Penguins A to Z: Expectations will always be limited for Marc Johnstone

With the Pittsburgh Penguins entering the offseason for a third consecutive year without a playoff appearance, TribLive will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 56 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until future seasons — with the organization.

Starting with Noel Acciari and going on through to Philip Tomasino (regrettably, there is no Z on the payroll), every player will be profiled in alphabetical order.

This series is scheduled to be published Mondays through Saturdays leading up until June 24, four days before the start of the NHL Draft. In the event of a transaction, that schedule will be altered as necessary.

(Note: All contract information courtesy of Puckpedia.)

Marc Johnstone

Position: Right winger

Shoots: Right

Age: 28

Height: 6-foot

Weight: 180 pounds

2024-25 AHL statistics: 51 games, 11 points (five goals, six assists)

Contract: In the second year of a two-year, two-way contract with a salary cap hit of $775,000. Pending unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason.

Acquired: Unrestricted free agent signing, July 2, 2023

This season: Expectations have been modest for Marc Johnstone since he joined the Penguins.

He is a career minor leaguer with a nice story, having come up as an undrafted player from his home state of New Jersey and through the NCAA ranks with Sacred Heart. And when he made his NHL debut in 2023-24 at the age of 27, it was a triumph on so many levels, even if he only skated in one game.

So, there weren’t any kind of grand aspirations for Johnstone entering 2024-25. And he largely met those modest hopes throughout the season.

After appearing in one preseason game and recording an assist, Johnstone cleared waivers and was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Oct. 3.

Opening the campaign on the right wing of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s fourth line, Johnstone got off to a quick start with a goal in the season opener, a 7-6 home loss to the Charlotte Checkers.

A look at Johnstone’s late goal pic.twitter.com/6dUjSmBpTS

— x - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) October 13, 2024

Johnstone’s season largely progressed as one might expect of a bottom-six forward in the AHL. Healthy scratches were common due to the American Hockey League’s rules on the number of veterans eligible to be in a lineup. And while he is listed as a right winger, he started more games as a center (35) than on the starboard side (16).

Offensively speaking, the high point of Johnstone’s season came during a 7-2 home win against the rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Dec. 21 when he netted a goal and an assist.

Stoner finishes the job! pic.twitter.com/FsCEma8yp2

— x - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) December 22, 2024

Things largely remained static for Johnstone once the calendar flipped to 2025 until March 21, when he suffered an undisclosed injury that cost him the final 13 games of the regular season and both of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s postseason games.

It marked the second consecutive year Johnstone failed to complete the regular season due to an injury.

The future: When he’s been healthy, Johnstone — who had a previous relationship with president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas before signing with the Penguins — has mostly been what the Penguins hoped he would be when they signed him. That’s to say he’s been a dependable bottom-six forward on the AHL roster.

Further to that, he has also operated as a good citizen with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, helping foster a positive environment for the organization’s prospects with legitimate NHL futures.

But Johnstone turns 29 on June 19 and obviously, the hopes for him to play in a second NHL contest are finite (to be kind). And injuries have clearly been a considerable impediment during his tenure with the organization.

Johnstone offers some value to the Penguins but the expectations will always be limited.