20 points in 59 games last season, which was a career-best pace.
The 5-foot-9, 176-pound forward may be a bit undersized, but he hardly plays like it. He is relentless on the forecheck, uses his speed, drives the net, and doesn't shy away from contact. Lizotte would be a perfectly solid addition to any contending team's bottom-six, even just to shore up some depth.
And – in case anyone forgot – there was a brief period last season when he saw a stint as the team's third-line center, and he registered five goals and nine points in nine games. Lizotte is capable of elevating the offensive side of his game in the right environment, which is a valuable trait when considering his defensive contributions.
Lizotte is – likely – one of the easiest players for the Penguins to trade, and it might just make some sense for them to both get a passable return and make way for a younger prospect.
'The Young Guys Are Coming': 3 Observations From Dubas's Pre-Season Press ConferenceOn Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins opened their 2025 training camp with a few words from general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas.
Ryan Shea
To some degree, an argument could be made here for Connor Clifton or Caleb Jones, too. However, Jones's two-year contract may make it a bit more difficult to deal him, and Clifton's $3.3 million contract may hinder any trade without retention.
On the surface, dealing Shea may not make too much sense. If he is dealt, the Penguins would only have two actual left-side defensemen on their roster in Parker Wotherspoon and Jones. Although it's not an ideal situation, both Clifton and Matt Dumba have experience playing the off-side, and they could also recall prospect Owen Pickering.
Even if Shea, 28, may only be a seventh defenseman on other NHL teams, he is still a solid depth piece at a low cap hit of $900,000 for just this season. He should be able to be part of a player-for-player swap relatively easily, should the Penguins entertain it.
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Connor Dewar
Dewar was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs – along with blueliner Conor Timmins, who was dealt to the Buffalo Sabres this summer – just prior to the 2025 trade deadline. And, since his acquisition, he has been a really solid fourth-line player for the Penguins.
He had four goals and seven points in just 17 games with the Penguins last season after putting up just three points in 31 games with the Leafs prior to the deadline. He had a great pre-season and has already registered a point in the first three games, and his defensive conscience as well as the energy he brings could probably help fill out another roster's depth.
Dewar – like Lizotte – is a perfectly fine player to keep around, should the Penguins choose. He has been a good player for the Penguins in his tenure. But he's also the exact kind of player who is blocking a younger, higher-upside prospect from the roster.
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Tommy Novak
Up to this point, Novak has only played in five games for the Penguins, as he was injured after playing just two games for Pittsburgh following his acquisition from the Nashville Predators at the deadline.
As is the case with the other players on this list, Novak has been serviceable in those five games. Sure, he plays a bit on the perimeter, and yes, he could be less shy about taking contact. But the 6-foot-1 center has barely had any runway to develop chemistry with any of his new teammates, and he has a track record of being a solid bottom-six player in Nashville with 49 goals and 117 points in 201 games there. He has also displayed some chemistry with youngster Ben Kindel.
But, again, should his roster spot be filled by someone like Tristan Broz or Avery Hayes, who are six years younger and may be part of the Penguins' future plans? The argument can be made that the Penguins should hold off a bit on Novak to see if he can build some trade value.
But, once again, if the Penguins are serious about a youth movement, they need to consider all options for helping that come to fruition for deserving players, even if that means shipping off someone like Novak a tad bit prematurely.
It's Only Been Three Games. But Kindel And Brunicke Should Be In Pittsburgh To Stay.Going into Pittsburgh Penguins' training camp this season, it's safe to say that most folks did not have 2025 11th overall pick Ben Kindel making the NHL roster out of the gate.
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