Seth Rorabaugh stories, Page 155
Penguins re-sign forward Sam Lafferty to two-year deal
The Penguins have re-signed forward Sam Lafferty to a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $750,000. A native of Hollidaysburg, Lafferty was scheduled to become a restricted free agent on Friday. He just completed a two-year entry-level contract with had a salary cap hit of $767,500. Lafferty, 25,...
Ex-Penguins goaltender Matt Murray eager for new start with Senators
Matt Murray already has a poignant connection to his new team, the Ottawa Senators. A native of Thunder Bay, which is a 16-hour drive across the expanse of Ontario from Canada’s capital, Murray looked up to a journeyman NHL goaltender who spent parts of two seasons playing for the Senators...
Penguins’ options were limited in trading Matt Murray
Jim Rutherford smirked when the idea was proposed to him. Trade Matt Murray? The Penguins general manager shook his head “no” while dismissing the notion. This happened in late April 2015 during Rutherford’s end-of-season media availability following his first year with the Penguins, and Murray was in the midst of...
Penguins select forward Chase Yoder in 6th roundVideo
The Penguins selected forward Chase Yoder in the sixth round (No. 170 overall) of the NHL Draft. A native of Fairview, Texas, Yoder, 18, appeared in 19 United States Hockey League (USHL) games for the U.S. National Team Development Program in 2019-20 and scored seven points (three goals, four assists)....
Penguins draft forward Raivis Ansons in fifth roundVideo
The Penguins drafted forward Raivis Ansons in the fifth round of the NHL Draft. A native of Riga, Latvia, Ansons spent last season with Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Major Hockey League. Teammates with forward Nathan Legare, the Penguins’ third-round selection in 2019, Ansons, 18, appeared in 60 QMJHL games...
Penguins select forward Lukas Svejkovsky in 4th roundVideo
The Pittsburgh Penguins selected forward Lukas Svejkovsky with the 108th overall pick in the fourth round of the NHL Draft on Wednesday. A native of Point Roberts, Wash., Svejkovsky appeared in 52 Western Hockey League (WHL) games between the Vancouver Giants and Medicine Hat Tigers and recorded 38 points (18...
Penguins select Swedish goaltender Calle Clang in 3rd round
The Pittsburgh Penguins are going heavy on goaltenders with their early picks in the NHL Draft. After selecting Finnish-born Joel Blomqvist in the second round, the team chose Calle Clang, a native of Olofstrom, Sweden, in the third round with the No. 77 overall pick. Clang, 18, spent most of...
Penguins select Finnish goaltender Joel Blomqvist in 2nd round
Using the pick they acquired from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for goaltender Matt Murray, the Pittsburgh Penguins selected another goaltender. With the 52nd overall selection in the second round, the Penguins chose Joel Blomqvist of Karpat in Finland’s Liiga. During 2019-20, while playing for Karpat’s junior team in the...
Penguins trade 2-time Cup champion Matt Murray to Senators
The Matt Murray era has come to an end in Pittsburgh. On Wednesday, the Penguins traded the goaltender who led them to two Stanley Cup titles to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a second-round pick (No. 52 overall) and forward prospect Jonathan Gruden. Murray, 26, is a pending restricted...
NHL adjusts target date to open 2020-21 season to Jan. 1
The NHL and NHLPA announced on Tuesday a new target date of Jan. 1 to open the 2020-21 season. Previously, the NHL had identified Dec. 1. The NHL calendar has been impacted dramatically ever since the NHL halted play March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic. After the remainder of...
‘Dead’ money on the salary cap is a way of life for the Penguins and other NHL teams
In August, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford let it be known he didn’t want to utilize any buyouts while crafting his roster in advance of the NHL’s 2020-21 season. They were a last resort. “That’s the fallback position, buyouts, if we have to get to that,” Rutherford said. “I don’t...
Penn State, Big Ten aim to open men’s hockey season by Nov. 13
The Big Ten announced it is aiming to open the 2020-21 men’s hockey season by Nov. 13. No schedule has been announced, but play will involve a 24-game regular season scheduled for all seven members of the conference. Penn State is a member of the conference as is Michigan, Michigan...
