Throughout the entire history of the San Jose Sharks organization, only a single player has ever worn the number 56 during a regular season game: Ethan Cardwell.
Cardwell, who the Sharks drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft as an overage player, has been a key piece for the Sharks' American Hockey League affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda in recent years.
While Cardwell's stock has certainly risen drastically since his draft year, there's still a lot of unknown surrounding his long-term future. He has the potential to turn into an effective bottom-six forward due to his strong work ethic and tendency to not turn away from physicality, but it's also possible he gets stuck between the NHL and the AHL like many players tend to do.
Injuries hampered Cardwell considerably during the 2025-26 season, so he's fallen a bit more under the radar this summer, but he should be a major asset for the Barracuda this coming season.
Cardwell has appeared in 13 games for the Sharks at the NHL level, and since he has now played six or more games in two consecutive seasons, he is no longer classified as a rookie. Meanwhile, at the AHL level, he's played 158 games for the Barracuda scoring 41 goals and 65 assists during that time.
Only one prospect drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in 2021 currently remains with the organization — goaltender Aku Koskenvuo. Forwards Danila Klimovich, Connor Lockhart, and Lucas Forsell, as well as defencemen Jonathan Myrenberg and Hugo Gabrielson have all parted ways with the team since their draft year.
Also part of the organization now, all added within the past year or so, are trade acquisitions Ilya Safonov and Jack Thompson, as well as free-agent signings Anrī Ranvinskis and Matt Stienburg. Here’s how the 2025–26 season went for Koskenvuo, Safonov, Thompson, Ravinskis, and Stienburg.
Aku Koskenvuo
2021 R5, 137 OVR
Abbotsford Canucks, AHL and Kalamazoo Wings, ECHL
The Canucks’ lone 2021 draftee after the departure of Klimovich in free-agency, Koskenvuo spent the 2025–26 season familiarizing himself with pro hockey after two seasons with Harvard University in the NCAA.
Koskenvuo began his first pro season in the ECHL with Kalamazoo, recording a collective total of 59 saves in his first two starts for the K-Wings. The landslide of injuries from both Vancouver and Abbotsford resulted in the goaltender quickly being called-up to the AHL. In his first AHL start, Koskenvuo managed to make 33 saves to backstop Abbotsford to their first win in 11 games. He stayed with Abbotsford for nearly a month before being re-assigned to the ECHL in mid-December.
After some time in the ECHL in December, Koskenvuo was brought back up to Abbotsford in January, in what would be his last stretch of AHL play for the remainder of the year. He played in his final game for Abbotsford on January 30, finishing the year with a 3.20 GAA and .895 SV%. The goaltender was also called-up to the NHL during the Olympic break, serving as a practice netminder with Kevin Lankinen at the Olympics and Thatcher Demko injured.
Koskenvuo will likely see more playing time in Abbotsford during the 2026–27 season, though this will be dependent on what Vancouver chooses to do with goaltender Nikita Tolopilo.
Acquired via trade during the 2025 off-season, Safonov signed his entry-level contract with the Canucks back at the start of June. The forward was previously picked in the sixth round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by Chicago, though he never ended up skating for the club that selected him.
Safonov has played for Ak Bars Kazan in the KHL since the 2019–20 season, with the 2025–26 season expected to be his last depending on how his journey to the NHL goes. The forward, whose versatility allows him to play at both center and wing, scored 16 goals and 17 assists in 68 games in the KHL this year. While his team ultimately came short of winning the KHL championship, Safonov did put up two goals and seven assists in 20 playoff games.
Since signing with Vancouver, Safonov has made it clear that his goal in 2026–27 is to make the NHL.
“I am not going there with a guaranteed place in the lineup, and I am not arriving as a star... I will have to prove that I belong, and I am ready for that. Based on the conversations we have had, I understand that I will have an opportunity,” he said in a translated interview with R.org.
Thompson’s time with the Canucks only lasted a total of 14 AHL games in 2025–26, but the defenceman made a strong enough impression to warrant a one-year contract extension signed in mid-June. He went from putting up 12 points in 42 games with the San Jose Barracuda to surpassing that mark in his 14 games with Abbotsford.
