Pittsburgh Penguins’ Ville Koivunen Commitment Changes Their Young-Forward Hierarchy – The Hockey Writers – Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins changed more than Ville Koivunen’s financial future when they signed him to the longest contract on their roster.

Pittsburgh signed Koivunen to an eight-year contract carrying a $4 million average annual value. The $32 million agreement runs through 2033-34, even though Koivunen has recorded only two goals and 14 points through 47 NHL games.

The contract does not automatically make Koivunen the Penguins’ best young forward. Ben Kindel has already produced substantially more at the NHL level, while Rutger McGroarty, Hendrix Lapierre, and several other players remain important parts of Pittsburgh’s future.

It does make Koivunen one of the organization’s highest development priorities.

The Penguins can no longer treat him like another prospect waiting for an opening. They have paid for the possibility that he will become a long-term top-nine forward, and their lineup decisions now have to provide a fair opportunity to test that projection.

Koivunen Is No Longer Competing From the Same Position

Before the extension, Koivunen’s situation resembled the one facing several of Pittsburgh’s young forwards.

He needed a strong training camp. He needed to outperform more established players. He needed to prove that his American Hockey League (AHL) production could translate into NHL offense. If he failed, the Penguins could send him to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton without creating a major organizational contradiction.

That flexibility has changed. Koivunen still has to earn his minutes, but the Penguins have already declared that they expect him to become more than an occasional call-up. An eight-year agreement is not a contract given to a player the organization views as interchangeable.

The deal also answers the largest question from my previous argument that the Penguins needed a real plan for Koivunen. Pittsburgh has identified him as part of its future. The remaining responsibility is turning that belief into a role that helps him develop.

That does not mean placing Koivunen beside Sidney Crosby regardless of his performance. It means he should enter training camp with a clearer path than he had before the contract.

The Penguins should be evaluating whether Koivunen can become a dependable top-nine winger, not whether he can survive eight minutes on the fourth line.

Kindel Remains Pittsburgh’s Most Proven Young Forward

The contract moves Koivunen higher in Pittsburgh’s hierarchy, but it does not place him ahead of everyone.

Kindel remains the organization’s most accomplished young NHL forward. He recorded 17 goals and 35 points in 77 games as an 18-year-old rookie, earning Pittsburgh’s Rookie of the Year award and proving he could handle a regular NHL role much earlier than expected. Koivunen has not earned that same status through performance.

The distinction matters. Kindel’s role should continue expanding because of what he has already done. Koivunen’s role needs to expand because Pittsburgh has made a major bet on what he could become.

That places Koivunen in the next group, but with more organizational security than the players around him.

Egor Chinakhov and Nicholas Robertson have stronger NHL scoring résumés. Lapierre has played 158 NHL games. Rutger McGroarty was a first-round selection and remains one of Pittsburgh’s most valuable prospects. None of them is signed through 2033-34.

The Penguins have effectively separated Koivunen from the general prospect competition. Kindel remains the most proven young forward, but Koivunen is now the player Pittsburgh has made the largest long-term commitment to developing.

McGroarty Faces a More Difficult Path

Koivunen’s rise within the hierarchy creates the most pressure for McGroarty.

The two players do not have identical skill sets. Koivunen is a more natural playmaker who relies on intelligence, puck movement, and offensive positioning. McGroarty offers a heavier, more direct game with greater physical engagement and potential value around the net.

They still need similar opportunities.

Both players require top-nine minutes to show their complete games. Both can help a power-play unit. Neither would benefit from sitting as Pittsburgh’s 13th forward or receiving limited fourth-line deployment.

McGroarty produced three goals and six points in 24 NHL games last season. He was much more productive with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, recording 10 goals and 34 points in 30 games. Kyle Dubas said McGroarty had become an effective penalty killer and net-front power-play option while improving the skating that has remained his largest development question.

Those results should keep McGroarty firmly in Pittsburgh’s plans. They no longer place him on equal footing with Koivunen.

The Penguins’ previous McGroarty roster squeeze already existed because of their offseason additions. Koivunen’s extension makes that squeeze tighter by giving one of McGroarty’s direct competitors a level of organizational backing he does not currently possess.

McGroarty can still win a job. He may even outperform Koivunen during training camp. The difference is that Pittsburgh can send McGroarty back to the AHL and describe the move as continued development.

Doing the same with Koivunen after committing $32 million would require a much more uncomfortable explanation.

Lapierre Has a Different Type of Opportunity

Lapierre’s position is less directly affected because he can compete for work at center.

Pittsburgh acquired the 24-year-old from the Washington Capitals for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick. The Penguins then signed Lapierre to a two-year contract carrying a $1.3 million average annual value.

That is still a meaningful investment. It is not comparable to the one Pittsburgh made in Koivunen.

