(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Kyle Dubas’ first free agency was quite a busy one. The Penguins have brought in several new faces to the organization, including some major shakeups to the bottom six and a potential new backup goaltender.

Let’s take a quick look at each of the new signings:

Ryan Graves, D

Graves was the biggest free agent addition brought in on July 1st. The Penguins brought Graves in on a six-year deal that carries a cap hit of $4.5 million. 

It’s a big commitment, but one that Graves has earned. After breaking through to the NHL in Colorado a few years back, Graves has spent the last few years on New Jersey’s blueline. 

An excellent shutdown defenseman, Graves was often paired with former Penguin John Marino, and provided the Devils with quality defense and a solid transition game. Graves was able to chip in 8 goals and 18 assists in 78 games for the Devils this season. 

I know +/- is a controversial stat, but when a guy is +34, he’s doing something right. Standing at 6ft 5in, he also provides size to the blueline for Pittsburgh. 

Graves’ deal comes with a modified no-trade clause, which allows him to submit a 12 team no trade list the first three years of his deal, and an eight team list the final three. 

Noel Acciari, C/RW

Signing a three-year, $2 million per year deal, Acciari is a guy Dubas knows quite well. 

Dubas traded for Acciari this past season, as part of the three team deal that saw him and Ryan O’Reilly come to Toronto. Now as a free agent, Dubas brought him to Pittsburgh. 

Acciari will provide some grit and animosity to a Penguins team that has desperately lacked it for years. His 244 hits were 10th in the entire NHL last season, and he’s a rather scrappy player that I think the Penguins will benefit from. 

But don’t let his physicality fool you, Acciari can also provide offense. In 77 total games this season, he tallied 23 points, including 14 goals. 

Acciari’s deal includes an eight team no trade list for all three years.

Alex Nedeljkovic, G

This is a rather interesting signing. After shocking some by re-signing Tristan Jarry to a massive five year extension, some may have presumed that the Penguins were simply running it back with Jarry and DeSmith, despite that being the biggest problem on the roster. 

However, the Penguins signed Nedeljkovic, formerly of Detroit and Carolina, to potentially be the backup to Jarry.

Signed at a one-year deal worth $1.5 million, Nedeljkovic will be looking to rebound from a harsh few years in Detroit. After breaking out with stunning performances in Carolina in 2020-21, where he recorded a .932 save percentage and a 1.90 goals against average in 23 games, he fell off a cliff once he was traded to Detroit. 

In his first year as a Red Wing, his numbers plummeted to a .905 save percentage and a 3.31 goals against average in 59 games. Last season, his numbers were even worse, leading him to play more for Detroit’s AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids than the Red Wings. 

If Nedeljkovic can rebound and put up the kind of numbers he did in Carolina, this could be an amazing signing if he turns out to replace DeSmith. 

But he’s shown to be very hot and cold, just like Jarry. 

Lars Eller, C

Penguins fans likely remember this name, seeing him many times as a member of the Washington Capitals. Eller, 34, signed a two-year deal worth $2.45 million annually, and will provide the Penguins with some good center depth. 

He spent many years in Washington, including contributing to their 2018 Stanley Cup.

This past season, Eller put up 16 points in 60 games for the Capitals, and added 7 in 24 games after he was traded to the Avalanche. 

At his peak a few years ago, Eller was a near 40 point scorer. While those numbers have slid a bit, he still does have some offensive upside. 

He has a wicked shot, including this beauty that was unfortunately against the Penguins. 

The Penguins are likely hopeful that he can bounce back into some better numbers, but he is still a good depth addition. He’s a tough forward who provides the team with another center, something you can never have too many of.  

Matt Nieto, LW/RW

The Nieto signing was one of the first to break on July 1st. The Penguins signed him to a two year deal at a $900K cap hit. 

Coming over from Colorado, Nieto brings 10 years of NHL experience with him. Bouncing back and forth between Colorado and San Jose for the last decade, Nieto split last season between the Sharks and Avalanche. 

He put up 15 points in 45 games for the Sharks, and 9 in 36 for the Avalanche. He will mainly be a depth forward for the Penguins, but his numbers show he can add the occasional offense here and there as well. 

