PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins are keeping their own.Egor Chinakhov and Artūrs Šilovs, restricted free agents who are considerable parts of the Penguins’ present and potentially their future, have agreed to new contracts, the team announced Sunday.Chinakhov, a goal-scoring sensation almost immediately after being acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in December, had agreed to a three-year contract worth $6.25 million annually. The $18.75 million deal will keep Chinakhov in Pittsburgh through the 2028-29 season.Chinakhov erupted for 18 goals and 36 points in only 43 games with the Penguins, and his chemistry with Evgeni Malkin was very clear from the outset.
Šilovs received a one-year, $2.8 million contract from the Penguins and is expected to battle for the team’s No. 1 goalie spot with highly touted prospect Sergei Murashov. In what was an up-and-down season, the 25-year-old goaltender finished strong by nearly bailing the Penguins out of a 3-0 hole in their first-round playoff loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.He went 19-12-8 during his first season in Pittsburgh, producing a 3.07 GAA and .887 save percentage.Two other restricted free agents also signed with the Penguins. Joel Blomqvist, another young goalie with NHL potential, agreed to a two-year deal worth $875,000 at the NHL level. The Penguins also inked newly acquired forward David Gustafsson to a one-year deal worth $850,000.Nick Robertson is the only restricted free agent remaining on the Penguins’ current roster. Two unrestricted free agents from last year — Anthony Mantha and Kevin Hayes — are not expected back in Pittsburgh.After the signings, the Penguins still have close to $17 million in cap space for the 2026-27 season. They have a substantial amount of money coming off the books following this next season, giving them in the neighborhood of $70 million in current cap space for the 2027-28 season.Stars Sidney Crosby, Malkin and Erik Karlsson are all entering the final seasons of their respective contracts.
