Ville Koivunen's huge deal surprised the NHL – now the GM revealed the reason

The Pittsburgh Penguins signed Ville Koivunen to an eight-year, $32 million contract extension on Thursday, even though the Finnish forward has only played 47 NHL games. Now, Penguins GM Kyle Dubas explained why the team wanted to commit to their young player with such an exceptional contract.

According to Dubas, several factors influenced the decision, particularly the changing contract landscape in the NHL and the increasing salary cap in the future.

– Many things led to this decision. The biggest factor was how the markets developed during the season and especially in the summer. We wanted to plan the future of the Penguins as well as possible, Dubas said on the Penguins’ website.

Pittsburgh sees the eight-year contract primarily as an investment in Koivunen’s potential. The team’s management believes that the Finn has the opportunity to become a significant player in the NHL.

– We see this contract as a draw – a draw to Ville, his potential, and the belief that he will do the work to reach the level he is capable of achieving.

Koivunen’s development impressed the Penguins

Koivunen ended up in Pittsburgh as part of the Jake Guentzel trade from the Carolina Hurricanes. However, Dubas had been following the Finnish forward even before the trade, as he held Koivunen in high regard during the 2021 NHL draft.

Before moving to North America for the 2024–25 season, Koivunen had a strong season with Kärpät. He was selected to the AHL All-Rookie Team, and he made his NHL debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins in March.

Last season also included tougher phases. Koivunen started the season with the Penguins’ NHL roster but moved to the AHL in January. In Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the Finn found his scoring touch again and climbed to the top of the AHL scoring leaderboard before returning to the NHL ice.

According to Dubas, what has particularly impressed him about Koivunen’s development are his physical attributes, skating, and offensive play.

The Penguins’ GM also highlighted Koivunen’s workload during the training season. He noted that the Finn did not spend the summer only in his hometown of Oulu but built a new training program in Helsinki and returned to Pittsburgh in August to train with the team’s other players.

– During the season, Ville showed excellent commitment by doing extra work in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and he has continued that in the summer. His actions gave us confidence, and our staff will continue to challenge him both on and off the ice, Dubas said.

However, the long contract does not mean an automatic spot for Koivunen in the Penguins’ lineup. Dubas reminded that the Finn still has to earn his place on the NHL team.

– He still has to earn everything. A long contract does not mean that you are given anything in Pittsburgh. He has to earn his spot and opportunities in training camp and show progress in strength and speed.