Penguins Make Shocking Signing Of RFA Forward Ville Koivunen To Huge Extension

The Pittsburgh Penguins have made a huge commitment to young RFA forward Ville Koivunen in a shocking announcement. They've re-upped with the 23-year-old on an eight-year deal with a $4 million AAV.

The Penguins have re-signed restricted free agent forward Ville Koivunen to an eight-year contract.

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) August 6, 2026

Koivunen was a key part of the return from the Carolina Hurricanes in the Jake Guentzel trade back at the 2024 trade deadline. But he has just 47 career NHL games under his belt, with a grand total of two goals and 12 assists for 14 points.

He was selected in the second round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, and has had much more success at the AHL level with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton: He has totaled 34 goals and 96 points in 97 games there over the last two seasons. This past year, he split his time between the NHL (39 games) and AHL (34 games).

After bringing in the likes of Andrei Kuzmenko and Nick Robertson this offseason, it remains to be seen how much of a role the Penguins will have for Koivunen in the coming season, but the Penguins are obviously confident in the young forward, committing $32 million.