Broz inked a three-year, entry-level contract with Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Broz was selected in the second round -- 58th overall -- at the 2021 Draft. He played his final two years of NCAA hockey with the University of Denver and had a big 2023-24 campaign, tallying 16 goals and 24 assists in 43 games. He will report to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for rest of this season on an amateur tryout.
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Penguins' Kris Letang: May need surgery
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Letang will get a second opinion to determine whether he'll need surgery to address his undisclosed injuries, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports.
Although Letang was banged up down the stretch, he appeared in all 82 games for Pittsburgh during the 2023-24 season, racking up 10 goals and 51 points. Another update on the veteran blueliner's status should surface if surgery is required.
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Penguins' Emil Bemstrom: Diagnosed with concussion
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Bemstrom suffered a concussion which sidelined him for the season finale against the Islanders on Wednesday, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports.
Bemstrom will be a restricted free agent this offseason, so he'll likely be back with Pittsburgh for the 2024-25 campaign. In his 24 appearances with the Penguins this year, the 24-year-old center notched three goals and two assists while averaging a career-low 8:47 of ice time.
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Penguins' Matt Nieto: Suffers secondary injury
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Nieto (knee) sustained an undisclosed injury while rehabbing from his knee surgery. The center could find himself heading back under the knife ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports.
Nieto was limited to a mere 22 appearances this season in which he tallied a meager five points. At this point, there seems to be some concern that Nieto won't be fully healthy in time for the start of next season.
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Penguins' Jack St. Ivany: Reassigned to minors
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St. Ivany was moved to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thursday.
St. Ivany recorded an assist, two PIM, 30 hits and 14 blocks in 14 contests with Pittsburgh in 2023-24. He also has four goals, 15 points and 30 PIM in 53 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. With Pittsburgh's season over but the minor-league club slated to make the playoffs, this is an opportunity for St. Ivany to get in some extra work.
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Penguins' Radim Zohorna: Returns to AHL
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Zohorna was reassigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thursday.
Zohorna has concluded the NHL campaign with four goals and seven points in 33 contests. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is set to advance to the postseason, so the 27-year-old will help the club in that quest. Zohorna has nine goals and 25 points in 29 games with the minor-league squad this year.
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Penguins' Valtteri Puustinen: Heads to minors
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Puustinen was sent to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thursday.
Pittsburgh's season is over, but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has secured a playoff berth. Puustinen recorded five goals and 20 points in 52 NHL outings this year. He also has five goals and 11 points in 23 appearances with the minor-league club.
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Penguins' Reilly Smith: Struggling to score
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Smith managed just one goal in his last 15 games of 2023-24 while chipping in six assists.
Brought over from Vegas in the offseason, Smith struggled to reproduce his 2022-23 numbers this year. The lack of productivity, combined with a $5 million cap hit, could lead to Smith being on the trade block during the summer.
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Penguins' Marcus Pettersson: Sets new career highs
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Pettersson recorded new personal bests in goals (four), assists (26) and games played (82) this season.
It was the first time in Pettersson's seven-year NHL career that he played in every game and reached the 30-point threshold. The 27-year-old blueliner doesn't produce much offensively, but he could be a decent depth option in deep formats in 2024-25.
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Penguins' Lars Eller: Features in all 82 games
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Eller was one of six Penguins to play in all 82 games this season, registering 15 goals and 16 helpers.
Eller was a solid addition to the Penguins' roster, slotting into a third-line center role while also seeing time with the No. 2 power-play unit. Looking ahead to next year, the veteran center's ceiling figures to be in the 30-40 point range.
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Penguins' Rickard Rakell: Scores goal Wednesday
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Rakell scored a goal on three shots in Wednesday's season-finale loss to the Islanders.
Rakell was much maligned for most of the season due to his lack of offensive production but seems to have benefitted from teaming up with Michael Bunting. In 21 post-deadline outings, the 30-year-old Rakell garnered six goals and four assists. Despite the late surge, Rakell still missed the 40-point threshold for just the second time over his last nine seasons.
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Penguins' Tristan Jarry: Watches playoff push from bench
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Jarry made one relief appearance over the Penguins' last 12 games while Alex Nedeljkovic took over as the No. 1 netminder.
For the first time since Jarry's rookie campaign back in 2017-18, in which he played in just 26 games, the netminder failed to reach the 20-win threshold in 2023-24. In his 51 outings this season, Jarry posted a career-worst 2.91 GAA and .903 save percentage while going 19-25-5.
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Penguins' Ryan Graves: Fails to return to action
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Graves (concussion) wasn't medically cleared before the end of the 2023-24 season.
Graves spent the last 10 games of the year on injured reserve as a result of his concussion. In part due to his limited appearances, the 28-year-old defender failed to reach the 20-point threshold for just the second time in his five-year NHL career. It was a tough season for Graves, who has yet to live up to the six-year, $27 million deal he signed with the Pens in July of 2023.
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Penguins' John Ludvig: Finishes season in press box
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Ludvig spent the final nine games of the season as a healthy scratch.
Ludvig was limited to a mere 33 games this year, notching three goals on 24 shots, two assists and 72 hits. Despite struggling to get into the lineup at the end of the campaign, Ludvig will likely be included on Pittsburgh's Opening Night roster in 2024-25.
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Penguins' Pierre-Olivier Joseph: Ends season strong
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Joseph registered eight points in the Penguins' last 18 games of the season.
Joseph managed just three points through his first 34 appearances this year, which included several stints in the press box as a healthy scratch before finding his game in mid-March while Ryan Graves (concussion) was sidelined. The 24-year-old Joseph's inconsistency could create problems when he and the Pens presumably try to finalize a new contract this offseason.
Puljujarvi notched just three goals and one assist in 22 games for the Penguins this season.
Puljujarvi didn't sign with the Pens until February, so perhaps a full training camp will help set him up to produce more offensively next season. Even so, the 25-year-old winger is unlikely to challenge for a top-six role next year.
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Penguins' Matt Nieto: Ends season on shelf
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Nieto only drew into 22 games in an injury-riddled campaign in 2023-24.
Nieto only managed four points through the 22 games he was healthy for, so fantasy managers don't need to track his status.
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Penguins' Jack St. Ivany: Adds physicality to roster
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St. Ivany played in 14 games for the Penguins this season, picking up 30 hits, 14 blocks and one assist.
St. Ivany shouldn't be expected to offer much in the way of offensive output -- he managed just 15 points in 53 minor-league contests this year -- but he is certainly capable of delivering hits. It seems the 24-year-old blueliner has earned the trust of the Penguins' coaching staff, as he played regularly in the final two months of the season while the Pens were trying to secure a playoff spot. St. Ivany will be a restricted free agent in the offseason.
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Penguins' Ryan Shea: On waivers
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Shea was put on waivers Thursday, per CapFriendly.
Shea had a goal, 24 hits and 24 blocks in 31 contests with Pittsburgh in 2023-24. Assuming he clears waivers, Shea can be sent to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the squad's playoff run. The 27-year-old has provided two goals and six points in 22 outings with the minor-league club this campaign. The blueliner can become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
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Penguins' Noel Acciari: Could have played in postseason
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Acciari clarified Thursday that he suffered a glute injury but would have been ready for the postseason after avoiding surgery, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Acciari missed the final 12 games of the Penguins' season due to his glute injury. On the year, the 32-year-old center managed just seven points in 55 games, his lowest total since 2016-17 when he was in action for only 29 contests for the Bruins. Acciari figures to be locked into a bottom-six role for the Penguins next season, and he might even find himself a healthy scratch periodically if he continues to struggle offensively.
