The Pittsburgh Penguins moved Jack St. Ivany to the Winnipeg Jets for david gustafsson on Monday, and Kyle Dubas added another center just two days before the NHL free agent frenzy. The Penguins then tendered Gustafsson a qualifying offer, keeping his arbitration-eligible status in play.
Jack St. Ivany Returns Value
St. Ivany reached this point after a season that kept getting interrupted. He missed the first 28 games because of a lower-body injury, returned in December, then needed hand surgery after blocking a shot on Jan. 26 before coming back in mid-March.
The Penguins signed him as a college free agent out of Boston College in 2022, and he has 53 games of NHL experience. That is the part of the move that makes the trade harder to read at first glance: a right-handed defenseman who had started to show he could handle NHL minutes still went out the door.
David Gustafsson Brings 149 Games
Gustafsson arrives as a depth center with 149 NHL games on his record, six goals and 20 points. The Winnipeg Jets picked him in the second round in 2018, and his career high is 46 games in 2022-23.
He was frequently a healthy scratch with Winnipeg, which is the complication inside the swap. The Penguins brought in a forward with more NHL mileage than St. Ivany, but also one whose role has not been locked down.
Penguins Right-Handed Defense
Three right-handed defensemen are currently listed for the Penguins: Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang and Harrison Brunicke. That left St. Ivany in a crowded lane even after his return from injury, while Connor Clifton is headed toward free agency on Wednesday.
For Gustafsson, the qualifying offer means Pittsburgh has kept control of his rights while leaving the roster decision open. The trade is already done; the next test is whether he earns a regular NHL role with the Penguins after arriving as a player Winnipeg often parked in the press box.