The former third-round selection by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 started the season off with the Barracuda, scoring his first goal of the year on November 1 against the Ontario Reign. He played in his final game for San Jose on March 4, before lacing up for the AHL Canucks two days later.
Thompson kicked his Abbotsford campaign off with a notable two goals and three assists in his first two games with the AHL Canucks, recording four multi-point games between then and the end of the season. By the end of the season, the defenceman had already carved out a spot on Abbotsford’s top-pairing.
Thompson will undoubtedly play a big role with Abbotsford come the 2026–27 season, especially now that he has inked an extension with the team.
Anrī Ravinskis
Signed to two-year, $910k AAV contract in 2025
Abbotsford Canucks, AHL
A free-agent signing out of Finland during the 2025 off-season, Ravinskis’ 2025–26 season saw him make both his North American pro hockey and AHL debut. He spent the prior two seasons in Finnish leagues Mestis and Liiga, also skating with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the QMJHL in 2021–22 and 2022–23.
Ravinskis made his AHL debut on October 17 when Abbotsford took on the Laval Rocket. He registered his first AHL point in a 3–2 shootout loss to the Colorado Eagles on November 8, assisting on the game’s opening goal scored by Josh Bloom. The forward scored his first AHL goal on January 2 against the Manitoba Moose, finishing his first season with two goals and two assists in 32 games played.
During 2025–26, Ravinskis also ended up taking part in the first Winter Olympics of his career, as he was named an injury replacement for Team Latvia. While his role with Latvia was limited, the forward did skate in four games with his team.
Matthew Stienburg
Signed to one-year, $850k AAV contract in 2026
Colorado Eagles, AHL
Stienburg is the most recent prospect to join the Canucks, as he signed with the organization in free-agency back on July 2. The forward, who turns 26 in October, was drafted in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche but has only played in a total of eight NHL games.
Stienburg’s hockey career has been pelted by injuries, resulting in his limited playing time on a per-season basis. The forward has not played in more than 20 NHL and AHL regular and post-season games put together through the past two years, with the 2025–26 season seeing him play in only eight with the Eagles. In the eight games that he did skate in during the 2025–26 season, Stienburg scored two goals and one assist.
Stienburg is expected to play for Abbotsford during the 2026–27 season, likely joining fellow free-agent forward signings Akil Thomas and Trey Fix-Wolansky.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Calgary Flames have fully embraced their youth movement, but developing prospects isn’t just about giving young players ice time. It’s about putting them in an environment where they can learn what it takes to become professionals.
On the surface, it’s a one-year, two-way contract worth $850,000 for a veteran depth forward. Dig a little deeper, though, and it’s easy to see why Jones could become one of the most important players on the Calgary Wranglers this season.
Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
This isn’t a player walking into an unfamiliar situation. Jones was part of the Wranglers from the very beginning, playing a key role during the club’s inaugural 2022-23 season. He posted 54 points and a +28 rating while helping Calgary capture the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as AHL regular-season champions, along with the Pacific Division title. He understands the expectations, the organization, and what winning looks like in Calgary.
Since then, Jones has added another layer to his résumé.
Over the past two seasons, he appeared in 54 NHL games between the Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild, gaining valuable experience at hockey’s highest level. While his NHL role was primarily as a reliable depth forward, he continued to show he can produce offensively in the American Hockey League, operating at nearly a point-per-game pace with the Iowa Wild last season.
That offensive production is certainly a bonus, but it’s not the biggest reason Calgary brought him back.
The Wranglers are expected to feature one of the youngest rosters in the AHL, with several of the Flames’ top prospects taking on larger roles. Players like Aydar Suniev, Andrew Basha, William Stromgren and others will all be navigating the daily grind of professional hockey, and that’s where Jones’ impact could be felt the most.
Entering his 10th professional season, Jones knows what it takes to stick around. He understands the habits, preparation and consistency required to earn opportunities at the NHL level. Those are lessons that can’t always be taught by coaches alone.
Wild center Ben Jones (39) celebrates scoring his first NHL goal against the New York Islanders in the first period at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
As Calgary continues building toward the future, the organization needs more than talented prospects, it needs experienced veterans who can help shape them along the way. Ben Jones may not be the headline signing of the summer, but his presence in the Wranglers’ dressing room could prove to be one of the organization’s most valuable additions for the 2026-27 season.
