The Pittsburgh Penguins made another future-oriented move Friday.

But it probably wasn't the future-oriented move that folks were expecting. 

Kyle Dubas and the Penguins elected to re-sign center Tommy Novak to a three-year extension worth $4.65 million annually, which will take effect for the 2027-28 season and run through the end of the 2030-31 campaign. For the Penguins last season, Novak registered 16 goals and 42 points in 82 games, largely functioning as the team's second-line center.

In fact, he has been a key part of their center group since he was first acquired from the Nashville Predators, along with defenseman Luke Schenn, for forward Michael Bunting and a fourth-round pick on Mar. 5, 2025.

The decision by Dubas and the Penguins to re-sign Novak is a relatively low-risk move, especially since the cap hit will be just a $1.15 million jump from his current contract in a rapidly rising-cap environment. The team will bolster its center depth for the next few seasons, and it allows 19-year-old Ben Kindel to ease into the transition of, presumably, taking on top-six center duties.

However, Novak is 29, meaning that he will be 33 when the deal expires. For perspective, defenseman Ryan Shea, who signed a five-year free agent deal with the Edmonton Oilers at the beginning of July, is also 29, and the Penguins opted to let him walk despite him being a key part of their blue line last season. 

It's no secret that Dubas and the Penguins want to take a step toward contention next season, and they have certainly been trying to execute that roster-wise. There were substantiated rumors about them pursuing Dallas Stars superstar Jason Robertson before he signed a one-year deal to avoid arbitration with Dallas, and they have also been loosely connected to Seattle Kraken young center Shane Wright. 

Penguins Sign Tommy Novak To Three-Year ExtensionThe Pittsburgh Penguins have signed Tommy Novak to a three-year extension.

Even removing hypotheticals, they continued the "brick-by-boring" brick approach to improving the periphery of their roster. They took bets on Declan Carlile and Kaedan Korczak on the blue line, and the same applies to forwards Andrei Kuzmenko, Nicholas Robertson, and Hendrix Lapierre. They also have a few youngsters in defenseman Harrison Brunicke, goaltender Sergei Murashov, and forwards Rutger McGroarty, Tristan Broz, and Avery Hayes on the verge of what is, hopefully, permanence at the NHL level.

With or without Novak beyond next season, the future is looking much, much brighter for Pittsburgh than it did a few years ago. The system has been injected with some youth talent, and some of these players will phase in as aging veterans phase out. They have some shorter-term solutions and, hopefully, some longer-term ones. 

But the decision to sign Novak - even though it helps their stated goal to become sustainable contenders as urgently as possible - also exposes how glaring the need at the center position is for the Penguins. Yes, there is promise in Kindel as a fixture for years to come as a top-six center, but at the end of the day, he's still a bit of an unknown, especially as his role gets bigger.

But beyond Kindel? Obviously, Sidney Crosby is turning 39 in a week. Evgeni Malkin turned 40 Friday and seems to be a full-time winger now. There is Novak, 33-year-old Rickard Rakell, and bottom-six mainstays in Blake Lizotte, Connor Dewar, and Hendrix Lapierre. 

21 Years After Being Drafted By Pittsburgh, Crosby Is A Top-5 NHL Player Of All Time - With Room To ClimbSidney Crosby has lived up to his billing as 'The Next One' 21 years after his draft day in 2005 - and he's only going to continue to rise in all-time ranks.

Sure, Broz shows some promise, but his ceiling is most likely a solid two-way third-line center. Bill Zonnon and Will Horcoff are question marks in terms of whether or not they will be centers at the NHL level - Horcoff being very unlikely, as he's developing into a scoring winger - and guys like Zam Plante and Markus Ruck are either complete uncertainties or much farther out than a couple of years. 

If the Penguins want to win in the short- and long-term, they are going to have to acquire a young, elite center talent at some point, whether that's via trade or via the draft. Given the organization's stated goals and the direction they're moving in, it seems unlikely that the draft will bear much fruit until after Crosby decides to call it a career. 

So, yes, the signing of Novak is, effectively, a bandage to help cover up a pretty deep-cut wound. If the Penguins expect to reach their desired destination, they will have to pull all stops to get their hands on a dynamic young center who can help them get there.

In other words, don't assume Dubas is done yet. There could be more at work here. But, even if there's not, the signing of Novak at least buys them a little bit more time to weigh their options and, eventually, pursue the right centerman for the job. 

