Winnipeg Jets Acquire Jack St. Ivany

The Winnipeg Jets and Pittsburgh Penguins have swapped a couple of depth pieces ahead of free agency. According to an announcement from Winnipeg, the Jets have acquired defenseman Jack St. Ivany from the Penguins for forward David Gustafsson.

Pittsburgh does right by St. Ivany to give him the opportunity for more playing time elsewhere. Despite being a draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers, St. Ivany has only played in the Penguins organization. He opted to play at Yale University and Boston College for four years, making him a collegiate free agent in 2022 when he ultimately signed with Pittsburgh.

Although the Penguins have been rebuilding, St. Ivany remained low on the depth chart for most of his tenure. He had some quality seasons with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, proving to be an effective shutdown option.

Unfortunately, he never got many opportunities in Pittsburgh. Across three years, St. Ivany tallied nine assists in 53 games with a +1 rating, averaging 15:39 of ice time. He won’t challenge for top-four minutes in Winnipeg, but could find consistent minutes on the right side of the team’s bottom pairing, especially as Elias Salomonsson recovers from surgery.

Meanwhile, the Penguins have acquired Gustafsson, who spent last season with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, scoring 10 goals and 32 points in 48 games with a +12 rating. During his six seasons with the Jets, Gustafsson, 26, has scored six goals and recorded 20 points in 149 NHL games.