The Buffalo Sabres have been proactive with a number of their own players in getting them signed to long-term extensions prior to them getting close to becoming eligible for an offer sheet or unrestricted free agency. The club did it with former team captain Jack Eichel and center Dylan Cozens before they were traded, and have also done so with current Sabres Tage Thompson, Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Mattias Samuelsson.
On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins locked up RFA forward Ville Koivunen to an eight-year, $32 million contract extension ($4 million AAV), being more proactive than Buffalo ever has, since the 23-year-old Finn has only 47 games of NHL experience and just 14 career points.
With the salary cap increasing exponentially, a $4 million cap hit is not an insignificant amount, but could be a homerun for GM Kyle Dubas if Koivunen becomes a consistent middle-six forward, but it also gives the Pens two years of evaluation time, as they can use a one-third buyout until he turns 26 years old.
The question for the 31 other clubs, including the Sabres, is whether they are willing to role the dice on any of their youngsters eligible for a new contract before the expiration of the eight-year max deal in the middle of next month. Even with eight years being the max, the only extensions that Buffalo has opted to go the full distance with is Eichel and Dahlin, and the only one coming out of their entry-level deal was Eichel.
Will the Sabres add scoring help before the start of training camp?
The youngsters eligible for an extension who have played similar NHL time coming off their ELC next summer are centers Noah Ostlund and Jiri Kulich. Winger Jack Quinn is entering the final year of a two-year bridge deal, and was connected in rumors to be part of the Connor Hellebuyck trade proposal with Winnipeg. Both Ostlund and Kulich are similar in age and lack of experience to Koivunen, which could give GM Jarmo Kekalainen the leverage to offer them a team-friendly deal.
This could be something that the Sabres are interested in doing, since both players are expected to be full-time NHLers this season with the departure of Alex Tuch. Their price tag could skyrocket with a solid regular season. If Buffalo chooses to be conservative, they can wait till next summer to get more proof of their worth, and each would be eligible to sign a seven-year deal, but they also would be eligible to sign an offer sheet with another NHL club as Leo Carlsson did with Philadelphia last month.
Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffaloTHN.com/Free
In this segment, THN - Pittsburgh Penguins' editors Kelsey Surmacz and Hunter Hodies discuss the shifting landscape of roster-building in the NHL and whether or not it's a viable approach for Kyle Dubas and the Penguins to take.
Read about the Penguins' approach to roster-building and the state of their rebuild here:
Patrick Damp of Locked On Penguins joins Kelsey Surmacz and Hunter Hodies - editors of THN's Pittsburgh Penguins site - to discuss why the one-year contract extension for Evgeni Malkin makes sense for both the player and the team.
OTTAWA, CANADA - MARCH 26: Ville Koivunen #41 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates against the Ottawa Senators on March 26, 2026 at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by André Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The news reverberated out of no where when the Penguins signed Ville Koivunen for an eight-year contract and a healthy $4.0 million cap hit. No matter how you slice it, there’s been a big bet made on a player prior to proving he truly deserved it, which opens up obvious questions about the reasoning behind making such a move.
Let’s dive in more and gain a new perspective that could help understanding just what this contract really means.
Ville Koivunen has some positive signs under the hood, but an incredibly limited NHL track record. The Penguins are clearly betting on him leveling up to at least middle-six caliber over this contract. pic.twitter.com/VzUKR0g9y4
This projection, if anything, shows that it doesn’t take a lot to get a $4.0 million player in the expanding NHL salary cap world. Koivunen would only need to moderately improve his point production to start getting into justifying the money. It can be a hard pill to swallow given that he’s looked slow and not quite quick enough to be effective in the NHL so far, but there’s some signs that he might be able to get there. Whether or not he will, of course, is another debate.
The comparable players to Koivunen might be the most fascinating part to consider for just where he might end up as a finished product. There are a bunch of similar players with a wide variety of career tracks.
