Prospects Shine in Camp-Concluding Scrimmage

The Penguins Development Camp concluded earlier this evening with a scrimmage of two 25-minute periods, with a three round shootout following each period. The lower bowl of Consol Energy Center was filled across the way from the team benches, and the players took notice to it.

"It was amazing," Matia Marcantuoni said after the scrimmage. "I was here last year and it was the same type of crowd so I kind of knew what to expect but it was incredible. I was kind of in shock a little bit. Just hearing the horn was surreal. It felt realistic."

Pens Prospects Ready To Shine In Today's Scrimmage

Penguins Development Camp concludes with a scrimmage today at 3 p.m. EDT. I'll have my usual game day setup ready to go with all the latest on projected starters in net, projected line combinations and defense pairings immediately following the pregame warmup skate.

If you missed any of my posts from this week at camp, here are the daily recaps from Day 1 through Day 4:

Day 1 - Thoughts from forward Tom Kuhnhackl, defenseman Brian Dumoulin and Assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald: http://bit.ly/12vebMA 

Day 2 - Bill Guerin on the forwards at camp, thoughts from goaltender Eric Hartzell and forward Jayson Megna : http://bit.ly/18o6Mqh 

Day 3 - Adam Payerl continues to impress, forwards Oskar Sundqvist and Blaine Byron stand out in three-on-three drills: http://bit.ly/121aV0s 

Day 4 - Goaltender Tristan Jarry leaves first session, doesn't return and thoughts from forward Dominik Uher, defenseman Scott Harrington and AHL Penguins assistant coach Alain Nasreddine: http://bit.ly/13T81Mo

During the game, I'll be providing live in-game updates on Twitter on Highland Park Hockey's feed @H_P_Hockey. I was also invited by ROOT SPORTS broadcaster Paul Steigerwald to join him for some on-air work during the prospect game so be sure to tune in for that on Penguins Radio.
After the scrimmage and post game press conferences/player interviews, I'll post a full recap of the scrimmage before leaving Pittsburgh and heading back to northeastern Pennsylvania.

After the jump, thoughts from some of the guys at camp about today's scrimmage.

Day Four: Penguins Development Camp

Defensemen Olli Maatta (left) and Brian Dumoulin (right) get instructions from NHL Penguins assistant coach Todd Reirden.

The prospects were split up by position today as the forwards came out first this morning for about an hour followed by the defensemen in the second session. Goaltenders were out for both sessions, although Tristan Jarry did not participate in the second practice.

Jarry took a puck up high during the first session with the forwards, stayed on the ice for a little bit afterwards and left the ice. He did not return but assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald said he took a puck to the collarbone but that he's fine.

Forwards who stood out today were Dominik Uher, Oskar Sundqvist and Adam Payerl.

Penguins Sign D Brendan Mikkelson

It seems the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins added a more veteran presence on the blue line this afternoon, signing defensemen Brendan Mikkelson to a one-year, two-way contract.

WBS Penguins fans might remember Mikkelson from the conference finals against Syracuse. Mikkelson finished the season with the Crunch, adding two assists in 13 regular season games and two goals in 13 playoff contests.

All in all, Mikkelson is a big veteran defensive defenseman with 131 games of NHL experience that the AHL Penguins were looking for to add to their young collection of blue line prospects.

With eight defenseman at the NHL level already, Mikkelson will likely join the WBS blue line in the fall that already features the likes of Philip Samuelsson, Brian Dumoulin and Scott Harrington. Here's a preliminary AHL depth chart with the addition of Mikkelson:

Dumoulin - Samuelsson
Mikkelson - Harrington
McNeill - D'Agostino
Ruopp

Day Three: Penguins Development Camp

Things got more competitive on Day Three of camp as they spent the second hour of the two hour session splitting the rink into two mini scrimmages. There were four 7-minute 3-on-3 scrimmages and a 5th session was needed to act as an overtime period.

Adam Payerl continued to stand out. His big frame and strong skating is almost unparalleled at this camp. Payerl put his body to good use in the scrimmages, netting a goal and being tough in the corners and around the net.

The two who stood out most to me today were forwards Blaine Byron and Oskar Sundqvist.

Byron, if you recall from the other day, had a nice breakway goal in the form of the patented Datsyuk move. He was even more noticeable in the scrimmages today. He netted a few goals, but none nicer than his coast to coast work on the right side of the rink. Byron spun off a check behind his own net, dangled through traffic and scored a goal to finish off a beautiful play.

