As the Pittsburgh Penguins prepare for their season opener in 30 days, several free agents are still looking for an opportunity. Many could be interested in competing for a professional tryout (PTO).
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Although the Penguins are right up against the cap, with less than $250k in space to make any roster adjustments, there is no guarantee that everyone on a two-way deal makes the opening night roster out of training camp.
That’s why nothing is set in stone, and someone on a PTO could out-compete an incumbent and earn a spot.
Related: Crosby on Pending Extension: “I’m pretty optimistic it’s going to get done.”
With that in mind, here are three unrestricted free agents that Pittsburgh could consider bringing in for training camp.
Gustav Lindstrom (25 years old)
The Penguins employ four top-pairing defensemen: Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Ryan Graves, and Marcus Pettersson. Despite adding Matt Grzelcyk and Sebastian Aho, they are pretty thin outside the top four, even with John Ludvig in the lineup.
Realistically, Pittsburgh’s best defenders underperformed in 2023-24, and now Karlsson, Letang, and Graves are a year older. Meanwhile, Pettersson is on the verge of free agency and may want to have the best year of his career.
But the two new additions, Grzelcyk and Aho, won’t skate in 70-80 games, meaning there are still opportunities to get into the lineup regularly. That’s why the Penguins should sign Gustav Lindstrom.
Last year, Lindstrom scored 10 points in 46 games between the Anaheim Ducks and Montreal Canadiens and was plus-12 despite playing on two bottom-ranked teams. He’s just 25 and has 174 games of experience.
He needs an opportunity to skate and maintain his 15-minute-a-night average, something he could achieve in Pittsburgh.
Kailer Yamamoto (25 years old)
Kailer Yamamoto may have scored 20 goals while playing alongside Connor McDavid, but he’s still a seven-year NHL veteran who has played over 15 minutes as a depth forward.
Initially a first-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2017, Yamamoto has 134 points in 303 games, most recently playing with the Seattle Kraken in 2023-24, scoring just 16 points in 59 in a limited role.
Even though the Penguins may be stacked at all forward positions, injuries and slumps sometimes happen at worse times. If Yamamoto shows up to camp and outworks other depth forwards, head coach Mike Sullivan could find a spot for him.
He doesn’t take many penalties and isn’t a liability on the ice. With a career plus-20 rating, he also has more takeaways than giveaways.
James van Riemsdyk (32 years old)
The Penguins are already one of the oldest teams in the NHL, and if it’s not broken, why fix it? Although no club in history with an average age over 30 has ever won the Stanley Cup, there are worse free-agent options besides James van Riemsdyk.
Last year with the Boston Bruins, van Riemsdyk had 38 points in 71 games, including 11 goals. For perspective, he was the Bruins’ ninth-leading scorer, the same spot he would have occupied on the Penguins.
Although van Riemsdyk was hit and miss for so many stretches in 2023-24, he picked up 12 power play points thanks to six goals and six helpers. Since Pittsburgh brought in David Quinn to rework the power play, having a veteran like van Riemsdyk could help re-establish a once dominant man advantage.
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