Some of Koivunen's comps add some weight to this — if he can follow the Jack Drury/Jesper Fast track or follow in Viktor Arvidsson's footsteps, this will age well. The best-case scenario is Troy Terry. But there's obviously a pretty wide range outcomes here. pic.twitter.com/iAkDvfhIqn
Locking down a potential Troy Terry, Jack Drury or Jesper Fast would be a big win for the Penguins, let alone if Koivunen had a Viktor Arvidsson future lined up. Up until age-22, Arvidsson was a great AHL scorer with six goals in 64 games – then he popped off for 31 in 2026-17 and has gone onto have a nice career as a mid-line support player.
The trade off, and where the risk comes in, is that this best case scenario is far from guaranteed. If Koivunen trends more to the “just a guy” or worse area of following in the footsteps of Benn Ferriero or Anders Bjork, suddenly the contract looks like a big problem for a long-lasting huge cap hit on a player that isn’t capable of making much of an impact at the NHL level. And that above grouping of player contains more misses than players deserving of a max term contract.
Then again, maybe it shouldn’t look that way to gain a true understanding of the perspective of why an unestablished player signed a massive contract.
There is quietly an off-ramp built in, via a wrinkle in the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement. Players under the age of 26 can be bought out for one-third of the contract, unlike the standard 2/3 that an older player gets in a buyout. If the Pens were to buy out Koivunen in the summer of 2028, they’d sidestep almost all of the issues created with this contract. This area probably wasn’t lost under Kyle Dubas, but surely now would have been highlighted by the Pens’ new consultant Brandon Pridham – who was involved in writing the CBA.
Something to note on this contract – if the Pens buy him out in summer 2028, they'll be on the hook for 12 seasons but the cap hit will never exceed $750K
there's essentially a "get out of jail free" baked in if he actually doesn't turn out to be a player in the next two seasons https://t.co/4i2dqxGSKw
Based on the backloaded structure for the salary components on the contract, it is prime for a buyout. Per PuckPedia, here is what it would look like if the Pens bought Koivunen out in 2028.
(Note: screen cutoff, the annual $729,167 penalty continues through the 2039-40 season)
Dead cap money in hockey is usually seen as a plague to be avoided, but the rising cap mitigates the impact in a way where perceptions will need to be updated. The NHL salary cap should be in the $125 million range in 2028-29 and figures to grow beyond that in future years. Taking a $479k penalty would be negligible at best for the Penguins. The whole thing would become more of a footnote and trivia point hanging around the margins than anything else – should things come to that.
Due to the economies of scale it can be difficult to compare the NHL to the NFL in a business sense, but carrying plenty of dead cap hits is a standard operating procedure in the NFL. The Steelers, for instance, are projected at holding $12.2 million in dead space in 2026 (though, of course, the NFL salary cap being over $300 million makes that a drop in the bucket). Such a shift in mindset could wind it’s way into normality in hockey as their caps begin to grow and allow for more tolerance of inefficient penalty cap hits.
Of course, a team isn’t going to be keen to make a bold move in signing an eight-year deal thinking they will have to buy it out in two seasons, yet practically that has to be remembered when thinking about the very essence of this contract. In essence, this could be seen as the Pens giving Koivunen $8 million for two years with a team option for five more in 2028 when they assess whether Koivunen is worth keeping or better off cutting losses for the most marginal of penalties. Such money at $8mx2 is still an excessive amount for Koivunen’s worth and value in the short-term, but one the Penguins can easily afford with all their current cap space to hedge a bet against the possibility that Koivunen justifies showing that he can be a capable NHL player from 2028-33.
Dubas even said he preferred to think of the deal as a ‘bet’, a bit of a departure from the standard signing of a young player to a max-length extension. By that outlook what is a long contract isn’t an eight-year promise to a core player but a risk the team was willing to do to see if it works.
If that happens, Pittsburgh would find themselves in a winning position to have a useful, prime-aged player locked up for what will be an exceedingly reasonable amount should Koivunen trend the way of a Jesper Fast type by 2028. It would be a home run and huge win if somehow Koivunen does even better than that and has Troy Terry or Viktor Arvidsson production at the age of 25 in a couple years. In the event it doesn’t work out and Koivunen’s trajectory falls short, the team has an option to bail and chalk the whole thing up to taking a chance that didn’t pay off with very minimal cost moving forward.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have handed out an unusually lucrative and lengthy contract extension to a young forward who has had limited NHL production so far in his career.
