Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey ops Kyle Dubas checked another box over the weekend, re-signing forward Valtteri Puustinen to a two-year contract extension. Puustinen was due to become a Group 6 unrestricted free agent on July 1st.
The 24-year-old Penguins' forward enjoyed his first extended run at the NHL level this past season, scoring 20 points in 52 games. Puustinen played primarily on the third line alongside Lars Eller but did find some success with Evgeni Malkin sporadically throughout the season.
With Dubas and the Penguins emphasizing youth this summer, Puustinen figures to be a pivotal piece to next season's forward lineup. However, with Puustinen under contract, the Penguins have 12 NHL forwards under contract for next season.
A handful of forwards could be in danger of being moved this summer to open up more opportunities for one of a host of young forwards slated to battle for NHL playing time in 2024.
Young forwards Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev, Tristan Broz, Brayden Yager, and Sam Poulin are all expected to get an opportunity at training camp this fall. Puustinen and Drew O'Connor will lead the charge to help the Penguins achieve their goal of getting younger and elevating the team's overall ceiling in the 2024-25 season.
