Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Who has left the Penguins in free agency?

Episode Date: July 2, 2026

The Penguins had plenty of free agents heading into July 1, so did any of them stay? Hunter and Patrick start the Thursday edition of Locked On Penguins discussing the Penguins’ UFAs who did not re-sign with the team, whether they fit where they’re going, and whether the Penguins could’ve matched the deals they got. (1:15) Then, Anthony Mantha, as of Thursday’s recording, remains unsigned, so where will he end up, and could it be back in Pittsburgh? (13:15) Finally, Alex Ovechkin is running it back for one more year, at least, with the Capitals. They talk about him, Crosby, and Malkin, their legacies, and the state of the Metropolitan Division. (22:00) Everydayer ClubIf you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Decagon Ready to transform your customer support? Go to decagon.ai/LOCKEDONNHL to get a personalized demo and see what Decagon can do for your team.   FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. From the opening whistle to the final kick, Let There Be Goals on FanDuel. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started now. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Who left the 2025-2020s, Pittsburgh Penguins? Pat and I are going to discuss that. Plus, where we think Anthony Mantha could sign coming up right after this. You're Locked-on Penguins. Your daily podcast on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello and welcome back to the Thursday edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I'm one of your host, Hunts, Hodes.

You can follow me on Twitter. at Hunter Hodes, joined by my co-host, Patrick Damp, you can follow him on all social media platforms at Send him for Wet. You can also follow this show's Twitter at L.O. underscore Penguins, and you can find us on Instagram at Lockdown underscore Penguins. And of course, thank you all so much for making this your first listen slash watch of the day. We are free and available on all platforms a bit later on the show. Pat and I are going to discuss why we think Anthony Manfa has not signed yet before ending the show with one of the Penguins' biggest rivals. returning for what will likely be his final season and why it could be pretty cool, Pat,

that Ovi and Gino potentially go out in the same season. But starting things off, we're going to look at some players who were free agents at the end of the 25, 26 season with the Penguins who have now gone on to sign with different teams. And Pat, let's start off with goaltender Stu Skinner who signs a short-term contract with the Winnipeg Jets. Honestly, I like this fit. He bought pretty decent money right now. He's kind of the 1B slash backup because Connor Hellebuck is still there. But I don't think Conor Helibuck is going to be the starting netminder for the Jets once we get to the end of September when the season starts. I think this is paving the way for Skinner to be the starter once they figure out who they're trading Helibuck to, whether it's Buffalo, Carolina, somewhere else.

Because Hella Buck has requested the trade. I think he's kind of done in Winnipeg. He knows that they're probably not going to win a Stanley Cup with him there. and he tasted victory with the Olympic team. And a Stanley Cup is really the last thing he needs on his resume. He literally has everything else now. So honestly, I like to fit. I know right now,

1B slash backup, but I think Pat, this is going to pave the way for him to be a starter. And he got pretty good money. So I'm really happy for him. Well, as long as Connor Hellabuck remains on the Winnipeg Jets roster, Stuart Skinner's the backup.

Well, yeah. Let's not get that twisted whatsoever. But I'm a little 55. on what Winnipeg's going to do because Kevin Shevel Deaoff, not known for making moves. He is a notoriously stagnant general manager. So I genuinely don't know what's going to happen there. But overall, I do think that's a solid fit for Stu Skinner regardless of what happens

because it gives you a very decent backup if Connor Hellebuck stays around. And you don't have to put the saddle on. Connor Hellebuck for the entire year. You can limit his minutes. And in the past eight to ten years, he has eaten up more minutes than most goaltenders, if not all of them in the National Hockey League. So bringing in someone like Stuart Skinner who can provide you some solid goaltending behind him, that actually, if they do hold on to Hellebuck, is a solid move just because, all right, you can throw Stuart Skinner 30, 35 games, and he'll give you good enough goaltending that you can keep Connor Hellebuck rested until hopefully the playoffs. So I like that fit for Stu Skinner.

