There will be a lot of storylines to be on the lookout for this season for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
And one that has been talked about at length is the logjam they currently have at the forward position. As of now, according to PuckPedia, the Penguins currently have 13 forwards on their active roster, which don’t include names like Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen – both of whom are expected to push for an NHL roster spot.
If they do make a push for a spot in training camp, that – unfortunately – makes one or two players listed on the current roster odd men out.
Potentially, one of those players is left wing Danton Heinen.
Heinen, 30, is in the midst of his second stint with the Penguins’ organization. He originally signed a one-year deal in Pittsburgh as a free agent during the summer of 2021, and he was eventually non-qualified as a restricted free agent (RFA) in 2023 after signing another one-year deal the season prior. During his first stint with the Penguins, he recorded 26 goals and 55 points in 141 games.
He had a pretty decent season with the Boston Bruins in 2023-24, as he registered 17 goals and 36 points in 74 games and earned himself a two-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks in 2024. Vancouver then traded Heinen to Pittsburgh as part of the deal that returned them defenseman Marcus Pettersson, and the 6-foot-2, 195-pound forward finds himself in yet another contract year.
The issue is that there simply may not be enough room for him on the Penguins’ roster this season.
After coming over from Vancouver last season, Heinen put up just three goals and 11 points in 28 games, and he saw his role take a bit of a hit once younger players like McGroarty and Koivunen came into the picture. The two youngsters also impressed in a short sample at the end of the season and seemed to prove that they are ready to make the jump to the NHL level this season.
That leaves a player like Heinen in a tough spot – especially when considering the other competition around him on the roster.
Top-20 Penguins’ Prospects 2025: Defenseman Should Be Full-Time In The NHL This Season
Heading into the 2025-26 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have shifted the focus to youth and development.
Assuming Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell stay put – at least, for now – the Penguins still have the likes of McGroarty, Koivunen, Tommy Novak, Anthony Mantha, Blake Lizotte, and two players just re-signed in Connor Dewar and Philip Tomasino. They also still employ the contracts of veterans Kevin Hayes and Noel Acciari for another year, and because of Hayes’s ability to play center and Acciari’s ability to eat hard minutes, it’s unlikely that they’ll be cut from the roster.
Of course, competition is good for both young guys and veterans alike, so it’s very possible that Heinen could have a great training camp and force the Penguins’ hand. It’s also a possibility that at least one of McGroarty or Koivunen does not have a standout camp and starts the season in the AHL.
But given where the Penguins are at, it makes little sense to hold young players back if they show they are ready for the NHL in favor of veterans unlikely to be on the roster beyond this season, anyway. That doesn’t mean Heinen would be the odd man out.
However, he will have an uphill climb in training camp, and it will be interesting to see how he responds to the pressure of making the roster over a few young prospects with high upside.
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