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The Pittsburgh Penguins and general manager Kyle Dubas have several decisions ahead of them in the coming months, as he will work to try and maximize the shrinking window that remain in the careers of longtime franchise mainstays Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang.

Right now, it appears as though forward Anthony Mantha, who enjoyed a career-best season after signing a one-year contract with the club last season, will not be brought back. Meanwhile, the Penguins could also choose to part ways with pending UFA goaltender Stuart Skinner, who was acquired in December in a blockbuster trade with the Edmonton Oilers.

In the meantime, the Penguins have decided to retain a valuable depth goaltender in their organization who has the potential to eventually play a larger role at some point in the future.

The Pittsburgh Penguins Have Re-Signed Depth Goaltender Taylor Gauthier To A Contract Extension

Earlier this week, the Penguins announced that they had re-signed goaltender Taylor Gauthier to a one-year, two-way contract extension worth $850,000 at the NHL level.

The 25 year-old goaltender has spent four years now with the Penguins organization, playing this most recent season with the ECHL affiliate Wheeling Nailors. He appeared in 36 games, going 21-9-5 with a 2.09 goals-against average, a .929 save percentage, and three shutouts.

Not only did he set club marks for wins and shutouts, but his save percentage and goals-against average ranked inside the top-five of all ECHL goalies.

In the 2026 Kelly Cup Playoffs, the 6-foot-2 netminder went 9-8 with a 2.23 GAA and .922 save percentage, adding three shutouts as Wheeling advanced to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2016. Across four ECHL seasons from 2022-26, Gauthier has compiled a 71-42-9 record in 124 games with a 2.26 GAA, a .923 save percentage, and 10 shutouts. He earned ECHL Goaltender of the Year honors in 2023-24 after leading the league with a .923 save percentage and being named to the First All-Star Team.

While with the American Hockey League affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, he has posted a 10-5-7 record in 25 games, posting a 2.77 goals-against average, a .908 save percentage, and two shutouts.

The Penguins Have A Decision To Make With Stuart Skinner

The Penguins acquired Skinner from the Oilers, whom he helped lead to consecutive appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, in December of this past season.

And while Skinner had several moments during his time in a Penguins uniform that harkened back to some of his stronger outings with the Oilers, he unfortunately faltered once again when the going got tough.

He was Pittsburgh’s starter for each of their first three opening games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs before eventually giving way to Arturs Silovs, whom the Penguins acquired from the Vancouver Canucks last offseason.

While there is still a slim pathway for the Oilers to retain Skinner on a short-term deal, the prevailing thought by most is that he’ll move on and play for a new club for next season. One club that has reportedly shown interest in signing Skinner is the Ottawa Senators, which would put him back in a Canadian market.