Sad to see him go because he was a great locker room guy, a great presence, but you could just tell he was the odd man out at the end of this season. Yeah. And this basically confirms the plan that you and I have been talking about, that it's going to be already she loves as at least the 1A for this upcoming season. Once he signs his new contract, whenever that's going to be, they gave him the qualifying offer. Don't think anyone is going to offer

a sheet or she loves out here. They'll re-sign, he'll be the 1A, and then barring something unforeseen, Sourdly, is probably going to be the 1B slash backup for Penguins. So all the best is Stu Skinner. Great dude in that room, played well down the stretch

and into the playoffs, at least for first two, almost two and a half games, and then obviously in game three was a bit rough around the edges already comes in, plays really well in the second half of that series. But still, all the best is do Skinner. Moving on, Pat. And I want to take a moment here to really congratulate Ryan Shea, five years, four million per.

That guy got career changing slash life changing money, whichever way you want to describe it. And he fully deserves it with the way that he played the season. Came into the season, not knowing how big a role he was going to play, was in the top four for basically the entire year, and he was spectacular. He was good offensively. He was really steady in his own zone, good on the penalty kill. And as I said, in a perfect world, I wanted the penguins to resign him.

But when you see the contract that he got five years times four, don't think the penguins were going to go into that territory. I just think the term is a little too much. For Edmonton, that's in win now mode. They're totally fine with that. but with where the penguins are, I just don't think you could have given out that contract there. But he gets to go from playing with Crosby to not playing with McDavid, at least for a couple of years before we see if McDavid wants to stay in Edmonton or leave.

But all the best to Ryan Shea, an absolute pro, loved seeing his game grow, season after season of the Penguins. He very much earned that payday. Extremely earned. And I'll be honest, I think Edmonton had a sneaky good day yesterday. Which is surprising because Stan Bowman is usually an idiot. Between getting rid of nurse, nurse's full deal, and then picking up someone like Devin Levi, they actually had a savvy day for July 1st.

And Edmonton, I think the moves they made should they work out, obviously, it's all contingent upon the coach they just hired. But at the end of the day, on the roster construction front, that's a suddenly good team and it's going to be right back in the mix next year if everybody's healthy. So very much deserved for Ryan Shea. And I'll say this much, I wouldn't have hated that deal here in Pittsburgh. He's only 29 and he doesn't have a lot of miles on him professionally. It's not like he's a 29-year-old who has been in the league since he was 18.

So I understand the logic. You're in where the penguins are in the sense that. that you want to find the next Ryan Shea, and I think that's what they did with someone like Carlisle. But at the end of the day, if they would have offered Ryan Shea that here in Pittsburgh and he would have accepted, I don't think I would have been that upset.

See, it's interesting because the term is still a little much. The money that Penguins have so much cap of space where it's kind of whatever, but term-wise, are you really confident that he's going to repeat that type of season throughout this next contract. That's the biggest thing. And again, in a perfect world,

I would have liked to do it. But I just don't think term-wise, I would have really been a big fan of that. So he wanted to go out there, get his bag, and I can't fault him. Had a great year. He deserves to cash in.

And he now gets to play on an Oilers team that's going to try to make another run at this, even though that's just a very weird team. Overall, don't need to spend too much time about the Oilers. Moving on a little bit, though, Pat. Connor Clifton goes back to the Boston Bruins on a two-year contract. The Bruins also had an interesting day.

They traded for Will Borgon from the Rangers, which I don't really understand that one. They get Clifton back, so they're changing their blue line a little bit. The Bruins are also kind of in a weird spot heading into the next year, where I still don't know how good they truly are. I was kind of questioning that during the 25, 26 season as well, just because some of their players had very much career years where I just don't think you're going to get that.

next season. But it is cool that Clifton gets to go back to a place where he has played before. Obviously, great vibes guy, especially in that locker room. The playing video is going to live right free in every Penguins fan heads. But had this felt natural for him to move on. I just don't really think there was a spot for him on the right side, especially with Gorsack Trade. And then, of course, Harrison Brunich waiting in the rings. And then, oh, yeah, you signed Trevor Van Revesdyke. He can play both sides. He's mostly played the right. But there was no space for him here, excuse me, no good on him to go back to a place where he knows. Even before all of the free agency and trade moves, you can kind of just copy paste what I said

about Stuart Skinner to Connor Clifton, just good locker room guy, good vibes guy. But when you got to the end of the season and when you got to the end of the playoffs, you kind of saw the writing on the wall for him that this was probably it. He was probably the odd man out. everybody else that was expected to be around next season. So good on him going to a familiar place. And I'm right there with you. I don't know how good Boston truly is. And we're going to find out. That's for certain. But at the end of the day, thanks for everything. And you kind of saw this one coming. I agree. And of course, Noachari. Come on, man. You can't just be doing that. I kid of course only a little bit two years goes to the Philadelphia flyers I want to see what he

asked to say to Trevor Zegris after Zegris just really tried to what's the word I'm trying to go for here cheaply went after him a little bit during that game during the season and then a chari just saw red I want to see how that goes during this contract but no one chari you could have gone to any other team man come on hey we said it during the season enduring the playoff series. Rivalry's heating up again. The rivalry is starting to get a little bit hot again. Flyers got some players that are pretty annoying.

