The Pittsburgh Penguins were one of the biggest surprises of the 2025/26 National Hockey League season, and after making some moves this off-season, there’s plenty of hope in Pittsburgh that they can take some steps forward ahead of the upcoming campaign.
While plenty of that success was unsurprisingly driven by the veteran core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson, the team saw a breakout season from first-round pick Ben Kindel, with the team looking to build a future core beyond their franchise icons. As a result, the team are looking to move forward towards Stanley Cup contention, and after making a move earlier this off-season to land a Toronto Maple Leafs young forward, they’ve handed him a two-year extension.
Pittsburgh Penguins Lock in Two-Year Deal With Nick Robertson
GettyNick Robertson with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
That pickup would be Nick Robertson, formerly of the Toronto Maple Leafs, with Kyle Dubas giving up a 2028 fourth-round draft pick to land the former No. 53 overall draft pick. While he showed promise in his time with the Maple Leafs, posting a career high 16 goals and 32 points in 78 games this past season, Robertson never quite became the star that those in Toronto had hoped.
Now though, the Penguins believe he can be a good middle-six forward for the team moving forward, and after he filed for arbitration, the two sides will avoid that messy progress, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has now reported that they have agreed to a two-year contract extension.
2 x $3.25M for him
That two-year deal for the 24-year-old carries an annual average value of $3.25 million, and while he’s yet to reach his potential in the NHL, after posting 32 points a year ago, the Penguins believe that with the right line, he could become a very productive player and represent a key piece of the teams future.
Could This Deal Lead to the Penguins Landing Jason Robertson?
While the Penguins front office saw Robertson as a low-risk, high-reward type acquisition, there is reportedly the ulterior motive of hoping this can help lure RFA superstar Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars to Pittsburgh, and although a two-year deal won’t guarantee that, keeping his brother around will certainly not hurt their odds of landing the star winger.
As of right now, Jason remains an RFA after filing for arbitration himself, and with no new deal in sight for the older of the two Robertson’s, if the Penguins can offer the right deal to the Stars for the 40 goal scorer, this could be the pickup that changes the trajectory of Pittsburgh’s future.
Beyond this however, Nick has long shown immense potential, and right now, he’s slated to lineup on the Penguins third line alongside Ben Kindel and Andrei Kuzmenko, and if they can get the best out of him in the next two seasons, he could be in line for a long-term deal if he can finally start living up to the potential he’s shown in limited opportunities throughout his young career.
Penguins Reach a Two-Year Agreement With Recent Acquisition