With two weeks of training camp practices in the books, it appears that the 2024-25 final NHL roster for the Pittsburgh Penguins is all but set.
For the past two days, the two remaining rostered teams have divided players into presumed NHL and AHL practices on separate rinks. The divide is pretty clear, and there has only been one discrepancy between the two days.
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The Penguins play back-to-back preseason games this weekend in Detroit and then against Ottawa in Sudbury. Head coach Mike Sullivan said that everyone will make the trip to Detroit, and then they will take some players to Sudbury on Sunday and send some home to Pittsburgh.
So what should everyone expect this weekend? Will there be more roster cuts? Is there still room for roster competition? Or is everything already set in stone?
The presumed NHL roster
© Timothy T. Ludwig – Imagn Images
If the NHL lineup is to be based off of what we’ve seen in practice within the past 48 hours, it would end up shaping up like this:
Forwards
Drew O’Connor-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust
Michael Bunting-Evgeni Malkin-Rickard Rakell
Anthony Beauvillier-Lars Eller-Jesse Puljujarvi/Cody Glass
Kevin Hayes-Blake Lizotte-Noel Acciari
Defensemen
Matt Grzelcyk-Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson-Erik Karlsson*
Ryan Graves-Jack St. Ivany
Two of: John Ludvig, Sebastian Aho, and Ryan Shea
Goaltenders
Tristan Jarry, Alex Nedeljkovic
*Karlsson is still listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury
Analysis: This version of the roster should not come as much of a surprise to anyone. From the get-go, it appeared likely that only one or two forward spots were up for grabs, as the vast majority of the guys on this roster have been paired and playing together since the beginning of training camp.
The top-six is almost a guaranteed lock and will likely remain unchanged from the end of last season. The bottom-six features four new faces, more speed, and more size, all of which can only be a good thing for an aging Penguins’ team that has missed the playoffs marginally for two consecutive seasons.
Related: Penguins Training Camp Day 6: A Tale of Two Teams, Roster Cut to 52
If this is the final roster, the one guy who really earned his spot here is Puljujarvi. He began camp in a green jersey – pretty much designated for AHL forwards – and he was playing on a line with Corey Andonovski and Boko Imama, both presumed to play in the AHL this season.
But as camp went on, Puljujarvi has gotten better. He registered a hat trick in the first preseason matchup against Buffalo on Saturday, and the day before, he potted two goals in an intrasquad scrimmage. His skating looks better than it did prior to his double-hip surgery in the summer of 2023, and his forechecking effort was palpable and relentless.
Puljujarvi appears primed for a roster spot. But there are a few guys he has had to best in order to get to this point.
Who would be the most notable omissions?
© Dennis Schneidler – Imagn Images
Heading into the preseason, the prevailing thought was that Valtteri Puustinen was going to be on the NHL roster.
Although Sullivan has reiterated that nothing is final – and there is still time for things to change over the next week – things aren’t looking up for him.
Puustinen appeared in 53 games for the Penguins last season and recorded five goals and 21 points. Although mostly featuring on the team’s third line, he did see some time alongside Evgeni Malkin in 2023-24. Last week, Sullivan said that they needed to see more finish from Puustinen at the NHL level.
But Puustinen was placed with the prospect/AHL team both days the squads were divided. Although it’s nothing definite, it appears he may not get that chance in the NHL with the Penguins this season.
If he were to be cut from the final roster, in order for Puustinen to be assigned to AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS), we would need to clear waivers. Given Puustinen’s age (25) and offensive upside, that is unlikely to happen.
Related: Penguins Training Camp: Notes from Day 5
Another player in a similar situation is Sam Poulin. Poulin, 23, was selected 21st overall by the Penguins in 2019. He has played in only six NHL games and has registered an assist.
Poulin’s situation would be a tough one to swallow. The forward’s final junior seasons were stunted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he has dealt with various injuries, and he took a break from hockey during the 2022-23 season to focus on his mental health. He is an easy guy to root for, and he has shown flashes, as he scored 16 goals and 31 points in 41 games for WBS last season.
But, like Puustinen, he practiced with the AHL/prospect squad both days. If he is cut, his first-round pedigree may entice another team to scoop him up.
So if both of these guys end up getting waived, it’s very possible that neither of them will be returning to the Penguins’ organization.
Prospects on the fringe
© Sammi Silber – The Hockey News
The two most prominent, NHL-ready prospects who may still have an outside shot at the roster are Rutger McGroarty and Vasily Ponomarev.
Many expected McGroarty to be on the opening night roster for the Penguins. While that is still possible, Sullivan has suggested that he is still working to adjust to the NHL’s “pace of play.”
It may be best for McGroarty’s development to get some professional games under his belt and get the call-up midseason. Although the door isn’t shut on him cracking the roster, it’s difficult to see where he would figure in the starting lineup.
On the other hand, Ponomarev may still get his shot. The one discrepancy between the two split-squad practices was that Ponomarev practiced with the NHL team on Wednesday and then switched to practice with the other team on Thursday.
Coincidentally, on Thursday morning, Karlsson did not skate before practice for the first time in almost a week. St. Ivany – who had been paired with Graves for the entirety of camp – was bumped up to the second defensive pairing alongside Marcus Pettersson, the slot that Karlsson would occupy if healthy.
The Penguins had two extra defensemen at Thursday’s practice and just one extra forward, perhaps an indicator that they intend to roster 13 forwards and eight defensemen if Karlsson isn’t ready to go on Oct. 9.
But given Ponomarev’s presence at the NHL practice the day before, it’s possible that, if Karlsson is healthy, the Penguins could choose to roster 14 forwards and seven defensemen if one of Aho, Ludvig, or Shea can play either side. Ludvig, Shea, and St. Ivany are all on two-way contracts, so it makes moving them between the AHL and NHL a little bit easier.
Like McGroarty, Ponomarev is waiver-exempt, so his first destination this season is likely WBS. But the coaching staff likes him – and his versatility is valuable – so this might be a situation to keep tabs on.
Folks might not want to rule out Ponomarev pushing for the roster until more is known about Karlsson’s condition.
Related: Penguins’ Goaltending Prospects Making Their Mark on Training Camp
