The Pittsburgh Penguins went into the off-season not certain that Tommy Novak would be an extension candidate or let alone part of the team next season. However, each step in the evaluation process just saw how high the coaching staff and others in the organization were on Novak. And if there’s one player Pittsburgh got the most trade calls on this summer it was Novak. Pittsburgh had an opportunity to acquire center [hide] Ross Colton (+ Picks) whom management strongly pursued in the Jake Guentzel trade talks back in 2024 from Colorado where the team would have considered moving Novak in a separate move in a double dip type situation. During the deliberation process, though, it became clear at how important of an asset the coaching staff in particular felt Novak was to this team. The staff strongly went to bat all off-season about Novak’s value whom sources say was by a wide margin the most popular player on Pittsburgh’s roster among rival teams. League sources indicate Novak was strongly pursued in around Mid-June by the division rival Washington Capitals and it was among the trade talks that the coaching staff won out on Novak. The changing NHL landscape also saw management decide to put an even higher value on players wanting to be here. Pittsburgh approached the Novak camp about an extension around July 15th, which according to sources even caught the Novak camp by surprise, and the immediate reaction was a strong interest in signing longer term which paved way for a smooth and quick negotiation on a three-year, $13.95 million extension. [/hide]

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