Pittsburgh Penguins’ Robertson Deal Raises Big Question – Hockey Writers – Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins settled the contract question with Nicholas Robertson, announcing a two-year deal with an average annual salary of $3.25 million on Tuesday. Now they have to answer the most important.

Robertson’s new deal removes the uncertainty of the July 28 arbitration hearing and lets Pittsburgh know how much it will cost over the next two seasons. That’s important, but it doesn’t define what you will be. The contract ends the salary. It does not solve the role.

This is where this gets interesting. Hockey president and general manager Kyle Dubas didn’t acquire Robertson from the Toronto Maple Leafs to add another name to an already loaded team. Pittsburgh needed a freshman scorer with upside, and he gives them a player with that ability. The challenge is to make sure you get more than just another interesting bet.

The Penguins Now Have a Real Commitment to Robertson

Robertson is no longer a restricted free agent pending arbitration. His new two-year contract gives Pittsburgh the certainty of spending and Robertson the fresh start he needed after a couple of uneventful years with the Maple Leafs.

The average annual price of $3.25 million is huge, but it’s also not a throwaway number. His revised contract page gives the Penguins two seasons to determine if his offense can translate to a bigger role, and the deal keeps him under team control as a restricted free agent after 2027-28.

The deal makes sense for both parties. Pittsburgh avoids a one-year arbitration award that could keep the relationship feeling short-term, while Robertson gets more security and a real chance to prove he can be part of something bigger than checking in on less than six goals.

The deal also gives Dubas a clear flight path. If Robertson makes the trip, the Penguins have a young winger on a manageable two-season deal. If he doesn’t, the contract is so short that it shouldn’t be a big problem.

Robertson Has Yet To Win A Real Role

The Penguins didn’t pay Robertson to be a star, but they paid him enough that he shouldn’t be treated as a spare forward. That’s the line they have to walk.

He is coming off the most productive season of his NHL career. His 16 goals and 32 points in 78 games showed he can score at the NHL level, even if his overall game still needs to match up. For a Penguins team that spent the offseason looking for small offensive pieces, his profile was worth betting on.

The problem is that you need the right opportunity. He is still not in the best shape when he is buried in the limited role of the fourth line with little attacking time. His value comes from his shooting, his ability to finish, and the possibility that a bigger role could unlock more production than Toronto has been able to get from him.

That doesn’t mean Pittsburgh should give him top-six minutes. It means they have to go into training camp with a clear plan on how to win those minutes. Robertson has to prove that he can handle a lot of the load, but the team has to put him in a position where his potential really counts.

The Lopenguin Front Team is filling up

Robertson’s deal makes sense in isolation. The hard part is putting it in another team going forward. The team’s forward depth chart already has more names than clear roles, with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Andrei Kuzmenko, Egor Chinakhov, Tommy Novak, Blake Lizotte, Hendrix Lapierre and several younger players pursuing NHL opportunities.

That’s why Robertson can’t be considered the only contract win. He is now a part of a great crowd list. Rutger McGroarty’s crowded approach is already one example of how difficult it can be for small forwards to break through, and Ville Koivunen’s uncertain role illustrates the same problem in another way.

Robertson is ahead of most players because he has already produced in the NHL, but that doesn’t guarantee anything. If Kuzmenko gets offensive minutes, Chinakhov keeps the top nine role, and the wingers have been sitting in place, Robertson will still have to fight for space. That makes his contract the beginning of the story.

Deal Gives Dubas Another Controllable Bet

The Penguins’ cap space allows them to hold Robertson’s deal without short-term pressure. That is important because they are still in the midst of a dynamic team, and the organization needs more players who can exceed their contracts.

Robertson fits that ideal. At $3.25 million, he should be a reliable scorer who can help the top nine and give Pittsburgh another young forward with upside. If he scores 20 or more goals and holds his own, the contract will quickly become a good business.

The danger is that the Penguins now have a few players who fall into the same category. Robertson, Kuzmenko, Chinakhov, Lapierre, McGroarty and Koivunen all need some level of opportunity. The program has become very interesting, but it is only important if the players separate themselves. That is the part that Dubas has yet to handle. Penguins added options. Now they have to make decisions.

Robertson Could Change The Penguins’ Front Image

Robertson has the opportunity to make this easier. If he scores a goal, the role will follow. That’s usually how these things work for players with clear offensive tools. The Penguins need more finishers, and Robertson provides them with one. He doesn’t need to be a perfect player overnight, but he has to be reliable enough that head coach Dan Muse can trust him beyond defensive defensive situations.

That’s the next step. Robertson has shown he can produce pieces. Pittsburgh needs to find out if he can do it with more responsibility and more consistency.

There’s a reason the Robertson trade made sense from the start. The acquisition cost was reasonable (fourth round pick in 2028), he is young (24), and the skill set is evident. The contract now makes betting more defined. Pittsburgh doesn’t just take a flyer anymore. They gave him a two-year window to prove himself. That should raise expectations.

Penguins Solved the Easy Part

The Penguins avoided arbitration. That’s good business because it removes distractions before training camp and gives both sides clarity. Anyway, the hard part is the next one.

The Robertson deal gives Pittsburgh a manageable cap hit, two seasons of regulation and a young winger who scores real goals. That’s all good. But the contract will only be worth it if the Penguins give him a meaningful role and Robertson does enough to keep it.

That is the real question. The team doesn’t need another striker who looks useful on paper but gets lost in a packed lineup. They need players who can be part of the next version of the team. Robertson has the shot to do that, and the contract to get the right opportunity. Now the Penguins have to find out if he has the game to make the deal a problem.