At such a low rate, there’s not much risk for the Penguins if he struggles. 

Will Butcher, D

Aside from having the perfect name for a defenseman, the Butcher signing should be a very low-risk, high-reward move for the Penguins.

Butcher was at one point a highly sought after free agent coming out of college, ultimately signing and spending four years with the New Jersey Devils. A 44 point scorer in his rookie year, Butcher has shown he is more than capable of chipping in on offense from the blue line.

His play and offensive production have declined somewhat over the last few seasons, and he spent last season in the AHL for the Texas Stars.

But on a two-way deal, there is virtually no risk in bringing him in. Butcher could join in as a depth defenseman, and even if he starts the year in the AHL, he is a great depth piece to add.

Joona Koppanen, LW/C

Koppanen, 25, was the youngest free agent signed by the Penguins this offseason. With barely any NHL experience (just 5 games with the Boston Bruins this past season), it’s an interesting signing, but Koppanen does provide potential. 

At 6ft 5in, he’s an intimidating force up front, and given the fact he is still quite young, there’s a chance he grows and provides something for the Penguins.

His contract is a one-way deal, which would lead me to believe Dubas thinks Koppanen has a real chance of making the lineup. Whether that is accurate, of course, is yet to be seen. 

Ryan Shea, D

Formerly of the Dallas Stars organization, Shea’s contract is a one-year, $775K deal. Like Koppanen, it is also a one-way contract. 

Shea has never played a game at the NHL level, but he does have several years of experience in the American Hockey League. Shea, 26, has spent the last three years on the back end for the Texas Stars. 

Shea is likely the Taylor Fedun type of signing the Penguins made last season, but at 26, he is still young enough to turn things up and notch and force Pittsburgh to make some tough decisions with their defense. 

Radim Zohorna, C/LW/RW

Welcome back Big Z!

Aside from being known by Penguins fans , Zohorna is a guy Dubas knows well too. After being claimed off waivers by Calgary from Pittsburgh right before last season, Dubas acquired Zohorna via trade in March for a deal that sent Dryden Hunt the other way. 

Zohorna played just 10 total NHL games last season, 8 for the Flames and 2 for the Maple Leafs. In total, he just had 1 goal. 

But now back in Pittsburgh, perhaps he can rekindle some of the success he had as a Penguin. Zohorna played in 17 games for the Penguins back in 2021-22, recording 6 points. 

He’s another big body who provides good depth, whether he’s an NHL extra or playing down in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. 

Magnus Hellberg, G

Ryan Graves comes close, but this is my favorite free agency name signing. I’m sorry, Hellberg is just so cool. 

Anyways, Hellberg, like Nedeljkovic, comes over from Detroit, which for Hellberg, was his third NHL team of last season. 

After starting the season in the Seattle Kraken organization, he was very quickly claimed off waivers by the Senators due to injuries in Ottawa. He played just one game for them before he was re-claimed off waivers by Seattle just a few weeks later. Less than two weeks after that, the Kraken again placed him on waivers, where this time he was claimed by the Red Wings. 

He would go on to play 17 games for the Red Wings this past season, recording a .885 save percentage and a 3.29 goals against average. 

He’ll likely be the third string goaltender for the Penguins, much like the Dustin Tokarski deal last offseason. As the Penguins saw last year, it’s always good to have a third stringer with NHL experience, which Hellberg definitely brings. 

And as a not so fun fact: Hellberg was the goaltender who replaced Ville Husso in that game where the Penguins lit up Husso to go up 4-0 before blowing the lead and losing the game in overtime. 

He did, however, have some pretty cool pads in Seattle, so maybe we get to see some of that creativity in Pittsburgh. 

Marc Johnstone, RW

Yet another guy Dubas knows well, Johnstone, 27, spent last season in the AHL for the Toronto Marlies. 

His deal is a two-way deal, and seeing as how he has not played a single NHL game, Johnstone is very likely just WBS depth, which is always good to have. In 69 Marlies games last season, he recorded 22 points.