Penguins Sign Another Defenseman, Todd Reirden Extended, and Guentzel Commended

Even during the slow season of the NHL calendar, the Pittsburgh Penguins and general manager, Ron Hextall are hard at work. The team re-signed and promoted coach Todd Reirden for two more seasons.

Reirden's promotion makes him the "associate coach" of the Penguins, but his responsibilities will primarily remain the same as he handles the defense and power play. 

Since returning to the Penguins organization in 2020, Reirden found success in turning around lesser thought of defensemen such as Cody Ceci and Mike Matheson, getting the best out of those blueliners when many others had written them off. Reirden's impact has also reached Kris Letang, who is coming off the best season in his 16-year career, where he scored 68 points in 78 games. 

While his work with the defense has been good, the power play hasn't seen the same upward trajectory. Last season, the Penguins dropped two percentage points in power play efficiency and finished 19th in the NHL on the man advantage. Their inability to capitalize cost them late in the playoffs against the New York Rangers and will be a focal point heading into next season.

The Penguins also added defenseman Jack St. Ivany to the organization on Saturday. The 23-year-old blueliner will join the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins this season after four seasons of college hockey split between Yale and Boston College.