(Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire)

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a very different looking team than they were to end the dreadful season last year. 

Kyle Dubas led a busy offseason that could make or break the rest of this core’s chances at one last run for Lord Stanley. 

Whether that hard work will pay off or blow up spectacularly is yet to be seen. But what can already be seen is just how different this roster looks. 

In just one summer, Dubas undid all that he could of Ron Hextall’s terrible work (the lone exception being the contract of Jeff Carter and his no movement clause). 

He also opted to not bring back several unrestricted free agents, both deadline rentals and longtime Penguins.

But with all of that said, where did all of our old friends from last season end up?

Josh Archibald, Tampa Bay Lightning

The hard hitting wrecking ball known as Josh Archibald spent just one year as a Penguin during his reunion stint in Pittsburgh. 

He provided a bit of a physical element to the Penguins’ bottom six, which Dubas hoped to keep but also improve on the offense by bringing in Noel Acciari. 

Archibald didn’t get the most lucrative deal down in Tampa, two years at 800K per, but he did secure a modified no trade clause, not something you typically see for a player of his caliber. 

Nick Bonino, New York Rangers

And speaking of reunion tours, Nick Bonino was a puzzling addition to the Penguins at the deadline by Hextall. With the Penguins for both their Stanley Cups in ‘16 and ‘17, Bonino found himself back in black and yellow after the deadline.

Unfortunately for him, his return was short lived, as injury limited him to just 3 total games this season for Pittsburgh. 

With nothing much to go off of, Dubas let him walk, where he signed with the New York Rangers for a near league minimum deal. 

He’ll be a veteran presence on a Rangers team that boasts several high powered young talents combined with some old guys who still have something left in the tank. 

Casey DeSmith, Montreal Canadiens

If there was ever a time for a bounce back, it’s this upcoming season for DeSmith. 

After finding himself in Montreal as a result of the three team Erik Karlsson trade, DeSmith’s standing is now up in limbo. 

The Canadiens don’t need DeSmith; they like what they have in Sam Montembeault, and they also have Cayden Primeau waiting for a real NHL shot too. In addition to them, they also have the veteran Jake Allen still on the roster. 

So where does that leave DeSmith? In the immediate future, it means he’s up in the air. He may start the season in Montreal (or their AHL affiliate in Laval), but the Canadiens are expecting to move him. 

Canadiens GM Kent Hughes has publicly said he told Casey that they have plans to trade him, but it may take some time. The Canadiens don’t want to bury DeSmith in the AHL, but the goaltender market works very differently than the skaters one. 

Brian Dumoulin, Seattle Kraken

A longtime defenseman for the Penguins, Dumoulin anchored a spot alongside Kris Letang as the more defensively responsible of the pair.

For several years, he succeeded quite well in that role. However, last season, Dumoulin took a serious step back. His defense was not the same and it was evident far too often on the ice. 

His regression isn’t all that much due to his age (he turns 32 in just a few weeks), but whatever the cause was, it certainly hurt the team. He was not the team’s biggest issue, but he definitely had a hard fall off last season. 

Even with his seniority amongst Penguin blueliners, Dubas sought to bring in someone who could better perform on the backend in Ryan Graves. 

Dumoulin signed a two year deal with the Seattle Kraken in July, at a cap hit of $3.15 million. It’s a little high for what I think he can still provide, but I hope he turns things around up in Seattle. 

Mikael Granlund, San Jose Sharks

No matter what, I will always feel a little bad for Granlund. 

The much maligned center had been the latest victim of Ron Hextall’s flawed (at best) vision for the club when he was acquired at the deadline. 

His complete lack of production with his new team combined with the fact he did not fix any hole in the Penguin lineup (the latter of which wasn’t his fault) might have won him the award for Least Liked Penguin. 

Granlund’s $5 million cap hit immediately became a casualty for the team, and he was one of Kyle Dubas’s biggest challenges upon taking the job. 

In the end, Dubas used some wizardry to move Granlund’s entire contract off the books as part of the Erik Karlsson to Pittsburgh trade. 

Upon arriving in San Jose, Granlund said he was capable of a lot more than what he showed in Pittsburgh. 

For his sake, I hope he’s right. 

Danton Heinen, Unsigned

It’s kind of crazy to me that no one has picked up Heinen yet. 

A depth forward for the Penguins, Heinen was brought back last season after an impressive first season in Pittsburgh. 

Unfortunately for him, his second season did not go as well, and he found himself watching several games from the press box, which was a rarity for him. 

He’s still capable of putting up some points in a bottom six role (he had 22 in 65 games last season), and I have to imagine that someone will add Heinen at some point here soon. 

He’s too young a player (28) to not be given another shot somewhere. 

Dmitry Kulikov, Florida Panthers

Another ill-fated trade deadline deal by Hextall, Kulikov is a serviceable defenseman in the NHL, but he had injury problems while as a Penguin that limited him to just 6 games. 

As Dubas sought to give the defensive depth in Pittsburgh a revamp, he opted not to re-sign Kulikov and let him walk to free agency. 

Kulikov signed a subsequent one year deal down in Florida for an even $1 million. 

Jeff Petry, Detroit Red Wings via Montreal Canadiens

Another member of this list involved in the Karlsson trade, Jeff Petry and his $6.25 million cap hit had to be moved to make room for the incoming Karlsson. 

As a result, Petry was shipped back up to Montreal, the team that he requested a trade out of just the season prior. 

Montreal GM Kent Hughes knew Petry would not want to stay in Montreal, and was very candid with him about looking for opportunities, much like he did with DeSmith. The only difference being Petry already got out. 

The Canadiens flipped Petry over to Detroit, where he can now play in his home state, and keep his family together. He’ll be one of several new additions on the Detroit blue line.

Ryan Poehling, Philadelphia Flyers

The speedy, young forward in Poehling was actually a restricted free agent this summer, but Dubas decided not to tender him a qualifying offer, making Poehling a UFA. 

Poehling, 24, showed flashes of great potential. He did however, like many others on this list, struggle with injury, appearing in just 53 games while rallying 14 points. 

Poehling took his talents across the state over to Philadelphia, signing a one year deal worth $1.4 million. It’s a price the Penguins definitely could have paid, but chose not to. 

With several bubble players being signed, the spot Poehling once had will be up for a training camp battle. The closest comparison I can think of is Vinnie Hinostroza, who was signed as a free agent. 

Jan Rutta, San Jose Sharks

Alas, we reach the final member of the Karlsson trade on this list. 

Rutta’s season was a tale of two stories. The first half of the season he looked rather well, playing solid defensive work. 

However, after injuries hampered him in the second half, he lost a step, and didn’t quite look like the same player. 

Rutta’s contract became a main target of clearing out room for Karlsson, and he was the defenseman sent back to San Jose as part of the deal. 

The Sharks won’t have a big need for a player like Rutta, so perhaps San Jose GM Mike Grier flips him at the 2024 trade deadline. 

Jason Zucker, Arizona Coyotes

Last but certainly not least on this list is Zucker. 

The heart and soul of this team last season, Zucker outperformed expectations in a contract year, and as a result, had to leave town. 

The Penguins were likely expecting a much bigger price tag than the one Zucker actually got in free agency. 

In a surprising move, Zucker signed a one year, $5.3 million deal with, of all teams, the Arizona Coyotes. 

Now, to give Arizona credit, their offseason moves prove that they at least want to try and start building a real NHL roster. 

They have one of the best prospect pools in the league and have an obnoxious amount of draft picks in the next few drafts. 

If Arizona surprises some people with their on ice performance, maybe Zucker sticks around. But if they find themselves sellers again, Zucker could be on the move at the deadline.