They're really there in the spirit of the Penguins Flyers rivalry. They're saying the same thing about us over there in eastern Pennsylvania. And this is just another match thrown on the fire. So I think that'll actually help Philadelphia a little bit. Veteran presence helps solidify their bottom six. You know he's going to be a bastard every time he takes the ice. And it's a team that already has a handful of bastards. So play in Philadelphia over the next few years is not going to be an easy task.

They are going to make you earn victories. It's going to be fun. I'll say that, especially if both teams add a little bit more this offseason. Hopefully this rivalry can be really back after that. nasty at times playoff series that went six games but other than that pat we got a few smaller moves bocuma goes to the for the panthers alexiav he goes overseas and aiden mcdona he goes to the buffalo sabers all three of those players spent the 25 26 season with the wilkespray scrant penguins the a hl affiliate of course of the pittsper penguins and with that that's going to do it for our first

segment coming up in the second segment anthony mantha has still not signed anywhere yet and we are getting close to being done with July 2nd. Where do Pat and I think he could go? We're going to discuss that coming up right after this. But before we get to that, we have to tell you all about one of our sponsors, which is Fandall, the biggest stage in world soccer is here,

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I'm one of your host, Hunter Hodes, joined by my co-host, Patrick Damp, and Pat, Anthony Manta, still not signed anywhere. We saw on July 1st, looked like he was kind of taking his time, going through his options, still kind of the same thing today. 30 plus goal score from this past season. I assume he's going to get at least a little bit of term on his next contract. The team that kind of I've thought about a little bit

that hasn't really made any big move yet, but I think it could at some point. Montreal. I feel like he would make some sense there. They could use some more scoring in their top nine. They already have a really good roster. I do think he would be an upgrade there. I also think that they're trying to get Carreal Marchenko out of Columbus as well.

Feels like even outside of Manta, they're going big game hunting for another big forward. But if they can't get Marchenko to work especially, could see Manta going there. So that's just one team that really jumps out at me when I think of a potential fit for Anthony Manta. If it is Montreal, I don't think it's going to be in the next couple of weeks. If he does go to Montreal, that feels like a late July move. if he remains unsigned and on the market for a while because Kent Hughes and Jeff Gordon are Jeff Gorton, I should say. Jeff Gordon is the NASCAR driver, but they are executing a rebuild and a buildup almost to perfection. They have got all of their key pieces locked up for a good

amount of time and a good amount of cap rate. So when the time comes that they're ready to take another step, they are going to have the space to do it. So if they strike out on a big trade or something big like that, that feels like a backup plan to me. The two teams, I am most curious to see if they take a run at Anthony Mantha, one in the west, one in the east. The one in the west is the one everybody has said. Anthony Mantha, you are a Seattle Cracken. They need anything. they need something anything they have just been i do respect to the goat bill simmons the columbus blue jackets are not the most irrelevant franchise in sports it's the seattle cracking i frequently forget that they're in the n hl like i genuinely do they have been

that uneventful since they've joined the league and they need to do something and anthony Mantha feels like something. The one in the east, does it not just feel like the New York Rangers are button mashing at this point? They are just doing whatever. If there is a plan with the Rangers, I don't know what it is. Sully, I hope they are paying you three times,

whatever it is you were making in Pittsburgh, because Chris Drury just seems to be throwing stuff. at the walls and hoping what something sticks. So there could be, in my estimation, a chance that Anthony Manta just gets offered a bag from the New York Rangers and becomes a blue shirt for a few years. That would be funny, though, they did just sign Bjork Strand on July 1st, and he's a really good top nine option. So not sure they're really going to go down that road for Manta, but again,

would be kind of funny. They're trying to do this retool on the fly. to get another winning team in front of Igor and Fox before they get a bit too old. And Shostorkin and Fox are going to keep them in games throughout the season. They changed their decor around a little bit. Their trade for Vince Trocheck was actually not too terrible. Actually, like that they got Jersey back. The prospect they got back as well is pretty decent.

