What I’m hearing on the Penguins and Jason Robertson, free agency and contracts

PITTSBURGH — So, is it time to end the Jason Robertson-to-Pittsburgh talk?

I’m not so sure.

The Penguins are still very much open to acquiring Robertson, whom they believe could be a short- and long-term building block for president/GM Kyle Dubas’ vision.

The Penguins, as previously reported, believe there is a real chance Robertson would agree to play in Pittsburgh. Trading for his brother, Nick Robertson, doesn’t figure to hurt the cause.

Sources within the Penguins organization, who, as with all of the sources in this story, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private information, believe Dallas is holding out hope of signing Robertson, a restricted free agent, to a long-term deal. I sense that the Penguins wanted to engage the Stars on Robertson, but Stars GM Jim Nill never let talks get serious. Not yet, anyway.

As the Seattle Kraken were reminded, the Penguins only have so much power in this situation. It’s up to Robertson, who would need to be willing to sign a contract with any team he’s traded to, and, just as much, up to the Stars. Robertson filed for arbitration on Sunday, making him ineligible for an offer sheet.

If the Stars come calling, Dubas won’t hesitate to make a substantial offer for a player he’s long coveted. And if Dubas gets to make that hoffer, there is a growing belief in the Penguins organization that Robertson would be happy to come to Pittsburgh.

A familiar approach

It’s been a strange offseason for the Penguins. Dubas has been transparent about his desire for a big deal and sliding up in the draft, neither of which he accomplished.

Even if that big deal doesn’t materialize, it sure doesn’t sound like tanking will be part of Dubas’ plan.

A team source told me Dubas, as he has done before, is picking up as many “good but cheap” players to surround Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin with reasonably good teammates at a bargain. The Penguins want to add capable NHL players until they can land extremely capable NHL players.

There is no tanking in Dubas’ mind. The same can obviously be said for Crosby.

Of course, there’s a flip side: This approach hurts the chances of having a bad team and getting a top draft pick.

Chinakhov’s natural fit

Egor Chinakhov signing a new contract was never in question. The 25-year-old forward felt comfortable in Pittsburgh, on and off the ice, since being acquired in a December trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Penguins have been quite pleased to have him.

Chinakhov and Malkin were both confused about why they spent long stretches on different lines in the first-round playoff series loss against the Philadelphia Flyers. I’d bet on them starting the season together in September.

Chinakhov wanted financial security, and the Penguins wanted to lock him up on a reasonable deal. It worked out well for both parties.

Why Šilovs is back

Before the postseason began in April, I felt there was more than a 50-50 chance the Penguins would bring Artūrs Šilovs back.

From what I’ve been told, the 25-year-old goaltender’s playoff performance made it a foregone conclusion.

The Penguins never had designs on keeping Stuart Skinner, given the wealth of young goaltending talent in their system. Though Šilovs’ season had plenty of peaks and valleys, the Penguins were ultimately pleased with him. They like the talent and the person, and that he’s nearly as young as some of their best prospects.

Šilovs came to Pittsburgh with a big-game reputation based on his playoff performances with the Vancouver Canucks and with Latvia in international competition. Against the Flyers, he nearly willed the Penguins to a Game 7 from a 3-0 series hole. At that point, he won the Penguins over enough to bring him back.

The coaching staff loves his talent.

Why Skinner walked

Rarely have I been around a player who was instantly beloved in a locker room the way Skinner was in Pittsburgh. It’s his gift. Players and coaches absolutely love being around him. There aren’t many personalities as sincere and likable as his.

The only problem for Skinner was that the Penguins don’t think he’s as talented as their other options. Given the likes of Sergei Murashov, Joel Blomqvist and Šilovs were already under team control, the decision to let Skinner walk became easy.

Shea’s situation

The Penguins never made a serious bid to retain 29-year-old defenseman Ryan Shea, instead letting the Edmonton Oilers sign him to a five-year, $20 million deal.

Shea will be delighted to be making that kind of cash in Edmonton, but he would have stayed in Pittsburgh for the same. I’ve been told he was a bit surprised the Penguins didn’t make more of an effort to keep him. Shea’s first choice entering free agency was to remain in Pittsburgh.

It became clear a week before July 1 that Shea would sign elsewhere.

Development camp developments

I will warn you that drawing any conclusions from the recently completed development camp is dangerous. Most people who watched Ben Kindel at last season’s camp, for instance, came away thinking his skating wasn’t good enough for the NHL and that he was years away from being an option for Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse.

You saw how that worked out.

So, I’ll reserve judgment on what I saw last week. Still, I will tell you this: There is genuine excitement in the organization for twin draft picks Liam and Markus Ruck. Their skill was on display last week. They won’t be NHL-ready for a while, but the Penguins have liked what they’ve seen.

Here’s another name to keep in mind for training camp and beyond: 2025 fifth-round pick Ryan Miller, who impressed onlookers and a couple of Penguins sources I spoke with during development camp. The 19-year-old forward, listed at 6 feet and 181 pounds, isn’t particularly big but is an exceptional skater. He was impressive. I have a feeling you’ll be hearing about him when training camp opens.