Oskar Sundqvist was equally impressive and very noticeable as well today. His shots were wired to the top shelf this afternoon. What I liked most about Sundqvist was the grittiness he showed. He wasn't afraid to use his frame (listed at 6-3, 182) to deliver body checks in the corners and fight for loose pucks. The quick release he has on his shot was incredible today. He finished the OT with the game winner, on a gritty hard working effort as he tipped a shot in while on his backhand. Frankly, Sunqvist was a sniper out there today.

The on-ice practice started with about 45 minutes with Marianne Watkins - the Penguins power skating coach. Dominik Uher and Adam Payerl stood out during those drills as guys who have really improved in that regard. Jayson Megna was also flying out there.

As you can see, the prospects here at camp are getting a variety of drills/practices this week. The plan for tomorrow's practice is to split the forwards and defensemen up into two separate groups for the two 60-minute sessions.

Day Two: Penguins Development Camp

The prospects were back on ice today at Consol Energy Center for the second day of development camp. Team B, who was in the second session yesterday, started things off this morning.

There were a lot more drills that allowed players to showcase their talents today. For defensemen, the biggest test came during a drill which saw a one-on-one become a two-on-one the second time around.

Reid McNeill had the highlight of that drill, punishing forwards with some nice body checks. Sure McNeill is one of the older, bigger guys at camp but that didn't stop him from punishing Dominik Uher with a big hit along the boards in the neutral zone.

The first session ended with a mini hockey game between the blue lines, a two-on-two drill with stationary passers on each side of the nets and all along the blue line. Blaine Byron, the Pens 6th round pick from the 2013 NHL Draft, stole a puck at center ice and managed a pretty impressive breakaway goal: the patented Pavel Datsyuk toe-drag goal. That was probably the highlight of the day.

If you missed my Day One Recap, check that out too.

After the jump a closer look at some of the guys you will likely see in Wilkes-Barre in the fall with thoughts from Bill Guerin, Eric Hartzell and Jayson Megna.

Day One: Penguins Development Camp

I was live at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh today for the first day of development camp and did not leave disappointed. I'll be in town all week for the annual prospect camp, which runs this week with daily practices and concludes Saturday with an open-to-public scrimmage.

Today's practice split the prospects into two groups (Team A and Team B). They ran some basic drills that focused on skating with the puck, some pass and shoot type drills and puck control in the neutral zone. Both practice sessions concluded with a shootout.

I spent today mainly focusing on past and potential AHL Penguins players such as goaltender Eric Hartzell, defensemen Scott Harrington, Brian Dumoulin, Philip Samuelsson, Reid McNeill and Nick D'Agostino and forwards Tom Kuhnhackl, Dominik Uher, Adam Payerl and Jayson Megna.

After the jump, some thoughts from those mentioned above as well as my own insights on who did what and who stood out.

The Story Behind Thiessen's Contract in Finland

Ian Pulver, professional agent of former AHL Penguins goaltender Brad Thiessen, has represented Thiessen since day one of his pro career. Pulver's plan going into the summer was obviously to look into what Thiessen's job opportunities were. 

Yesterday, Thiessen signed a one-year contract with HIFK of the SM-Liga - the highest level of professional hockey in Finland.

"The Finnish elite league and IFK specifically presented an excellent opportunity for Brad to continue his career at a high level," Pulver said when I spoke with him earlier this afternoon.

The decision to sign overseas has been a common theme this offseason for Penguins free agents, but Pulver noted that the decision for Thiessen to play in Finland wasn't because of a lack of interest from NHL teams in North America.

"There was interest in Brad in North America and there was a strong interest coming out of Europe and we settled on the situation in Finland," Pulver added.

The signing of Thiessen leaves only one free agent from the WBS Penguins without a new home, of those on NHL deals last season.

The last NHL UFA from Wilkes-Barre? Warren Peters. Still nothing on that front but as soon as Peters does sign I'll be sure to talk to him, gather his thoughts and have all the latest for you right here.

Coming up later tonight is my Day One recap from today's Penguins Development Camp in Pittsburgh. I'll be in the Steel City all week with all the latest on the prospects in organization.

Brad Thiessen Signs Overseas in Finland

Brad Thiessen has, like many of his teammates with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season, signed overseas. The former Penguins goaltender has found a new home with HIFK in Finland (SM-Liga).