The team announced on Thursday, Aug. 6 that it had reached an eight-year contract with Ville Koivunen worth an average of $4 million per season. Koivunen was a restricted free agent.
The 23-year-old was drafted 51st overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2021 and was acquired by the Penguins in the deal that sent Jake Guentzel to Raleigh in 2024. He had seven assists in eight games after the trade.
Last season, Koivunen scored two goals and tallied five assists for the Penguins at the NHL level and had 13 goals and 28 assists in 34 games for their Wilkes-Barre/Scranton American Hockey League affiliate. He helped the AHL Penguins reach the conference finals with four goals and five assists in 15 playoff games.
It appears that late-season surge was enough to give general manager Kyle Dubas the confidence that Koivunen could be a significant contributor at an affordable rate for the foreseeable future. Koivunen, however, did not appear in any of the Penguins’ first-round Stanley Cup playoff games against the rival Philadelphia Flyers or score in any of his last nine NHL appearances.
Widening the lens, Koivunen’s total minor league resume does show some promise with 35 goals and 63 assists for a total of 98 points in 109 games between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.
The #Pens signed 23 y/o F Ville Koivunen to an 8 year $4M cap hit contract
Yr 1 850K Salary, 2M Signing Bonus Yr 2 900K/2M Yr 3 4.25M Yr 4 4.35M Yr 5 4.4M Yr 6-7 4.5M Yr 8 4.25M
Deal covers 4 UFA seasons, does not include any trade clauses
Still, the urgency to make such a commitment is a bit of a head scratcher for a team that has no other players signed past 2029-30 as franchise legends Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin wind down their careers.
While Dubas has repeatedly signaled a focus beyond their immediate window to win one more championship, he will face questions about whether Koivunen has earned this bet to be a big part of both the team’s present and distant future.
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 24: Ville Koivunen #41 of the Pittsburgh Penguins in action during the game against the Colorado Avalanche at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 24, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
If you had any doubts as to whether or not the Pittsburgh Penguins believe in Ville Koivunen, you can forget about it.
At least for now.
The Penguins showed everybody on Thursday morning that they do, in fact, believe in Koivunen, at least to some degree, by signing him an eight-year, $32 million contract extension with a $4 million salary cap number per season.
It’s a stunning bet that comes with some serious sticker shock.
It’s a max-term deal for a guy that’s played less than 50 games in the NHL and has scored only two goals.
You didn’t have that on your radar today. Nobody did. It is one of those deals where I had to read the press release five times and check the social media account with intense scrutiny to make sure it was real before I commented on it. Remember back when fake Twitter accounts posting fake trades and signings were a thing? The “Perguins” acquired every player in the NHL one summer.
I thought this was the Perguins.
But, no, it was in fact the actual Pittsburgh Penguins, and it is in fact a real contract.
So let’s try to make some sense of this.
It’s a gamble. That’s it. They are gambling that Koivunen realizes his potential, becomes an NHL regular, and slots somewhere into the middle of the lineup (or higher). If he does, it would become an insanely team-friendly contract in the future under the rising cap.
A $4 million cap-hit in 2026-27 would be the equivalent to a $3.3 million contract under the $88 million cap from a couple of years ago.
Under next year’s $113 million cap it would be the equivalent of a $3.1 million deal.
Assuming the cap goes up into the $120 million range after that, and every year beyond that, the value keeps going on that same trajectory. I don’t think you’re prepared for how small a $4 million cap hit is going to be in the future.
Honestly, the dollar amount isn’t even close to the main concern. Not now, and probably not even in the future. Not only because of the cap around the league and the way it is climbing, but also because the Penguins have almost nobody signed long-term. I said this about the Tommy Novak deal as well; this team has NOBODY signed. That doesn’t mean you just throw money at anybody, but at some point you’re going to have to fill out a roster and pay somebody. Even if Koivunen busts a $4 million cap hit in six or seven years is going to be on the low end of NHL contracts.
Koivuen also doesn’t need to be a top-line player for this contract to pay for itself long-term. I honestly think everybody is setting too high of a bar for what Koivunen has to be for this to be worth it. Your brain is still instinctively working on a sub-$90 million salary cap from the past two decades.
