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Penguins Sign Ville Koivunen to Eight-Year, $32 Million Contract

Dubas says the long-term deal is a bet on Koivunen’s upside that uses projected salary-cap growth and new CBA buyout rules to limit the club’s financial risk

Mar 24, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Ville Koivunen (41) skates with the puck against the Colorado Avalanche during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Ville Koivunen (John Jones-Imagn Images)
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Overview

  • The Penguins announced on Thursday that restricted free agent Ville Koivunen agreed to an eight-year extension running through the 2033–34 season with a $4 million average annual value.
  • The contract is structured with backloaded salaries and signing bonuses that analysts say make it one of the last eight-year deals possible before a new CBA limits team extensions to seven years.
  • Koivunen is 23 and has been a prolific AHL scorer with 41 points in 34 games last season but has just 14 points in 47 NHL games, leaving uncertainty about his ability to translate minor-league production to the NHL level.
  • The new CBA provision that allows teams to buy out players under 26 for one-third of the remaining value gives Pittsburgh a practical off-ramp if Koivunen does not develop as hoped.
  • The move fits GM Kyle Dubas’s longer-term roster plan to lock up controllable young players as veteran stars age and has drawn broad surprise from media and fans who called the deal a high-risk, high-reward gamble.