Decision To Sign Novak Serves As Reminder Of Penguins’ Needs At Center

The Pittsburgh Penguins made another future-oriented move Friday.

But it probably wasn’t the future-oriented move that folks were expecting.

Kyle Dubas and the Penguins elected to re-sign center Tommy Novak to a three-year extension worth $4.65 million annually, which will take effect for the 2027-28 season and run through the end of the 2030-31 campaign. For the Penguins last season, Novak registered 16 goals and 42 points in 82 games, largely functioning as the team’s second-line center.

In fact, he has been a key part of their center group since he was first acquired from the Nashville Predators, along with defenseman Luke Schenn, for forward Michael Bunting and a fourth-round pick on Mar. 5, 2025.

The decision by Dubas and the Penguins to re-sign Novak is a relatively low-risk move, especially since the cap hit will be just a $1.15 million jump from his current contract in a rapidly rising-cap environment. The team will bolster its center depth for the next few seasons, and it allows 19-year-old Ben Kindel to ease into the transition of, presumably, taking on top-six center duties.

However, Novak is 29, meaning that he will be 33 when the deal expires. For perspective, defenseman Ryan Shea, who signed a five-year free agent deal with the Edmonton Oilers at the beginning of July, is also 29, and the Penguins opted to let him walk despite him being a key part of their blue line last season.

It’s no secret that Dubas and the Penguins want to take a step toward contention next season, and they have certainly been trying to execute that roster-wise. There were substantiated rumors about them pursuing Dallas Stars superstar Jason Robertson before he signed a one-year deal to avoid arbitration with Dallas, and they have also been loosely connected to Seattle Kraken young center Shane Wright.

Penguins Sign Tommy Novak To Three-Year Extension

Penguins Sign Tommy Novak To Three-Year ExtensionThe Pittsburgh Penguins have signed Tommy Novak to a three-year extension.

Even removing hypotheticals, they continued the “brick-by-boring” brick approach to improving the periphery of their roster. They took bets on Declan Carlile and Kaedan Korczak on the blue line, and the same applies to forwards Andrei Kuzmenko, Nicholas Robertson, and Hendrix Lapierre. They also have a few youngsters in defenseman Harrison Brunicke, goaltender Sergei Murashov, and forwards Rutger McGroarty, Tristan Broz, and Avery Hayes on the verge of what is, hopefully, permanence at the NHL level.

With or without Novak beyond next season, the future is looking much, much brighter for Pittsburgh than it did a few years ago. The system has been injected with some youth talent, and some of these players will phase in as aging veterans phase out. They have some shorter-term solutions and, hopefully, some longer-term ones.

But the decision to sign Novak – even though it helps their stated goal to become sustainable contenders as urgently as possible – also exposes how glaring the need at the center position is for the Penguins. Yes, there is promise in Kindel as a fixture for years to come as a top-six center, but at the end of the day, he’s still a bit of an unknown, especially as his role gets bigger.

But beyond Kindel? Obviously, Sidney Crosby is turning 39 in a week. Evgeni Malkin turned 40 Friday and seems to be a full-time winger now. There is Novak, 33-year-old Rickard Rakell, and bottom-six mainstays in Blake Lizotte, Connor Dewar, and Hendrix Lapierre.

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Sure, Broz shows some promise, but his ceiling is most likely a solid two-way third-line center. Bill Zonnon and Will Horcoff are question marks in terms of whether or not they will be centers at the NHL level – Horcoff being very unlikely, as he’s developing into a scoring winger – and guys like Zam Plante and Markus Ruck are either complete uncertainties or much farther out than a couple of years.

If the Penguins want to win in the short- and long-term, they are going to have to acquire a young, elite center talent at some point, whether that’s via trade or via the draft. Given the organization’s stated goals and the direction they’re moving in, it seems unlikely that the draft will bear much fruit until after Crosby decides to call it a career.

So, yes, the signing of Novak is, effectively, a bandage to help cover up a pretty deep-cut wound. If the Penguins expect to reach their desired destination, they will have to pull all stops to get their hands on a dynamic young center who can help them get there.

In other words, don’t assume Dubas is done yet. There could be more at work here. But, even if there’s not, the signing of Novak at least buys them a little bit more time to weigh their options and, eventually, pursue the right centerman for the job.