Pittsburgh Penguins end professional tryout for seasoned NHL defenseman

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced on Friday that defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov had been released from his professional tryout deal. Despite signing a PTO earlier this summer, Knyzhov did not play in any of the team's preseason games.

Knyzhov returned to North America after spending sometime in his native country of Russia, playing with SKA Saint Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League. On 2 July 2019, he was signed by the San Jose Sharks to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Knyzhov was assigned to play for the San Jose Barracuda, an AHL affiliate, to start the 2019-20 season after attending his first training camp with the Sharks. On March 7, 2020, after 33 games with the Barracuda and a strong defensive performance, Knyzhov was called up by the Sharks due to team injuries.

On April 1, 2022, he inked a one-year contract extension despite missing 2021-2022 due to an injury. During the 2022 off-season, he tore his achilles. He inked a two-year contract extension with the Sharks in March 2023.

The Left-handed defenseman Knyzhov, who stands six feet three and weighs 222 pounds, was put on waivers in June 2024 and eventually had his Sharks contract terminated.

On August 22, the Penguins signed Knyzhov to a PTO. He was the only player brought into training camp with such an agreement. PTOs are typically given to players while they are being evaluated by a club, but unfortunately Knyzhov didn't spend much time in Pittsburgh.

There are now 51 players on the Penguins' training camp roster following the release of Nikolai Knyzhov. The closer the regular season approaches, the more the team will advance this process.