Ville Koivunen signed an eight-year, $32 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday. It has an average annual value of $4 million.
The 23-year-old forward, who was a restricted free agent, had seven points (two goals, five assists) in 39 games with the Penguins last season and 41 points (13 goals, 28 assists) in 34 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, which ranked second on the team. He also tied for second on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with nine points (four goals, five assists) in 15 playoff games to help it reach the AHL Eastern Conference Final.
"There were many factors that led to us going down this path," Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas said via email Thursday. "But the primary factor was watching the way the market evolved over the season and especially the summer and trying to best plan for the future of the Penguins.
We view the contract as a bet -- on Ville, his potential, and our belief that he is going to do the work in to reach that potential.
"We don’t think of it as paying for potential, we view it as placing bets on what we believe the player is going to produce moving ahead. the evolution of the market is a key factor, for sure.
The way that older forwards who have lower lineup ceilings were paid as free agents and watching the way the restricted free agent market took shape led us to take a different view on how we wanted to handle our own players, for sure.
Dubas said Koivunen's performance in the AHL postseason was a factor in the new contract.
"Helping our affiliate teams go deep into the playoffs out affords all our young prospects the chance to continually impact and improve their standing with us," Dubas said. "In Ville’s case, it just added to his AHL rookie season, initial recall, and the way he handled the fall not going the way he likely wanted at the NHL level.
We stress to the players the value and importance of winning in the AHL, ECHL, or with their junior, college or European teams, and one of the benefits is that it afford you a greater chance to make an impact on your standing within the organization.
Selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round (No. 51) of the 2021 NHL Draft, Koivunen was traded to the Penguins on March 7, 2024, in a six-player deal that sent forward Jake Guentzel to the Hurricanes.
Koivunen has 14 points (two goals, 12 assists) in 47 NHL games, all with the Penguins.
Despite the amount and term of the contract, Dubas said there are no guarantees Koivunen will be in the lineup when Pittsburgh opens its 2026-27 NHL season at the Philadelphia Flyers on Sept. 30.
"Well, he will still have to earn everything," Dubas said. "As we have shown over the last few years, a long-term contract does not mean you are given anything in Pittsburgh.
He will need to earn his roster spot and opportunity in training camp. He will need to finish the summer strong, show gains in power and speed on the ice in training camp and exhibition games.
NHL.com independent correspondent Wes Crosby contributed to this report