But I still don't think they have enough scoring in their lineup. So maybe in that case, if you want to add Mantha, okay, sure. But again, you also did just add Bjork Strand. For Seattle, they just need any sort of win, man. Like they tried on Panarin. They offered him a huge extension via that trade with the Rangers. Panaran said, no, I'm not going there. They had a trade agreed to with the Dallas Stars.

The Stars said, okay, we like this package. Now, we are giving you permission to talk to his agent. They offered him max term $15 million per Robertson still says, no, I'm not going to Seattle. They just need players that want to play there. And they're not going to give up in terms of wanting a big time score. Now, Manta is not a quote unquote big time score, but even on that team, I could still see him potting, you know, 20, 22 goals. I think he'd get, you know, a medium term type contract, not going to be like a long term deal,

but, you know, medium term, maybe, you know, three-ish, four years, something like that. So that one I can also see. But again, I really do circle Montreal because I feel like they could use some more scoring up front as well. I don't think this is going to drag on too much longer. We also have on the rundown does he come back? Pat, you and I both know, that ain't happened, especially after the moves they just made, but he's not coming back. No, there's no longer any room for him. And I'll just kind of reiterate what I said after the Penguins were eliminated. That playoff series showed me everything I need to know about Anthony Mantha.

Now, with that said, he could go somewhere this offseason and be a good contributor in the postseason elsewhere. but just his complete irrelevance in that Penguins Flyers series just really left a bad taste in my mouth. I didn't expect him to continue to light the world on fire. It's the playoffs. Everything gets tighter. Everything gets more difficult. It gets ramped up. So I know he wasn't going to be the same exact player he was in the regular season,

but he was just such a non-factor against the flyers that I'm good, man, go get paid somewhere else. Maybe Pat, is that why he hasn't signed yet? Just his playoff run. You joke, but I do think a lot of general managers watched that series and went, yeah, it's great that he scored 30 in the regular season, but as soon as it mattered, he disappeared with the exception of one shift and one period. So that that means a lot, especially because he's the type of player. If you are a team with deep playoff run aspirations, he feels like a guy you would go get

as a complimentary, maybe finalish piece that ties the whole room together. And when you see him disappear in the postseason, you go, maybe not. Hey, you might be right with that. I still think he's going to come off the market here in short order. Don't think this is going to drag on into August or anything like that. But again, it's probably weighing his options, looking at some multiple teams. We'll have to see where he lands. And depending on where he goes, again, we'll talk about it here on the podcast. But that's going to do it for our second segment.

Coming up to end the show, yes, one of the Penguins' biggest rivals is returning what will likely be his final NHL season. And Pat and I are going to discuss that coming up right after this. But before we get to that, we have to tell you all about one more sponsor, which is Decagon. As companies grow, customer support gets a lot more complicated. More customers means more questions, more channels to manage, and higher expectations for fast, personalized service. That's usually when businesses start looking at AI, but most solutions either feel too

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All right, we're back here on the Thursday edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I'm one of your host, Hunter Hodes, joined by my

coast, Patrick Camp. And Pat, we get at least one more of Ovechkin versus Crosby and Gino. Of course, Alex Ovechkin

re-signs with the Washington Capitals on Thursday, a one-year contract. This will be his 22nd season with the capitals. He took his time, talked with his family

and friends and said, hey, I want to come back. Also didn't help that he probably saw the moves they made and said, hey, I want to play on a more improved team for what will probably be my last season. And Evgeny Malkin called this, by the way, Pat, he said after the season, I think he's going to come back for one more year. He's still hungry, still wants to win. So, Gino, you are right about that one. And it is kind of cool, Pat, just to tie this back to the Penguins.

it looks like Ovi and Gino, two of the three greatest Russian players of all time in the NHL are going to get to probably go out together. That's pretty sick to me, man. I do love that. And I'll say this, it's going to be a bit of a departure from the theme of this show where we're going to be very critical and talk about what the penguins need to do to compete, what the penguins need to do to get better, blah, blah, blah. Listen, the Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin era of hockey, our cup runneth over.