Much like when Thiessen came to town and bounced John Curry out of North America, (Curry went to the German DEL), the same has happened to Thiessen after Jeff Zatkoff entered the Penguins organization. I get the feeling the only reason Thiessen signed with the Pens this past season was because of the NHL lockout.

Thiessen will best be known for stepping up big in the Penguins historic come-from-behind series win against the Providence Bruins, including a big Game Six that set the stages for an even bigger Game Seven win. Thiessen was always a playoff performer and his numbers prove that sentiment.

After four seasons with the Penguins, Thiessen has moved on to Finland.

Penguins Announce FULL Roster For Next Week's Development Camp

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced the full roster for all those scheduled to attend the annual development camp at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh next week. I'll be in Pittsburgh next week to break it all down with a daily look at the camp right here at Highland Park Hockey.

Be sure to follow on our social media for all the latest from Penguins Development Camp next week.

On Twitter at ---> @H_P_Hockey. Also follow along on Facebook and Instagram!

The list of players scheduled to attend by position follows:

Goaltenders (4): Tristan Jarry, Eric Hartzell, Sean Maguire and Matt Murray

Defensemen (12): Dane Birks, Alex Boak, Nick D'Agostino, Reid McNeill, Harrison Ruopp, Philip Samuelsson, Ryan Segalla, Clark Seymour, Derrick Pouliot, Olli Maatta, Scott Harrington and Brian Dumoulin

Forwards (21): Jayson Megna, Oskar Sundqvist, Matia Marcantuoni, Anton Zlobin, Dominik Uher, Tyler Barnes, Teddy Blueger, Blaine Byron, Jean-Sebastien Dea, Jake Guentzel, Garnet Hathaway, Troy Josephs, Tom Kuhnhackl, Matt Lane, Richard Nejezchleb, Adam Payerl, Grant Opperman, Carter Rowney, Bryan Rust, A.J. White and Scott Wilson

Penguins Host Annual Development Camp July 16th-20th

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced yesterday that they will be hosting their annual Development Camp next week starting on Tuesday, July 16th and concluding with a free, open-to-public scrimmage on Saturday (7/20). Here's the Pens press release on the event, noting that full details will come later this week.

I will be making the trip out to western Pennsylvania for Development Camp and will have all the latest from the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh next week! Be sure to check back next week for daily prospect camp updates.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) head coach John Hynes, WBS assistant coach Alain Nasreddine, Penguins assistant to the general manager Tom Fitzgerald, Penguins player development coach Bill Guerin, Penguins goaltending development coach Mike Bales, Penguins strength and conditioning coach Mike Kadar and WBS strength and conditioning coach Joe Lorincz will serve as camp instructors.

A full roster of those attending will be released sometime this week. The team's press release named recent 2013-2nd round draft pick Tristan Jarry and former first round pick defensemen Derrick Pouliot and Olli Maata. Brian Dumoulin, Scott Harington and Oskar Sundqvist are also scheduled to attend.

I'll have the full roster and schedule up sometime Friday hopefully.

Some Penguins news for the day: The Penguins re-signed forwards Paul Thompson and Zach Sill to one-year, two-way NHL contracts. They were restricted free agents who received qualifying offers on July 2nd.

The remaining unsigned RFA's are forwards Dustin Jeffrey, Harry Zolnierczyk and Brian Gibbons and defenseman Robert Bortuzzo.

Andrew Ebbett Adds Experience, Depth to Penguins

Photo courtesy of theahl.com

It seems like there's almost always a Penguins' connection when a new guy is brought into the organization. With forward Andrew Ebbett, you don't have to go too far back to get that connection.

Ebbett played his college hockey at Michigan, two years ahead of former WBS forward Chad Kolarik. I spoke with Kolarik earlier today about what kind of player Ebbett is and from what he told me about Ebbett, I wouldn't be surprised if he never stepped foot in Wilkes-Barre.

"If he is in the minors, he will be a point-per-game player. One of the top point guys in the league," Kolarik said of Ebbett.

HP Hockey's Free Agency LIVE BLOG: #Pens & #WBSPens Ready For Day 2

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Day Two of Free Agency

Yesterday, the Penguins brought back defenseman Rob Scuderi, signing him to a four year deal that pays him $3.375 million annually. Read more about the Scuderi signing here. The move to add a defenseman at that cost almost surely means more changes to the blue line will occur as the Penguins now have eight NHL defensemen on the roster.