How Should Penguins Weaponize Center Depth This Season?If things remain as they are, the Pittsburgh Penguins have eight different options at center heading into the 2026-27 season. How should they utilize them?

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Over the years, there have been three players to wear the number 62 for the San Jose Sharks, but for more than half a decade, it belonged to Kevin Labanc.

Labanc originally joined the Sharks organization as a sixth-round pick out of the Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts in the 2014 NHL Draft. The Staten Island native then made his professional debuts at both the NHL and American Hockey League level during the 2016-17 season. 

Labanc then remained with the Sharks through the 2023-24 season. That summer, he entered unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career and signed a short-term deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

When his stint came to an end, Labanc totaled 478 games played, 82 goals, and 225 points during his time in San Jose. 

After one year in Columbus, Labanc went overseas and signed with the Shanghai Dragons of the Kontinental Hockey League. After one season in the KHL, Labanc signed a contract with the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers in the Swiss National League earlier this summer. 

It remains to be seen if we’ll ever see Labanc back in the NHL, but regardless, he’s continuing an impressive career over in Europe.

Stan Bowman keeps saying the roster is set. Fine. Write it in pen if you want.

But "set" on July 31 and "set" on opening night have never meant the same thing in this league, and the Edmonton Oilers, along with every other team, know this. Injuries happen. Slumps happen. Somebody in the top nine takes a bad step in October and suddenly the guy in Bakersfield isn't a prospect anymore, he's the answer. So while the NHL group looks locked in on paper, the real offseason story is one level down in the AHL: who's actually close enough to matter this year, and who's still doing the work.

Start with Isaac Howard, because the Oilers already have. The word is he doesn't need a warm-up lap through the AHL. He makes the team as a left wing, full stop, which is a real jump for a player who was raw enough a year ago that scouts were telling people to slow down on him. Somebody clearly didn't listen.

William Nicholl is getting the same kind of treatment, which is rare for a rookie. His skating and his habits away from the puck are advanced enough that he's in the mix for penalty-kill minutes right out of camp, not just waiting his turn on a call-up list. If that holds, maybe he's making a dent in the roster. AHL roster that is.

Owen Michaels signed for two more years this summer, and that's not the kind of deal you hand a player you're planning to bury in the minors. He's not projected to break camp with Edmonton, but the expectation is he sees NHL games this winter, and probably sooner rather than later. The first time somebody in the top six goes down, watch for his name.

Josh Samanski is the one still sweating it out. He's got a real shot at making the Oilers out of camp, but he's fighting for the job rather than being handed it, and there's a big difference between those two training camps.

Criticism of McDavid’s McKenna Comments May Have Missed the MarkSid Seixeiro’s attempt to challenge Connor McDavid over the pressures of the Toronto market backfired, ironically confirming the Oilers captain's assessment while exposing the media's volatile nature.

Then there's Bakersfield, where the more interesting bet is sitting.

Matt Savoie's 20-year-old season is the blueprint: 19 goals, 35 assists, 66 games, a point-per-game pace that puts him in company most Oilers prospects never sniff. The history on skilled forwards at that age says volume matters as much as production. Somewhere around 100 AHL games, which he didn't quite hit, a player either starts pulling away from the league or he doesn't. 

Now there's Quinn Hutson, Atu Raty and James Stefan who make up the right-wing depth in Bakersfield, and none of them are pushing an NHL door yet. Viljami Marjala can put up points at the AHL without much trouble (60 in 72 games), but that hasn't translated upstairs. Tommy Lafrenière and the rest of the junior-eligible names are further out still, a year or two from being part of any conversation that matters.

Countless Professional Players Partake In Wainwright Charity Hockey GameWainwright doesn't get an NHL player through its doors very often, so when three of them walk in for a Charity Celebrity Hockey game on a random Wednesday night, the town takes notice. 

None of this group is walking into an NHL job in September. The roster's full, the cap's tight, and Bowman has made his bet already: spend now, bank the space for next summer, let the kids force the issue if they can. That's just where the organization is.

That's exactly why the Bakersfield roster is worth more attention than usual this year. Because everyone wants to know whether the help is ready the moment the team actually does.

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It appears as though the NHL career of former Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Nosek, who began his professional journey with the franchise, has come to a close.

Nosek has signed with HC Dynamo Pardubice of the Czech Extraliga. He'll now play in the same city where he was born in 1992 and for the same organization where he began his playing career.

