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Penguins A to Z: Filip Kral took his shot at the NHL
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.)
Filip Kral
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Left
Age: 25
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 198 pounds
2024-25 AHL regular season statistics: 61 games, 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists)
2024-25 AHL postseason statistics: Two games, one point (zero goals, one assist)
Contract: Signed to a one-year, two-way contract with a salary cap hit of $775,000. Pending unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason.
Acquired: Unrestricted free agent signing, May 21, 2024
This season: The NHL wasn’t completely new to Filip Kral when he joined the Penguins as a free agent last spring.
A native of Czechia, he had previously skated for the Toronto Maple Leafs, appearing in two games for that club in 2022-23.
So, after a strong 2023-24 season skating for the Lahti Pelicans of Finland’s Liiga, Kral wanted to return to North America. That prompted Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas — previously the Maple Leafs’ general manager — to sign Kral, a player he was familiar with.
“I just wanted to try (to get) one more shot in the NHL and try to make it,” Kral said April 15.
After two games and no points during the preseason, Kral was one of the final cuts from training camp after he cleared waivers and was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Oct. 5.
Opening the season on the left side of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s top pairing with right-hander Mac Hollowell while finding a role on the power play, Kral got off to a quick start, posting three points in his first three games.
Filip Kral sneaks one by the Charlotte goaltender pic.twitter.com/QHUIAPGI3i— x - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) October 13, 2024
An undisclosed injury stunted that momentum, however, and sidelined him for the next six games.
Once healthy, Kral was prone to streakiness, at least offensively. To wit, after returning from injury Nov. 8, he was limited to a single assist in six games before erupting for four points (two goals, two assists) in a 5-4 home win against the rival Hershey Bears on Nov. 30.
Kraler puts us on the board early! pic.twitter.com/l4utfdIm8G— x - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) December 1, 2024
Kral’s season largely followed that rhythm. A handful of games with no production would be followed by an outburst. After a six-game pointless streak, he posted four points (one goal, three assists) during a 9-0 home win against the Bears. But that success was followed by a five-game pointless slump.
A look at Kraler’s tally pic.twitter.com/JKcokDJCCG— x - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 30, 2025
Despite failing to record offense in his final nine games of the season, Kral was recalled to the NHL roster April 14 and ensured the Penguins would maintain a streak of having at least one Czech-born player on the roster every season since superstar Jaromir Jagr was a rookie in 1990-91.
After being a healthy scratch for the lone NHL game he was eligible to play in, Kral was returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on April 18. Skating in both of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s postseason games, Kral recorded an assist.
On May 16, Kral signed a three-year contract with HC Kometo Brno of the Extraliga ledního hokeje (ELH). He previously played for that club’s youth programs.
The future: Procedurally, as his NHL status is concerned, Kral, who turns 26 on Oct. 20, is a pending unrestricted free agent as of July 1. But for all intents and purposes, any designs he had on being an NHLer have been extinguished, at least for now.
He was a low-risk signing for the Penguins and it did not bear fruit.
As he stated, Kral took his shot at reaching the NHL. It just didn’t work out as hoped.
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