How does ‘win now’ affect the Penguins’ amateur scouting?
Patrik Allvin, the Penguins’ director of amateur scouting, could be forgiven if he is a little jealous of his peers. While his counterparts with organizations such as the Anaheim Ducks, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators are scheduled to have multiple first-round selections in the NHL Draft...
Penguins waive Jack Johnson, extend qualifying offer to Matt Murray, other restricted free agents
Jack Johnson’s time in Pittsburgh has come to an end. On Monday, the Penguins placed the veteran defenseman on unconditional waivers for the purposes of buying out the final three years of a five-year contract he signed in 2018. The man who extended and ultimately ended that contract wishes it...
Coronavirus has forced Penguins to adjust scouting for this week’s draft
Patrik Allvin has an interesting way of describing the NHL’s entry draft. “It the same for the players, and it the same for the scouts,” said the Pittsburgh Penguins’ director of amateur scouting. “This is the graduation. This is the thing you really work hard for. This is excitement. Every...
Penguins’ options will be limited with free agents
When the NHL’s free agent signing period opens up on Friday, it’s a safe assumption the Penguins won’t be going after any All-Stars scheduled to be available. “It’s not going to be any of the big free agents,” general manager Jim Rutherford said in a telephone interview with the Tribune-Review...
Penguins re-sign Tristan Jarry to 3-year contract
The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed their long-time goaltender of the future. Now, they just have to figure out the future of their goaltender with two Stanley Cup rings. On Saturday, the team re-signed Tristan Jarry, a pending restricted free agent, to a three-year contract that carries a salary cap hit...
Joey Porter Jr. ready to ‘rock and roll’ for Penn State
Even if he didn’t know when his next game was going to be, Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. remained prepared throughout August and September while the Big Ten’s 2020 season was still canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. “It’s definitely hard,” Porter Jr. said via video conference Thursday. “Because...
Penn State is comfortable with options to replace Micah Parsons
In a shortened season bound to be filled with uncertainty, one thing will be concrete for Penn State. There will be no Micah Parsons. On Aug. 6, the star linebacker decided to opt out of the 2020 campaign because of the coronavirus pandemic as well as his prospects as a...
Penguins prospect Antti Palojarvi loaned to Finnish team
Penguins defensive prospect Antti Palojarvi has been loaned to Hermes of Finland’s second-tier Mestis league. A native of Finland, Palojarvi was loaned by KooKoo of that country’s top league, the Liiga. Palojarvi, 21, was the Penguins’ sixth-round pick in 2017 (No. 186 overall) and has yet to sign an NHL...
James Franklin, Penn State ready to embrace the ‘new normal’
It rained Tuesday in State College. James Franklin didn’t mind. In fact, Penn State’s football coach enjoyed it. “I would actually say it was even positive (Tuesday),” Franklin said via video conference Wednesday. “We had bad weather. We had rain, and we were able to get wet-ball work, which I...
USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms scheduled to open season Nov. 6
The United States Hockey League (USHL), the top junior league in the United States, announced it is hoping to open its 2020-21 season Nov. 5. The league has a regionally-based schedule of 54 games for each team with the goal of concluding the regular season by April 24. The Youngstown...
Penguins will have long wait to pick as NHL draft order is finalized
The NHL finalized the order of its upcoming draft, which be Oct. 6-7. The entire order can be viewed here. Barring any further transactions, the Penguins’ first selection will be No. 77 overall in the third round. They also will have the 108th (fourth round), 139th (fifth round) and 170th...
Penguins re-sign defenseman Juuso RiikolaVideo
The Pittsburgh Penguins re-signed defenseman Juuso Riikola to a two-year contract extension with a salary cap hit of $1.15 million. Riikola, 26, was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this upcoming offseason. A native of Joensuu, Finland, the undrafted Riikola has spent the past two seasons with Penguins, primarily...
‘Burgh’s Best to Never Wear It: John Woodruff’s roots remain strong in Connellsville
The Tribune-Review is following its Best to Ever Wear It series, a daily countdown of the greatest college and pro athletes to wear every jersey number from 99 to 0/00, by honoring the Best to Never Wear It. The six athletes spotlighted didn’t wear a numbered uniform but brought pride...
