Penguins goaltending prospect Filip Lindberg has signed a two-year contract with TPS in Finland’s Liiga, the top-tier league in that country.
Finnish outlet Iltalehti first reported a deal had been agreed to on Tuesday while TPS formally announced the contract on Friday.
With regard to his NHL status, Lindberg is about to complete a two-year entry-level contract and is a pending restricted free agent on July 1. The Penguins could retain his NHL rights with a qualifying offer.
A native of Finland, Lindberg was a seventh-round pick (No. 196 overall) by the Minnesota Wild but never signed with that franchise. After helping lead the University of Massachusetts to the NCAA championship in 2021, Lindberg turned professional, signing with the Penguins. At the time, Lindberg was a fairly hot commodity in the market of college free agents.
Injuries largely derailed Lindberg’s time with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL), however. His various maladies limited him to a total of only 26 AHL games over two seasons.
A left ankle injury that required surgery ended his first professional season (2021-22) by Nov. 12, 2021. Then, during the 2022-23 campaign, concussion woes led to him being sidelined for good by Feb. 11.
This past season, Lindberg, 24, appeared in 19 AHL games and posted a 6-11-1 record, a 3.13 goals against average and an .896 save percentage.
While somewhat unlikely, there remains a possibility for Lindberg to return to the Penguins should the team’s next general manager — that office is currently vacant following the firing of Ron Hextall on April 14 — opt to re-sign him.
The NHL’s transfer agreement with most European federations allows for players under contract with teams in that continent to sign with NHL clubs by June 15.
Lindberg is the second Penguins prospect with an expiring contract to sign with a European team within the past week. On April 28, forward Filip Hallander returned to his native Sweden, signing a five-year contract with Timra HK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).