Pittsburgh also re-signed forward Craig Adams to a two-year deal that pays him $700,000 a season. This move bolsters the bottom six depth in the NHL.

As for the AHL depth, the Penguins added four forwards in what should be the start of a "rebuliding" in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) after seeing 10 of the team's free agents leave town. The four forwards they added could be read all about here.

After the jump, a look at Team Needs and an updated organizational depth chart at each position.

Penguins Bolster AHL Depth With Four Forwards

Fan-favorite Bobby Farnham is back!

The Pittsburgh Penguins began adding depth forwards to the organization in an attempt to replace most of last year's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins roster.

Two names should ring a bell: Bobby Farnham and Chris Conner. The other two - Andrew Ebbett and Nick Drazenovic - will be part of the WBS core come October. All but Ebbett are signed for one year. Ebbett's deal is for two years. All four contracts are two-way deals.

Here's the Penguins official press releases for all four players:

Bobby Farnham
Andrew Ebbett
Chris Conner
Nick Drazenovic

A quick bio on each of the signings below.

Bobby Farnham gets his first NHL contract, a one-year two-way deal for next season. This past season, Farnham grabbed the attention of fans for his style of play. He's known as an agitator that isn't afraid to drop the gloves or do anything he can to provide his team with a spark. Farnham isn't there to score goals, but to play physical and get under the skin of his opponents.

Chris Conner last played in the Penguins organization in the 2010-11 season and after a year with the Detroit Red Wings organization and the past two years with the Phoenix organization, Conner makes a return to Wilkes-Barre. With the AHL's Portland Pirates last year, Conner tallied 40 points (13G-27A) in 60 games. He also appeared in 12 NHL games with Phoenix, adding a goal and an assist in his NHL action. Conner is a small forward with speed much like the Penguins own Brian Gibbons.

Nick Drazenovic, 26, is a point-per-game offensive weapon at the AHL level. Two years ago with Springfield he posted 41 points in (13G-28A) 41 games. This past year, he followed up with a career high 53 points (17G-36A) in 62 games, good for 2nd on the Falcons in scoring.

The real coupe for the AHL Penguins is forward Andrew Ebbett, who signed a two-year, two-way deal. Ebbett, 30, is exactly what the doctor ordered for the AHL Pens if he doesn't make the NHL roster. He brings 191 games of NHL experience to a team seriously lacking a veteran presence. Last season, Ebbett split time between the AHL and NHL much like he has the last few years. In 37 games with the Chicago Wolves, Ebbett tallied 11 goals and 21 assists in 37 games. In 28 NHL games with Vancouver, Ebbett added six points (1G-5A).

Trevor Smith Signs With Toronto Maple Leafs

Another former Penguins player has found a new home as Trevor Smith has signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs late this afternoon. It was first reported by The Hockey House - a part of the Fox Sports owned Yardbarker Network.  The signing leaves just Warren Peters and Brad Thiessen as the remaining in-house free agents on NHL contracts looking for AHL work.

Smith was the WBS Penguins top line center this past season, posting 23 goals and 31 assists in 75 games. He also led the AHL Penguins in scoring in the post season, tallying 13 points (5G-8A) in 15 playoff games.

So add Smith to the group of 2012-13 Penguins players with a new home for next season. Some serious forward depth and veteran presence is missing in the Penguins minor league affiliate:

Dylan Reese - One-year deal with Amur Khabarovsk (KHL)

Joey Mormina - Two-year AHL contract with Syracuse (AHL)

Phil Dupuis - One-year deal with Hamburg Freezers (DEL)

Alex Grant - Traded to Anaheim, qualified RFA for Norfolk (AHL)

Riley Holzapfel - Two-year deal with HV71 (SHL)

Chad Kolarik - Two-year deal with Linkoping (SHL)

Penguins Bring Back Defenseman Rob Scuderi

There were rumblings this morning from TSN's Darren Dreger that former Penguins defenseman Rob Scuderi was likely heading back to Pittsburgh. Well, now it's official.

The Penguins have signed Scuderi to a 4 year deal worth $13.5 million. Scuderi, 34, appeared in 48 regular season games with the Los Angeles Kings last season, posting one goal and adding 11 assists. The Penguins didn't sign him for his offensive abilities. Scuderi brings a solid stay-at-home option for the Pens on the blue line.

