Which Former Penguins Are Still Getting Paid by the Club?

According to PuckPedia, the Pittsburgh Penguins currently have $3,524,233 in cap space available, which ranks almost in the middle of the league at 15th.

However, they climb a little bit higher on the charts when looking at dead space, which the Penguins currently have $3,729,167 allocated to former players skating in other cities.

Who are those skaters, and why is Pittsburgh still paying them?

Reilly Smith – $1,250,000 (one year)

Weeks after winning the Stanley Cup in June 2023, general manager Kyle Dubas swung a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, acquiring Reilly Smith.

Unfortunately, the experiment didn’t work, as Smith lasted just one season in the Steel City, scoring 13 goals and 40 points in 76 games.

Ahead of free agency, Dubas traded the 33-year-old to the New York Rangers for two draft picks. Ultimately, he gave away a third-round pick and received a second and fifth in return.

However, the catch here is he agreed to retain 25% of Smith’s salary, which will be on the books for one season at $1.2 million.

Jeff Petry – $1,562,500 (one year)

Defenseman Jeff Petry came to Pittsburgh with Ryan Poehling from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a fourth-round pick (2023) and Mike Matheson.

Petry played only 61 games with the Penguins before his name was attached to the Erik Karlsson deal on Aug. 6, 2023.

In a three-way swap between the Penguins, San Jose Sharks, and Montreal Canadiens, Petry departed with Casey DeSmith, Nathan Legare, and a second-round draft pick (2025).

As part of the deal, Dubas agreed to retain part of Petry’s salary for two seasons, valued at $1.56 million. Ultimately, the native of Ann Arbor, MI, was dealt to his hometown, Detroit Red Wings.

Jack Johnson – $916,667 (two years)

The Penguins signed defenseman Jack Johnson as a free agent on July 1, 2018. However, after 24 points in 149 games, the club put him on waivers on Oct. 5, 2020, to buy out his contract.

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Johnson went unclaimed and became a free agent, signing with the New York Rangers a few days later.

Several seasons later, he would win the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022.

Pittsburgh has paid him $916,667 for the past four seasons and will still owe him roughly $1.8 million over the next two campaigns.

Salary retention and contractual buyouts are all part of the sport’s business. With almost $4 million committed to former players, can anyone imagine how different the off-season could have gone with close to $8 million in cap space?

Reilly Smith – $1,250,000 (one year)

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