Penguins Sign Young Forward to New Deal

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PITTSBURGH – After his first extended look at the NHL level, the Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed Valtteri Puustinen to a two-year deal. The Penguins announced that the two-year deal is worth $775,000 annually at the NHL level.

Despite turning 25 in just under a month, Puustinen was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Penguins locked up their budding forward before he could hit the open market.

Puustinen played in 52 games at the NHL level in 2023-24 and scored five goals and 15 assists for 20 points. Prior to puck drop this past season, Puustinen only had one game of NHL experience under his belt, in which he recorded his first career assist.

During his time with the Penguins, Puustinen played a middle-six role, providing a fair amount of offense. Everyone in the organization believes there is still another level of offense to be unlocked, and he’ll get that opportunity over the next two years.

In 24 games at the AHL level during the 2023-24 season, Puustinen scored five goals and 13 total points. In his previous two seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Puustinen put up 101 points in 145 games, so a clear scoring ability can still be woken up.

Puustinen will be given plenty of opportunities to succeed over the next couple of seasons; it’s just up to him to show his worth to the Penguins.

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