Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins Officially Place Player on Waivers

The President of Hockey Operations and General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins Kyle Dubas is sticking to his words. He made his intentions clear a few weeks ago: he won't shy away from making roster moves to bring his team back on the winning road.

Since then, he made a few moves, notably sending Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals and acquiring Philip Tomasino from the Nashville Predators.

Today, Dubas decided to place the 25-year-old forward Valtteri Puustinen on waivers.

The insider Elliotte Friedman shared the news on X:

Puustinen, drafted 203rd overall by the Penguins in 2019, scored one goal and one assist in 10 NHL games this season.

He's set to return to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL, where he notably had a 59-point season in 2022-23.

Puustinen signed a two-year, $1.5 million deal with the Penguins earlier this year. His salary could dissuade teams from claiming him, but it wouldn't be surprising to see an organization looking to add depth taking a chance on him.

Dubas could be interested in that additional cap space, considering all the rumors about the Penguins looking to make more changes to the roster.

At this point of the season, he'll need to make important moves soon to help his team win if he doesn't want to waste another year of the Crosby-Malkin-Letang era.

Meanwhile, the team will be back in action tomorrow against the Vancouver Canucks. The Pens will look to bounce back after three consecutive losses against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Winnipeg Jets, and Utah Hockey Club.