The move to bring back Scuderi for 3.375 million per season brings the Penguins close to the salary cap ceiling, with just 750,000 projected room. With eight defenseman signed in the NHL and no money to spend on bottom six forwards, look for a trade to be in the works in the very near future.

A look at the organizational depth chart on defense now with Scuderi in the mix:

Paul Martin
Kris Letang
Brooks Orpik
Rob Scuderi
Matt Niskanen
Simon Despres
Deryk Engelland
Robert Bortuzzo (RFA)
Brian Dumoulin
Olli Maata (NHL-only)
Scott Harrington
Derrick Pouliot (NHL-only)
________________________
Philip Samuelsson
Reid McNeill
Harrison Ruopp
Nick D'Agostino

Stay tuned on Twitter @H_P_Hockey for all the latest Penguins free agency breaking news.

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UPDATE ( 1:05 p.m. EDT):

There were rumblings this morning from TSN's Darren Dreger that former Penguins defenseman Rob Scuderi was likely heading back to Pittsburgh. Well, now it's official.

The Penguins have signed Scuderi to a 4 year deal worth $13.5 million. Scuderi, 34, appeared in 48 regular season games with the Los Angeles Kings last season, posting one goal and adding 11 assists.

More on the signing and what it means for the Penguins here: Pens Sign D Rob Scuderi to Four-Year Deal

UPDATE (10:00 a.m. EDT): Teams can officially begin to sign unrestricted free agents today at noon, EDT. I understand the thought that Penguins won't be all that active in free agency. From an NHL perspective, they have all the major pieces. With the active NHL roster limit at a 23-max and two goaltenders, seven defensemen and 11 forwards (including RFA's) already on the roster, there's only room for 3 guys on the NHL squad.

But in reality, and including all remaining restricted free agents in the organization, the Penguins will only have 38 contracts that count against the max limit of 50 that teams are allowed to sign up to.

Typically, GM Ray Shero leaves himself with a little cushion to the 50-max contracts limit as most GM's do to allow for trading purposes. So let's say that Shero holds 3-5 spots for in-season moves. That still means the Penguins organization will be signing 7-9 hockey players to NHL contracts this summer.

The kind of players signed will likely be to fill some depth and create battles for certain roles in the lineup. Which brings me to the organization's needs at both levels.

NHL Penguins Team Needs

• 1-2 bottom-six forwards to challenge guys like Zach Sill and Harry Zolnierczyk

AHL Penguins Team Needs

• 3-4 forwards, preferably veteran-type and/or top-six capable.
• 2-3 defenseman, especially veteran defenseman to help stabilize and give direction to the younger prospects
• Some AHL-only deals for more depth at both the forward and defenseman position

So with that, let's take a look at a preliminary AHL depth chart on what the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins roster looks like heading into free agency, including all RFA's that were tendered qualifying offers earlier this week:

xxxxxx - xxxxxx - xxxxxx
Kuhnhackl - Gibbons (RFA) - Thompson (RFA)
Zolnierczyk (RFA) - Sill (RFA) - Uher
Zlobin - Megna - Payerl

Dumoulin - Samuelsson

xxxxxx - xxxxxx

Harrington - McNeill

Ruopp - D'Agostino

Zatkoff - Hartzell
 

I'll continue to post new signings at the top and slowly file them in chronological order as the day's events unfold. These are just the basics and will be pushed after the jump when news begins to unfold.

For now, after the jump is an organizational depth chart made by yours truly. I'll be updating the chart as the day goes on, referring to it and re-posting it in the coming weeks as well. 

Free Agency Preview: #Pens Need to Restore Depth at #AHL Level

Taking a look at those departed and those still unsigned heading into the beginning of free agency, it is clear that the Penguins organization will be active when the free agent market opens tomorrow. They might have their big contracts settled with Evgeni Malkn, Pascal Dupuis and Kris Letang all signed long term, but they'll need to restore some forward and veteran depth to replace what has been lost overseas so far this off-season.

They need to replenish forward depth for Pittsburgh's bottom six, as well as some proven AHL scoring forwards for top six roles with their AHL counterpart. The Pens might not be signing big-name NHL guys, but they will be active nonetheless.

The glaring need on the farm team is certainly a veteran presence. Currently, no player on the AHL roster has played more than two seasons of professional hockey outside of forward Zach Sill (205 regular season AHL games) and Harry Zolnierczyk (116 regular season AHL games). In addition, Zolnierczyk is the only skater with NHL experience (44 NHL games played). One or both could have NHL jobs, leaving Wilkes-Barre with a lot of young players.