He really just needs to be a capable middle-six player.
If he becomes anything more than that, it’s a steal.
His ability to actually become even THAT level of player, as well as the term itself, are the big parts of the gamble.
In some ways, I can kind of see why the Penguins have that level of faith in Koivunen.
There is obvious talent. He is still only 23 years old. He has been wildly productive in the American Hockey League. He is also coming off a season where he posted some of the best underlying and possession-metrics in the league. And that is not an exaggeration or hyperbole.
There were 397 forwards that played at least 450 minutes in the NHL this season.
Koivunen ranked 16th in that group in expected goal share, 25th in total shot attempt share, 11th in scoring chance share, 26th in high-danger scoring chance share and 84th in expected goals per 60 minutes.
He played a lot of sheltered minutes in terms of offensive zone starts, but he didn’t really have the highest quality linemates at times. Even so, when he was on the ice the puck was typically in the offensive zone and they were typically out-chancing their opponents.
It just never translated into actual goals. For him, or the team. And that became frustrating. But it’s also still a ridiculously small sample size.
The biggest thing I kept going back to is he always just seemed to be a half-second slow in releasing his shot. There were countless times he had himself in a good spot, but ended up having his shot blocked or deflected away because he couldn’t get it off in time. Maybe that’s a red flag for his ability to turn his AHL production into NHL production.
But there is still something to be said for being in the right spots, and in potential scoring spots.
Honestly, given that profile, his age, talent and the numbers, he is probably the exact type of player the Penguins would be looking to trade for if he played on another team. He fits that profile of a talented player with strong underlyings that simply hasn’t put everything together to produce results.
In this case the Penguins are not gambling future draft picks, they are gambling future salary cap space.
I am not sure where Koivunen slots in this season. I am not sure if there is another trade to happen that moves out a forward to open a more secure roster spot for him. I also don’t know how his career is going to develop, if he will keep posting great underlying numbers, or if it will turn into actual, tangible production. The Penguins seem to at least have some level of faith that he is going to take some sort of a step forward, if not this season, than in the seasons ahead.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins made a significant investment in their future on Thursday, signing forward Ville Koivunen to an eight-year contract worth $4 million annually.
Koivunen, 23, was a restricted free agent. The deal signals Koivunen is an important part of the franchise as it navigates the twilight of the careers of icons Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
The Finnish-born Koivunen, acquired in a March 2024 trade with Carolina that sent Jake Guentzel to the Hurricanes, had two goals and five assists in 39 games with Pittsburgh during the 2025-26 season.
Koivunen excelled in the playoffs for Wilkes-Barre, Pittsburgh's American Hockey League affiliate, collecting four goals and five assists in nine games to help the club to the conference finals.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed Ville Koivunen to a massive contract.
They announced on Thursday that Koivunen has agreed to an eight-year deal with an average annual value of $4 million. Koivunen was the final restricted free agent for the Penguins to sign.
The Penguins have re-signed restricted free agent forward Ville Koivunen to an eight-year contract.
It's a contract that nobody saw coming, especially after finishing the 2025-26 season with only two goals and seven points in 39 games. He also spent time with the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, compiling 13 goals and 41 points in 34 games.
He plays super well in the AHL, but hasn't been able to translate that play to the NHL. The Penguins are obviously betting that he will during this deal and that he'll be a big part of their future.
His underlying metrics have been strong, but the production hasn't been there. He'll have an opportunity to change that this season, especially if he makes the team out of training camp.
Koivunen was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes in the Jake Guentzel trade back in 2024. He has compiled two goals and 14 points in 47 NHL games.
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 07: Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Ville Koivunen (41) skates during the third period in the NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers on March 7, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Well, this one came out of no where. The Penguins announced today that Ville Koivunen has been re-signed to an eight year contract with a $4.0 million annual average value.
The Penguins have re-signed restricted free agent forward Ville Koivunen to an eight-year contract.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed restricted free agent forward Ville Koivunen to an eight-year contract, it was announced today by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas.
The contract runs through the 2033-34 season and carries an average annual value of $4 million.