Tomáš Nosek se vrací domů! 🏡

Zkušený útočník odešel z Pardubic do NHL v roce 2014. Od té doby nasbíral v nejlepší hokejové lize světa přes 500 startů. V roce 2025 získal Stanley Cup. Nyní se vrací tam, kde to všechno začalo. pic.twitter.com/dDwixfVJ07

— HC DYNAMO PARDUBICE (@HCPCE) July 31, 2026

Nosek, who was never drafted into the NHL, signed an entry-level contract with the Red Wings in 2014 and began play with the American Hockey League affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins. 

He would tally 11 goals with 23 assists in 55 games in his first season in Grand Rapids, later adding another two goals and five assists in 12 Calder Cup Playoff games. 

He then appeared in 70 games for Grand Rapids the following season, along with getting his first six games of NHL experience with the Red Wings. In 2016-17, he skated in 11 NHL contests, scoring one goal while adding 15 goals and 26 assists in 51 games for the Griffins.

Left unprotected by the Red Wings in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, he was claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights, and would score the very first home goal in regular season history for the franchise against the Arizona Coyotes in October 2017. 

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Nosek scored four goals with two assists in 17 postseason games that spring, helping Vegas reach the Stanley Cup Final in their inagural season. 

Since then, he's played for the Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, and Florida Panthers. While with Florida, he won his first career Stanley Cup ring in 2025, registering three assists in 16 postseason games. 

Multiple 2025-26 Red Wings Players Remain Without NHL DealsJames van Riemsdyk, Travis Hamonic, and Cam Talbot, all of whom both played for the Detroit Red Wings last season, are still awaiting their next NHL contracts.

This past season, injuries limited him to just 21 games. 

Nosek has skated in 514 career NHL games, and has tallied 47 goals with 73 assists. He's also added six goals and 11 assists in 68 career Stanley Cup Playoff games. 

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The Chicago Blackhawks, for the first time in a while, are going to be a difficult hockey team to make out of camp if you're a bottom-six forward. 

This team isn't a lock to get out of the basement of the Central Division, let alone make the playoffs, but the expectation is another year of improvement. The development of their young stars, plus the new additions to the team, will make them much more difficult to beat on a nightly basis. 

When it comes to the forward position, additions like Patrick Kane, Roman Kantserov, and Cole Smith, along with a full-time role for Anton Frondell, eliminate multiple spots that might have been available to internal candidates before the off-season moves.

These players, who all played NHL games in 2025-26, are going to find it difficult to crack the lineup because of the team's newest additions: 

Andrew Mangiapane

Andrew Mangiapane came to the Chicago Blackhawks in a 2026 trade with the Edmonton Oilers. The Blackhawks had the cap room (and roster space) to take him on to better their return in the deal. 

Magiapane ended up playing 10 games down the stretch with Chicago, but the scoring touch that allowed him to score 35 goals back in 2021-22 seems to be completely gone. 

If he wants one more attempt to find his game, it may be best for him to get to another team. It doesn't seem like he is in their plans as they create their NHL forward roster, and he is not even the best option as a 13th forward. 

The one thing that Mangiapane did in his career was scoring, so if he doesn't bring that as a smaller forward, there isn't another reason that they have to play him. 

Jordan Greenway

Jordan Greenway seemed like a good fit for the 4th line when he was first acquired in the Bowen Byram trade. Since then, however, the organization has added more, which makes it look less and less like a guarantee for him. 

Playing Ryan Greene is a better idea than Greenway, and they didn't pay Cole Smith to bench him. Greenway is a great candidate to play while Connor Bedard is absent or as a 13th forward rotating in and out in the early going, but there are 12 better forwards on the team when they are fully healthy. 

Landon Slaggert

Landon Slaggert is a solid depth piece who can bring a high-energy game with no warning. However, he had a hard time cracking the lineup in 2025-26, and now the team is even better. He is not considered a prospect anymore, and it's hard to imagine that he does enough to force coach Jeff Blashill to play him. 

With the team getting stronger and more experienced with every passing day, Slaggert isn't the guy that they are banking on to be an impactful player out of the gate. 

What they do have in Landon Slaggert is a forward who has shown a willingness to be that healthy scratch who comes in now and again.

He, like everyone on the list, may make the team out of camp, but dressing on Opening Night is going to be incredibly difficult. Will playing for the Rockford IceHogs be an option for any of them if they clear waivers? Well, that's up to them. 

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