Penguins go big with Anthony Mantha, Alex Alexeyev

On the second day of the NHL’s free-agent signing period, the Pittsburgh Penguins did what they did on the first day by avoiding big names.

However, they did sign some big humans looking for second chances to get their NHL careers on track.

Forward Anthony Mantha (6-foot-5, 234 pounds) and defenseman Alex Alexeyev (6-4, 229) joined the Penguins on Wednesday, each agreeing to one-year contracts.

Also joining the Penguins on Wednesday were more compact options in forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard (5-9, 181 pounds) and defenseman Phil Kemp (6-3, 202 pounds).

Mantha, a left-handed shot, is the most prominent member of that quartet, having been a three-time 20-goal scorer over his 10 NHL seasons. But a knee injury that required surgery in November limited him to 13 games and seven points (four goals, three assists) as a member of the Calgary Flames last season.

His contract carries a salary cap hit of $2.5 million but has room for $2 million in performance bonuses. According to Puckpedia, Mantha can collect bonuses of $250,000 for every 10th game he plays in up to 80 games.

Mantha, a native of Longueuil, Quebec, was a first-round draft pick (No. 20 overall) of the Detroit Red Wings in 2013.

His grandfather, Andre Pronovost, is a retired forward who was part of the Montreal Canadiens’ dynasty in the late 1950s, winning four consecutive Stanley Cup titles. In addition to the Canadiens, Pronovost also skated for the Boston Bruins as well as the Red Wings in the 1960s. Later in his career, Pronovost suited up for the former Pittsburgh Hornets franchise of the American Hockey League.

Alexeyev was a first-round draft pick (No. 31 overall) of the Washington Capitals in 2018, and the 25-year-old has spent the bulk of his first six professional seasons with that organization.

This past season, the left-handed Alexeyev appeared in only eight regular-season games at the NHL level and did not record a point while averaging 16 minutes, 4 seconds of ice time.

Because of concerns about potentially losing him on waivers, the Capitals kept him on the NHL roster for the bulk of the season and made him a healthy scratch for a total of 71 contests, excluding three games he was unavailable during a conditioning assignment with Hershey of the American Hockey League.

Oddly, Alexeyev actually played more postseason games this past spring (10) than during the regular season. In those 10 contests, he did not tabulate a point while averaging 10:25 of ice time.

Alexeyev’s departure from the Capitals was somewhat turbulent. On May 17, he was arrested on a charge of public intoxication in Clarendon, Va. According to the Washington Post, police utilized pepper spray in making the arrest.

Citing Arlington (Va.) General District Court records, Washington journalist Sammi Silber reported Alexeyev received a $91 fine June 11 in a deferred disposition over the charge.

Alexeyev was scheduled to become a restricted free agent Monday, but the Capitals declined to extend a qualifying offer, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.

Harvey-Pinard (one year) and Kemp (two years) each signed two-way contracts with $775,000 salary cap hits.

A member of the Canadiens organization through the first five years of his professional career, the 26-year-old Harvey-Pinard spent the majority of the 2024-25 season at the AHL level with the Laval Rocket. In 40 games with that team, the left-hander scored 19 points (five goals, 14 assists).

As for Kemp, the 26-year-old right-hander has been a member of the Edmonton Oilers for the first five seasons of his professional career. Last season, as a member of the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, Kemp skated in 56 games and scored 12 points (seven goals, five assists).

Goaltending prospect Taylor Gauthier opted to stay with the Penguins after they declined to extend a qualifying offer to him as a pending restricted free agent Monday. He signed a one-year AHL contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

In addition to Gauthier, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton signed former Vancouver Canucks forward Aidan McDonough to a one-year AHL contract.

One member of the 2024-25 club departed as defenseman P.O Joseph signed a one-year contract with the Canucks that carries a salary cap hit of $775,000.