Koivunen, 23, spent the 2025-26 season split between Pittsburgh and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL). With Pittsburgh, he notched seven points (2G-5A) in 39 games and also had 13 goals and 28 assists for 41 points in 34 games with WBS. He led the WBS Penguins in assists (28), ranked second in points (41) and had the highest points-per-game average on the team (1.21). Koivunen was named AHL Player of the Month for February after notching 16 points (6G-10A) in 11 games. In the Calder Cup Playoffs, he was tied for second on WBS with nine points (4G-5A) in 15 games, helping them reach the Conference Finals.
The 6-foot, 184-pound forward has recorded 14 points (2G-12A) in 47 games across parts of two seasons in the NHL with Pittsburgh. In the AHL, Koivunen has 98 points (35G-63A) in 109 career games, split between Chicago and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He also notched 13 points (5G-8A) in 19 career Calder Cup playoff games. He was named to the 2025 AHL All-Rookie Team, and was the January 2025 AHL Rookie of the Month.
Prior to coming to North America, Koivunen spent three seasons with Kärpät in Liiga, the top professional league in Finland, from 2021-24. The forward had 113 points (45G-68A) in 164 career games with Kärpät which was the highest point total by a player on the team in that span.
The Oulu, Finland native has represented his home country at various tournaments in his career. He skated in the 2021 World Under-18 Championship and twice at the World Junior Championship in 2022, where he helped his team win a silver medal, and 2023 where he served as an alternate captain of Team Finland.
There’s certainly a lot to digest with this one. Koivunen struggled to find the scoresheet in the NHL in 2025-26, scoring only two goals and adding seven assists in 39 games. His production was much better at the AHL level with 41 points in 34 games. Below the stats, Koivunen did shine in territorial play, posting some of the best puck possession numbers on the team last year.
That left questions about where Koivunen, 23, might fit in the future.
This contract goes to answer some of that. The Penguins have made a big bet that Koivunen will be a part of their future. As of September 16, when the new CBA officially kicks in, the max length of a contract is seven years, they decided to make the longest bet still possible it will happen.
On one hand, that could pay off. James Mirtle at The Athletic speculated that the revenue boom in the NHL could lead to a $150-160 million upper limit of the salary cap in 2031-32. Koivunen will still be on that contract during those latter years of expected massive growth in the cap and would be coming in at as low as 2.5% of the cap total.
From that perspective, having a skilled winger on a potential bargain could be beneficial for the Pens down the road. They certainly have enough cap space in the next few years where even if Koivunen doesn’t amount to a $4 million player that he won’t hand-cuff their situation or prevent any other moves that they may wish to make.
On the other hand, this is a complete departure of how the Pens have been building. In recent years Pittsburgh haggled with impending restricted free agents like Connor Dewar and Philip Tomasino over a few hundred thousands dollars — and even let them become unrestricted free agents. To hand out eight years at a massive salary increase is a big change from what has been established.
Prior to last week’s Tommy Novak contract extension last week, the Pens had no forwards under contract for the 2029-30 season, and only three (Novak, Egor Chinakhov and Blake Lizotte) under contract for 2028-29. The team had moved into a strong direction to not give out much term to players that they’ve signed in the past few years.
Perhaps they didn’t have any candidates to go long with. Koivunen didn’t seem like a strong one either, but the team clearly thinks this player has a lot of achievable upside and will help them for years. It’s a bold bet that could have positive or negative consequences. Whether this juice will be worth the squeeze will be a very interesting area to track in the years to come.
That sound you may hear is the cash register for Emil Heineman and Simon Holmstrom's eventual contract extensions next summer, as they're both set to become RFAs following the end of the 2026-27 season.
If the New York Islanders had plans on extending both long-term, they both just got undoubtedly more expensive.
Koivunen, 23, played 39 NHL games this past season, and has a total of 47 career NHL games.
In 2025-26, he posted two goals and seven points. In his career, he has just five more assists, a total line of 47 GP, 2G, 10A, 12Pts.
It's a massive, massive contract from the Penguins. While the cap is rising exponentially and indefinitely, given an unproven RFA eight years and a solid enough cap hit is a big bet on the player's future.
Koivunen's now signed until he's age 31, and if he hits as a solid middle-six forward, it'll age fantastic for Pittsburgh.
