The Pittsburgh Penguins signed most of their restricted free agents Sunday, agreeing to new pacts with forwards Egor Chinakhov and David Gustafsson, as well as goaltenders Joel Blomqvist and Arturs Silovs.
All four signings were announced Sunday evening, after the NHL’s deadline for players to elect for salary arbitration expired at 5 p.m.
The only Penguins player to formally file for arbitration was forward Nick Robertson.
Chinakhov is the most notable member of the group. He agreed to a three-year contract with a salary cap hit of $6.25 million. According to Puckpedia, the contract contains a modified no-trade clause in the third year that allows Chinakhov to submit a list of 10 teams he would not accept a trade to.
The 25-year-old just completed a two-year contract with an average annual value of $2.1 million.
A left-handed shot, Chinakhov joined the Penguins via a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets last season on Dec. 29. Largely a disappointment after being a first-round draft pick (No. 21 overall) by the Blue Jackets in 2020, Chinakhov (6-foot-1, 203 pounds) blossomed with the Penguins by posting 35 points (18 goals, 17 assists) in 43 games with the club, primarily as a top-six winger.
Gustafsson (6-2, 196 pounds) was recently acquired in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets on June 29. He agreed to a one-year, two-way contract with a salary cap hit of $850,000. A left-handed shot, Gustafsson just completed a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $835,000.
After clearing waivers Oct. 10, the 26-year-old Gustafsson spent the entire 2025-26 season with the Manitoba Moose, the Jets’ American Hockey League affiliate. In 48 games, he posted 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists).
Blomqvist has been a member of the Penguins since being a second-round draft pick (No. 52 overall) in 2020. He agreed to a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $875,000. The first year of the deal is a two-way contract, meaning he will be paid differently based on being at the NHL or AHL levels. The second year is one-way.
The 24-year-old just completed a three-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $886,667.
Stationed with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL all of last season, the left-catching Blomqvist (6-foot-3, 204 pounds) appeared in 26 games and had a 16-5-4 record, a 2.40 goals-against average, a .913 save percentage and one shutout.
Silovs joined the Penguins nearly a year ago, arriving in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on July 13, 2025. He agreed to a one-year contract with a salary cap hit of $2.8 million. He is scheduled to be a restricted free agent at the conclusion of this contract.
The 25-year-old Silovs just completed a two-year contract with an average annual value of $850,000.
A left-catching goaltender, Silovs (6-4, 208 pounds) largely platooned in net last season, primarily with Tristan Jarry or Stuart Skinner. Appearing in a team-leading 39 games, he posted a 19-12-8 record, a 3.07 goals-against average, an .887 save percentage and two shutouts as a rookie.
Following these transactions, Robertson, forward Ville Koivunen and defenseman Alex Alexeyev are the only restricted free agents who remain unsigned by the Penguins.
The Penguins acquired Robertson’s rights as a pending restricted free agent in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick in 2028.
Robertson, 24, just completed a one-year contract with a salary cap hit of $1.825 million.
A left-handed shot, Robertson (5-9, 180 pounds) set career highs in games (78), goals (16), assists (16) and points (32) last season while averaging 12 minutes, 40 second of ice time per contest.
Koivunen, 23, split the 2025-26 season between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In 39 NHL contests, the left-handed Koivunen (6-foot, 184 pounds) totaled seven points (two goals, five assists) while averaging 12:44 of ice time per game.
At the AHL level, Koivunen was Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s second-leading scorer with 41 points (13 goals, 28 assists) in 34 games.
Alexeyev signed with Salavat Yulaev Ufa in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League on Thursday. The Penguins retained his NHL rights as a matter of procedure.
Players pursuing arbitration had to file by 5 p.m. Sunday. A separate deadline for teams to pursue arbitration is at 5 p.m. Monday.
Salary arbitration hearings will be held between July 20 and Aug. 1, with a schedule for specific hearings to be announced later.
Filing for arbitration doesn’t necessarily signal an impasse between a player and team, as it is often a procedural step that can lead to a contractual agreement before getting to a formal hearing, a process both parties typically prefer to avoid.
It is believed the last Penguins player to reach a hearing with the club was forward Ryan Malone in 2006.
Three players who were finished the 2025-26 season signed to NHL contracts with the Penguins who remain unsigned are forwards Kevin Hayes, Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Anthony Mantha.
According to Puckpedia, the Penguins now have $16,927,640 of projected salary cap space following Sunday’s transactions.