It has been more than anybody could have anticipated. It is three of the greatest players to have ever graced the NHL in these three. And I want to keep watching it. I want it to continue. And at this point, Ovi got his in 2018. Sid and Gino got theirs in 2009, 2016, and 2017. They have done everything and more that this league has asked them to do, has expected them to do, and then gone on to shatter those expectations and those asks.

So getting to see these guys run it back one more season at least is a bit of a spoiling moment because I just want to keep watching it. OVie's the greatest goal score to ever, and I mean ever, play the sport. There is no one better argue with a wall. Sidney Crosby, top five all-time, all-around player to ever play the sport. Ifgeny Malkin, screw the NHL 100th anniversary top 100 players. He is, if nothing else, a top 50, if not top 20 player of all time. He is genuinely great.

So getting to continue being graced with the presence of these three players is absolutely fantastic. And I am going to just sit back and enjoy it. 100% because everyone is going to miss this when it's all gone once Ovi retires, once Gino retires, and especially once Cid retires, though I still think he has multiple seasons left with the penguins in the NHL. And also for this season, we only got three games against the Caps last year. With the season going to 84, you get that extra divisional game. You're going to get two games here in Pittsburgh against the Capitals, two games in D.C. Against them as well.

Cherish all four of them. And not even just from an OV versus Sid and Gino perspective, but it's just because a lot of those Penn's Caps games, especially of the last two decades, have been so damn fun to watch. they've been crazy, wacky, high scoring, flat out weird stuff happening at times. I can't wait, man. And it's been cool to see, especially here in Pittsburgh, you know, he's been getting a couple of standing ovations. I imagine that will continue for next season. And to throw it back to Crosby, I do think, and I could be wrong on this,

but I do think Capow's fans will do what Penguins fans did when Crosby has his last season and when he plays in DC and I think they will give him a standing ovation. If I am wrong on that, I'll take the L, but I think they will reciprocate it and give him a standing ovation because it's deserved. That's what greatness is. Even when someone is a huge rival of your team, when they're about to retire, you stand up and say, hey, you torched my team a lot. It was a pain in the ass to play against you, but you were still fantastic.

And I do think they're going to do what Penguins fans have done with Obie, especially these last 12 to 18-ish months. This era of Penguins Capitals has been a rivalry of mutual respect. The hatred's always been there. The rivalry's always been there. But deep down, you understood that the reason you hate this team so much is because you know they are a threat to beat your team. You don't hate the teams that you're going to walk over.

You hate the teams that pose a threat to you. And I'll say this too, I like what the caps are doing this off season. I like it a lot. And I looked at the moves they made. And I know everybody's dunking on him today. But I did agree with Drager's assessment before he put pen to paper and went, the caps are really starting to put together a team for both the now and life after Ovi. And they're doing a darn good job of it.

Some of the signings, I think, are a little, man, but on the other side of that, you look at the Metropolitan Division, you look at the east and you go outside of Carolina, the metro is all question marks. The Atlantic division is just nuclear warfare, and those teams are going to beat the hell out of one another for however many games they're going to play against one another. So if you're the caps, you look at the landscape and you go,

we can get second place in the metro, let the Atlantic beat the hell out of each other throughout the regular season in the playoffs, might not be that big of a lift to get to the conference final. Yeah, I mean, they're definitely one of the top three teams of the division right now. You can argue that they're the second best team. If I were to rank the top eight teams in the conference, I would have Washington in there right now. I do think as it stands on July 2nd, they are a playoff team.

They really have to stay healthy. That's the biggest thing. They were crushed by injuries for a lot of last season, especially PLD, missing that amount of time, was just really too much to overcome. And their special teams were also terrible, too. But I'm excited for these games between the Penguins and Capitals. And, you know, feels only right that OV is coming back for one more season. But I think that's going to do it for the Thursday edition of the Locked-on Penguins podcast.

Thank you all so much, take the time to listen to slash watch this one. Pat and I will be back with Fan Take Friday for the Friday edition of the Locked on Penguins podcast. And of course, any other news. The Development Camp Tourment is tomorrow as well. So I'll have some takeaways from that. Matt, coming back from Cranberry and, oh yeah, Pat, this is the final episode of season eight of the locked on Penguins podcast. This has been crazy.

And we go down to three shows a week next week. It's been a lot of fun, but tomorrow we will cap off season eight officially of the show fully. But again, that's going to do it for this one. Thank you all so much to take the time to listen to slash watch this one. We'll be back on Friday.