Meanwhile, for the Islanders, it's not the best of news. Heineman, 24, just potted 22 goals and 31 points this year. Holmstrom's posted 39 goals and 86 points in the last two seasons.
Heineman on a long-term contract could point right to that Koivunen deal and command at least another $1.5-2 million annually on an eight-year deal, minimum. If the Islanders wait, and Heineman posts another 20+ goal season while becoming more well-rounded offensively, it could become even more expensive.
Holmstrom, meanwhile, has excelled at both even strength and on the penalty kill. His biggest deficiency has been early-season consistency. If and when Holmstrom puts that together, he's an easy 25+ goal, 55-60+ point player who can play in all situations.
A long-term contract for that will cost double to two-and-a-half times what Koivunen just signed for.
While Koivunen is not the best comparable for either player, what he did just do is raise the bar entirely for RFA forwards.
Heineman and Holmstrom are better players than Koivunen, and thus will command a higher salary AAV if they signed today.
The Utah Mammoth’s decision to part ways with Maksymilian Szuber this summer opened the door for the young defenseman to find a new opportunity in Montreal.
That opportunity became official Monday, with the Canadiens announcing that they had reached an agreement with Szuber on a one-year, two-way contract for the 2026-27 season.
According to PuckPedia, the deal carries an $850,000 NHL cap hit. Szuber will earn $135,000 at the AHL level and is guaranteed at least $175,000 regardless of where he spends the season.
For Utah, the signing puts a bow on the next chapter for a defenseman who spent the past three seasons within the organization after originally joining the franchise when it was still based in Arizona.
The 23-year-old Szuber was selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the sixth round of the 2022 NHL Draft, going 163rd overall. The 6-foot-3, left-shot defenseman developed in Germany with EHC Munich before making the jump to North America in 2023.
He ultimately became a dependable presence for the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, appearing in exactly 200 regular-season games over three seasons. During that span, Szuber produced 25 goals and 62 assists for 87 points while accumulating 162 penalty minutes.
His NHL experience, however, remained limited to a single appearance with Arizona during the 2023-24 season.
Szuber showed enough promise to remain part of the organization’s defensive depth, but the Mammoth’s blue-line picture became increasingly crowded. The emergence of prospects such as Dmitri Simashev and Maveric Lamoureux eventually pushed Szuber further down the organizational depth chart.
That ultimately contributed to his departure from Utah.
The Mammoth traded Szuber to the Montreal Canadiens in June, receiving the rights to forward Joshua Roy in return. Roy, 22, became the centerpiece of the deal from Utah’s perspective as the organization continued reshaping its prospect pool.
Now, Szuber gets a fresh opportunity with Montreal.
The Canadiens are coming off a season in which they advanced all the way to the Eastern Conference Final, and their blue-line competition figures to be intense heading into training camp. Szuber will have to fight for an opportunity at the NHL level, but his size, left-handed shot and experience in the AHL give him a legitimate foundation to build upon.
His new contract also gives him some financial security while providing Montreal with a low-cost option capable of providing organizational depth.
For Utah, meanwhile, Szuber’s signing is another reminder of how quickly the Mammoth’s roster and prospect landscape continues to evolve. A player who spent three years developing within the organization is now moving on, while the asset acquired in his departure gives Utah another young piece to evaluate moving forward.
Montreal Canadiens forward Oliver Kapanen had a solid 2025-26 season for the Original Six club. In 82 games this past campaign, he posted 22 goals, 15 assists, and 37 points. While he has held off the scoresheet in his seven playoff appearances for Montreal, it was still a successful year for the skilled forward.
Now, Kapanen will be looking to continue to develop in the right direction next season. If he can take his offensive game to a new level and continue to build on his two-way play, he could cement himself as a very important part of the Canadiens' forward group.
When noting that Kapanen is still just 23 years old and only really getting his NHL career started, there is no question that he has the potential to hit a new level for the Canadiens in 2026-27. The young center has a lot of upside, and it would be significant for the Canadiens if he can improve further next season.
It is going to be interesting to see what kind of season Kapanen can put together for the Canadiens in 2026-27. Due to his high potential, it is clear that he is a young forward who fans should be watching extra closely.
