Penguins seek playoff return with additions of Hayes, Grzelcyk

After the NHL Draft, free agency and other offseason moves, NHL.com is examining where each team stands in preparation for the 2024-25 regular season, which starts Oct. 4. Today, the Pittsburgh Penguins:

2023-24 season: 38-32-12, fifth in Metropolitan Division; missed Stanley Cup Playoffs

Key arrivals

Matt Grzelcyk, D: The 30-year-old signed a one-year contract on July 1 and could play with either Erik Karlsson or Kris Letang on one of the top two defense pairs. Grzelcyk battled injuries with the Boston Bruins last season, finishing with 13 points (two goals, nine assists) in 63 games. ... Kevin Hayes, F: The 32-year-old was acquired in a trade from the St. Louis Blues on June 29. Hayes, who had 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) in 79 games last season, could bolster a bottom-six forward group that struggled to produce behind top centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. ... Anthony Beauvillier, F: The 27-year-old signed a one-year contract on July 1. He could find a role on the third line after getting 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 60 games last season for the Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators. ... Blake Lizotte, F: The 26-year-old signed a two-year contract on July 1 and, like Hayes and Beauvillier, will likely find a role in the bottom six. Lizotte had 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in 62 games for the Los Angeles Kings last season. ... Sebastian Aho, D: The 28-year-old signed a two-year contract on July 2. He could play on the third defense pair after getting nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 58 games for the New York Islanders last season.

Key departures

Reilly Smith, F: He was traded to the New York Rangers on July 1 for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. Smith had 40 points (13 goals, 27 assists) in 76 games last season, his first with Pittsburgh after being acquired in a trade from the Vegas Golden Knights on June 28, 2023. ... Jeff Carter, F: He retired after the Penguins’ regular-season finale on April 17. The 39-year-old had 15 points (11 goals, four assists) in 72 games last season while playing mostly on the fourth line. ... Pierre-Olivier Joseph, D: He signed a one-year contract with the St. Louis Blues on July 3. The 25-year-old was a healthy scratch for lengthy stretches last season, finishing with 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 52 games.

On the cusp

Owen Pickering, D: The 20-year-old had 46 points (seven goals, 39 assists) in 59 games with Swift Current of the Western Hockey League last season. Selected by Pittsburgh in the first round (No. 21) of the 2022 NHL Draft, Pickering said he expects to compete for a spot on the NHL roster in training camp. ... Joel Blomqvist, G: The 22-year-old was 25-12-6 with a 2.16 goals-against average and .921 save percentage in 45 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League last season. Alex Nedeljkovic signed a two-year contract on June 20 to stay in Pittsburgh, making him the likely backup to goalie Tristan Jarry, but Blomqvist is viewed as the possible future No. 1 goalie and could make his NHL debut this season. ... Ville Koivunen, F: The 21-year-old was part of the return in the trade that sent forward Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes on March 7. He had 56 points (22 goals, 34 assists) in 59 games for Karpat of Liiga, Finland's top professional league, last season and one goal and one assist in two playoff games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Koivunen will likely get more AHL experience this season but could be recalled to the NHL at some point.

What they still need

Another top wing to pair with Crosby on the first line or Malkin on the second. Michael Bunting performed well with 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) in 21 games after being acquired from Carolina in the Guentzel trade, and Drew O'Connor scored 10 of his 16 goals in his final 27 games last season. However, O’Connor remains unproven as a top-six mainstay and Rickard Rakell, who usually plays right wing on the second line, struggled with 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) in 70 games.

They said it

“We’re not looking to simply squeak into the playoffs. It’s to return the team to become a contender as soon as possible. Can we do that this season? Can we do that the next season? It's hard to put a timeframe on it. But this is obviously not a strip-it-down-to-the-studs situation here. The people in the room are too good for that.” -- general manager Kyle Dubas

Fantasy focus

Forward Michael Bunting proved to be a sneaky fantasy pickup last season after being acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes prior to the NHL Trade Deadline. He had 19 points (six goals, 13 assists), including five on the power play, in 21 games with the Penguins. Bunting saw top-six usage and could stick on either the top line with Sidney Crosby or second unit with Evgeni Malkin this season, especially considering Pittsburgh made depth upgrades with forwards Kevin Hayes, Anthony Beauvillier and defenseman Matt Grzelcyk this offseason, but nothing that should disrupt Bunting’s momentum. Consider Bunting to be a deep sleeper worth targeting anytime outside the top 150 overall. -- Pete Jensen

Projected lineup

Drew O’Connor -- Sidney Crosby -- Bryan Rust

Michael Bunting -- Evgeni Malkin -- Rickard Rakell

Anthony Beauvillier -- Lars Eller -- Valtteri Puustinen

Blake Lizotte -- Kevin Hayes -- Noel Acciari

Matt Grzelcyk -- Kris Letang

Marcus Pettersson -- Erik Karlsson

Ryan Graves -- Sebastian Aho

Tristan Jarry

Alex Nedeljkovic