The remaining in-house free agents relative to Wilkes-Barre are forwards Trevor Smith and Warren Peters. Nothing new to report on my latest update on Peters a few days ago. He is exploring his options and not leaving any out. I haven't been in contact with Smith, but I would imagine at this point that both will take a look at the free agent market tomorrow to see what kind of interest is out there.

Destination Sweden: #Pens RFA Holzapfel SIgns Two-Year Deal With HV71

Photo courtesy of Amy's WBS Picture Page

Another day, another Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins player from last year's team turning into a former Penguin. This one comes as a bit of a shock to me as forward Riley Holzapfel has signed a two-year contract with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

Holzapfel was tendered a qualifying offer from the Penguins earlier this week but instead decides to head overseas like so many of his teammates in Wilkes-Barre have done this offseason. Holzapgel might see a familiar face in former teammate Chad Kolarik over in Sweden as Kolarik inked a two-year deal with Linkoping (SHL) last week.

Holzapfel is coming off a career year with the Penguins last season, where he posted career highs in goals (21) and assists (30), while appearing in 76 regular season games - most of which were on the AHL Penguins top line.  Holzapfel continued to produce in the playoffs with the AHL Pens, where he posted 10 points (4G-6A) in 15 playoff games.

So two of the three main staples of the WBS top-line have found new homes in Sweden. The third, forward Trevor Smith, will become available to all 30 NHL teams tomorrow as he is still an unsigned unrestricted free agent (UFA).

I think it's safe to say that the AHL Penguins are undergoing a major re-tooling of their roster and while it often happens in the top minor league to the NHL, the Penguins lineup in 2013-14 will be almost completely different.

If you missed it yesterday, defenseman and captain of the WBS Penguins last season Joey Mormina signed a two-year AHL deal with rival Syracuse.

For those keeping score at home, here's the full list of guys on last year's roster that have signed elsewhere for next season:

Dylan Reese - One-year deal with Amur Khabarovsk (KHL)

Joey Mormina - Two-year AHL contract with Syracuse (AHL)

Phil Dupuis - One-year deal with Hamburg Freezers (DEL)

Alex Grant - Traded to Anaheim, qualified RFA for Norfolk (AHL)

Riley Holzapfel - Two-year deal with HV71 (SHL)

Chad Kolarik - Two-year deal with Linkoping (SHL)

Still yet to sign for next year are Penguins UFA's Brad Thiessen, Trevor Smith and Warren Peters. Thiessen has told the media already that he will be heading to free agency. Will Peters and Smith follow Thiessen into the free agent market tomorrow?

I'll have a free agency preview up later today, so stay tuned for that. It'll include a look at the AHL Penguins roster as it stands now, a preliminary depth chart, a look at team needs and some details about what my plans for tomorrow are to keep everyone interested up to date on the latest signings affecting the WBS Penguins as well as where former Pens players end up.

To steal a line from Bob Dylan - Times They Are A-Changin'

Pens Extend Qualifying Offers To RFA's

Today was the deadline to submit qualifying offers to restricted free agents (RFA's) to keep their rights for next season. Any RFA who didn't receive a qualifying offer by 5 p.m EDT will become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) and be free to sign with other teams when free agency begins on Friday.

That being said, Ray Shero and company have extended qualifying offers to all of the Penguins RFA's except for forward Keven Veilleux. There hasn't been an official release on the Penguins RFA's from the team, but Dave Molinari from the Pittsburgh post gazette first reported the qualifying offers just after the 5 p.m. deadline.

Those extended qualifying offers are:

Forwards - Dustin Jeffrey, Harry Zolnierzyk, Brian Gibbons, Riley Holzapfel, Paul Thompson and Zach Sill

Defensemen: Robert Bortuzzo and Goaltenders: Eric Hartzell

Those above mentioned players can now sign their qualifying offer (110% of their previous year salary) and be retained for next season. Their only other option is to "hold out" and hope that another team tries to make an offer sheet on them or that they can try holding out to push their original team to re-negotiate a new contract.

Once another team makes an offer on a team's qualified RFA, the team who owns the player's rights has two options. Either match the offer made by the other team or receive compensation from them in the form of a draft pick and allow the other team to sign the RFA.

Offer sheets are rare in the NHL, but with a shortened season this past year all bets are off. I wouldn't be surprised to see maybe one or two this summer, but they don't happen often.