The Penguins announced a signing on Friday, tightening up Tommy Novak for three more years. Novak was set to be a free agent in 2027, his new deal will have him under contract through 2029-30.
From the team:
The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Tommy Novak to a three-year contract extension, it was announced today by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas.
The contract, which begins in the 2027-28 season and runs through 2029-30, carries an average annual value of $4.65 million. Novak, 29, was due to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2026-2027 season.
Novak has played parts of five seasons in the NHL with the Penguins and Nashville Predators. In 2025-26, Novak recorded 16 goals, 26 assists and 42 points in 82 games with Pittsburgh. His point total ranked seventh on the team, while his five power-play tallies ranked fifth. The forward added two assists in six playoff games last season. Novak was the only Penguin to play in all 82 regular-season games in ’25-26.
In 285 career NHL games, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound forward has registered 65 goals, 94 assists and 159 points. His most productive season came in 2023-24 when he tallied career highs in goals (18), assists (27) and points (45) in 71 games with the Predators.
Prior to turning professional, the St. Paul, Minnesota native skated four seasons for the University of Minnesota from 2015-19, notching 88 points (18G-70A) in 129 games.
Novak represented Team USA at the 2026 World Championship, recording a team-high seven assists and eight points in eight games.
In a world where salaries are skyrocketing from an increased cap, the Pens get Novak at $4.65 million for a slight raise from the $3.5 million he will play on in 2026-27.
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Novak, 29, provides versatility to the lineup, offering up the ability to play on the wing or at center and be moved around the lineup accordingly to fit where he’s needed. He had a great 2025-26 in Pittsburgh, his first year with the Pens where he played in all 82 games and recorded 42 points.
Under the hood, beyond the stat line there is another element of Novak’s game that enamors him to coaches for his puck handling ability and strong play in the neutral zone as a supporting player. From his season review:
Here’s a reason why Novak was a lineup staple even during his production cold streaks. Set aside counting stats like goals and assists and this look shows just what a master Novak is in the neutral zone. His ability to carry the puck with possession out of the defensive zone and into the offensive zone are first rate. Once in the offensive end, he’s a wizard at setting up teammates. He doesn’t hit, isn’t particularly speedy or have a lot of goal-scoring touch but otherwise there’s an awful lot to like in the microstats. That doesn’t always translate to goals or points but is a huge factor in helping fuel a line.
A three-year contract has been a rarity for the Pens as of late, besides that term for standard entry level deals Pittsburgh has only given such term to Yegor Chinakhov and Blake Lizotte since 2023, while also inheriting the four years remaining on Kaeden Korczak’s contract in a trade.
Because of that, those three players plus now Novak (and the remainder of Ryan Graves’ long deal) are the only NHL contracts that Pittsburgh has on the books for the 2028-29 season. The whole team seems prime to undergo a quick turn into rebuilding or whatever comes next once the Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang era ends in the coming year(s) and they move into the future with a largely clean sheet. For now, it looks like Novak will be a useful player a part of the future of the Penguins for a while yet to come.
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