Lapierre’s contract gives the Penguins time to evaluate him without requiring an immediate top-nine offensive role. He can compete at center, move to the wing, kill penalties, and provide lineup flexibility. Koivunen needs more specialized usage because his value is tied more directly to creating offense.

The recent Tommy Novak extension increased the pressure on Lapierre by crowding Pittsburgh’s options behind Crosby. Koivunen’s contract creates another complication if Lapierre shifts to the wing.

Lapierre should still receive a genuine opportunity. His two Calder Cup championships and 2024 playoff MVP award show that he can contribute in important situations. He also produced 16 points in 74 games with Washington last season, giving him considerably more NHL experience than Koivunen.

The hierarchy is nevertheless clear. Pittsburgh can evaluate Lapierre as a useful, versatile young forward. It must evaluate Koivunen as someone who could become a central piece of the post-Crosby roster.

Penguins Must Give Koivunen Top-Nine Minutes

Koivunen’s contract should not guarantee an NHL job regardless of his performance. It should guarantee that the Penguins stop evaluating him in roles that do not match his game.

Koivunen recorded seven points in 39 NHL games last season. He then produced 13 goals and 41 points in only 34 AHL games, leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in assists and averaging a team-best 1.21 points per game. He added nine points during the Calder Cup Playoffs.

He has already demonstrated that he can dominate below the NHL level. Another season built primarily around AHL production would provide limited new information.

The Penguins need to determine whether Koivunen can process the game quickly enough to create against NHL defenders. That evaluation requires skilled linemates, regular offensive-zone touches and enough ice time to recover from mistakes.

A third-line role would be a reasonable starting point. Koivunen could play with a reliable center and another winger capable of finishing the opportunities he creates. That would expose him to NHL matchups without forcing him immediately into the responsibilities attached to Crosby or Evgeni Malkin.

Pittsburgh should also give Koivunen a place on the second power-play unit. He does not need to displace established stars from the top group. He does need opportunities that use his vision and puck distribution. Asking Koivunen to justify a $4 million cap hit without giving him offensive deployment would place him in a role designed for failure.

The contract should change the length of Pittsburgh’s evaluation. A poor week cannot lead to an immediate demotion. A quiet month also cannot become an excuse to ignore the larger problems in his game.

Koivunen needs consistent opportunity, followed by honest evaluation.

A Veteran Trade May Eventually Become Necessary

The Penguins have enough forwards to create competition. They may have too many to create clarity.

Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Andrei Kuzmenko, Robertson, and Chinakhov all have credible arguments for top-nine wing positions. Kindel needs meaningful minutes after his rookie season. Novak, Malkin and Lapierre are part of the center picture, while McGroarty remains too important to become an afterthought.

Koivunen’s extension does not create another lineup spot. Dubas does not need to trade a veteran immediately. Injuries, training-camp performance, and changing line combinations could create a natural opening. An 84-game schedule will also require more depth than a traditional season.

The roster cannot remain untouched if Koivunen enters the season without a legitimate role.

Moving a depth forward would create space on the roster but might not create the top-nine opportunity Koivunen requires. Opening that type of job could eventually mean considering a more significant trade involving an established winger.

Rust and Rakell remain valuable to Pittsburgh’s attempt to compete. Trading either would affect Crosby and the entire offensive structure. Kuzmenko is on a one-year contract and could become a trade candidate if the Penguins fall from contention, but waiting until the deadline would leave Koivunen without clarity for much of the season.

There is no simple answer. The contract makes accepting the problem less defensible.

Pittsburgh should not move a veteran merely to prove it believes in Koivunen. It should be willing to make a move if camp demonstrates that the current roster cannot provide enough opportunity for the player it just signed through 2033-34.

Penguins’ Lineup Must Reflect Their Confidence

Koivunen’s extension changed his standing before he played another game.

Kindel remains Pittsburgh’s most proven young forward. McGroarty still possesses major upside. Lapierre offers experience and versatility. Chinakhov and Robertson may provide more immediate scoring.

Koivunen now carries something none of them can match: eight years of organizational commitment.

That commitment has to influence how the Penguins build their lineup. Koivunen should receive consistent top-nine minutes, second-unit power-play work and enough time to prove whether his AHL production can survive against NHL competition.

He still has to convert the opportunity into results. Seven points in 39 games is not enough, regardless of his underlying promise or contract length. The Penguins cannot allow the agreement to remove accountability.

They also cannot give Koivunen a fourth-line role, remove him from the power play, and then act surprised if his production remains limited.

The extension article focused on whether the contract was a worthwhile gamble. The next question is more practical.

Pittsburgh has shown extraordinary confidence in Koivunen through its money and term. Its lineup decisions now have to show the same confidence.