The Pittsburgh Penguins may be a sports franchise but also a business. Right now, the local headlines are dominated by questions about why Sidney Crosby hasn’t signed an extension, while months ago, it was why the club traded Jake Guentzel.
The Penguins must make adjustments to stay competitive and avoid a dreaded rebuild. Players may need to be dealt away to stay cap complacent, or the organization may find a maximum value in a skater and move him for other assets.
According to Elite Prospects, 93 former Penguins are still playing professional hockey, 40 of them in the NHL. Here’s a list of the top five who will carry the highest cap hits in 2024-25.
5. Mike Matheson – Montreal Canadiens ($4.8 million)
In July 2022, the Penguins traded Mike Matheson to the Montreal Canadiens with a fourth-round draft pick in exchange for Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling.
Interestingly, he’s been making $4,875,000 since 2018-19, when then-Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon signed him to an eight-year deal valued at $39 million. Matheson has two seasons left on his current contract, which carries a modified no-trade clause.
4. Jason Zucker – Buffalo Sabres ($5 million)
Jason Zucker left the Penguins in the summer of 2023, signing with the Arizona Coyotes as a free agent. He played in the desert for 51 games before being traded to the Nashville Predators.
He opted not to stay in Music City, agreeing to a one-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres on the first day of free agency in July 2024. Zucker’s cap hit for 2024-25 is $5 million and offers no trade protection.
3. Mikael Granlund – San Jose Sharks ($5 million)
Mikael Granlund wound up with the San Jose Sharks as part of the Erik Karlsson trade on Aug. 6, 2023. He went from Pittsburgh to San Jose without passing through Montreal in the three-team swap.
Heading into 2024-25, Granlund is finishing up a four-year deal worth $20 million that he signed as a member of the Predators in 2021. The deal pays him $5 million annually. He has no trade or movement protection.
2. Jared McCann – Seattle Kraken ($5 million)
Jared McCann played three seasons with the Penguins and was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 17, 2021, for Filip Hallander. Four days later, he was drafted by the Seattle Kraken in the Expansion Draft.
After playing out the final year of his two-year deal signed with Pittsburgh in 2020, Kraken general manager Ron Francis extended him a five-year contract worth $25 million. His annual salary is $5 million, and he has a modified no-trade clause for the next three seasons.
1. Jake Guentzel – Tampa Bay Lightning ($9 million)
Unsurprisingly, former 40-goal scorer Guentzel takes the top spot with a massive payday on the first day of free agency in 2024, cashing in on a seven-year deal worth $63 million with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
His annual salary is $9 million and is higher than Sidney Crosby’s ($8.7 million) but less than Erik Karlsson’s ($10 million) contracts. Guentzel has a no-movement clause for the first four seasons and a modified no-trade clause from 2028 to 2031.
Honorable Mention
Reilly Smith would have made the list with a cap hit of $5 million. However, when the Penguins traded him to the New York Rangers in July, they retained 25% of his salary, so he’s only making $3.75 million on Broadway.
