PENGUINS

Kyle Dubas' answer when asked about Anthony Mantha's future this week was ... interesting.

"He was pretty clear with me what his intentions are," Dubas said. "And I think that's private and personal for him. It's not on me to say that here publicly. But we'll see how all the other things materialize, and then we can always circle back."

The "circle back" part of that makes it clear that he's talking about Mantha not coming back ... but whose choice? The talk of Mantha's "private" intentions could sure be taken as Mantha wanting to hit free agency, which would be understandable given how bad the unrestricted free agent forward market is. Regardless of how underwhelming his playoff performance was, he'll get paid on the open market.

I looked into it, and it's not Mantha's decision at all. Mantha would love to re-sign in Pittsburgh. It's the Penguins who have little interest in signing that contract.

That's really not because of Mantha's struggles in the playoffs, either. Regardless of how things went for him in the postseason, the Penguins never expressed any belief that he was part of their long-term plans, or even relatively short-term plans beyond this season. 

The Penguins will presumably look to fill his spot with a young player, either internally or via trade, as Dubas has suggested.

MORE PENGUINS

• I've seen a few people ask if there's a chance Ryan Graves tries to force his way out of Pittsburgh, or even accepts a contract termination in order to sign a more team-friendly deal elsewhere. He wants to stay in Pittsburgh and believes he can be part of what Dubas is building. -- Taylor Haase

• Dubas made clear that they think Taylor Gauthier is ready to take on a full-time AHL role and fill the void left by one of Sergei Murashov or Joel Blomqvist moving up to the NHL. He phrased it as that being the plan if it "works out," but the only way that doesn't is if they don't offer the contract. There's no world in which the Penguins are willing to bring back Gauthier in any capacity and he chooses to leave for what might be an easier path. That's out of loyalty to the organization, an aversion to any kind of change, and a bit of stubbornness on his part. He's dead-set on forcing them to eventually use him. -- Taylor Haase

STEELERS

• The Steelers did their due diligence studying the quarterbacks in this year's draft class. While it wasn't an overwhelmingly impressive class, the work done throughout the draft process led the Steelers down to three names: Ty Simpson, Carson Beck and Drew Allar. And the most likely name of that trio to become a Steeler is and always was Allar.

As I reported at the NFL Combine, the Steelers liked Simpson much more than expected. He really wowed them during their formal interview at the Combine, but they also knew they weren't going to draft him at 21st overall, even if he had been available. That left it down to Beck and Allar, who both unironically were brought in for pre-draft visits.

I'm told that Beck was actually higher up on their board than Allar. However, the Steelers were not considering either quarterback in the second round. Had the Cardinals not selected Beck at 65th overall and the Steelers had a choice, they most likely would have gone with Beck. They saw Beck as a more pro-ready prospect that won a lot of games at the college level. Winning games means a lot to some of the people on the inside, which is why it's not all that surprising that a lot of people on the inside love Will Howard so much.

Now, Allar isn't exactly in that same boat. Unlike Howard or Beck, Allar never played in a national championship. Allar threw game-deciding interceptions in big games, including against Notre Dame in 2024 and Oregon in 2025. So, what had Allar so high on their list? What put him above the likes of other prospects, such as Cole Payton or Garrett Nussmeier?

Yes, the 6-5 frame and elite arm talent are obvious traits to love. No NFL team is going to turn those away. But, despite knowing how much work would need to be done with Allar to fix his footwork, they were thoroughly impressed by both his Combine formal meeting and pre-draft visit. What impressed them was how well he retained the mass amount of information Mike McCarthy threw in Allar's direction. In addition, Allar was very forthright in acknowledging how much his footwork needed to improve to become the NFL quarterback he's capable of becoming. Really, it wasn't any of the highlight throws he made at Penn State, but those two interviews that got Allar drafted at 76th overall.

The Steelers believe Allar is coachable enough to go through a mass overhaul of his footwork, and believe he's capable of processing information at a fast enough level to succeed at the NFL level. If both happen, pairing with the tangible tools, Allar can become something special.

So, while Beck was the preferred prospect, it's not like Allar was some consolation prize. -- Chris Halicke in Pittsburgh

• The Steelers moved on from Cory Trice Jr. this week, placing him on waivers for a failed physical. In addition, Brandin Echols is far down the depth chart, naturally just by the additions made to the secondary. This is no accident.

From what I've been told, some higher up in the front office had grown very frustrated over the cornerback play over the past couple of years. In fact, there was not full support of bringing in older cornerbacks such as Patrick Peterson or Darius Slay. That was much more orchestrated by Mike Tomlin.

Look back at last year's free agency. There were some very talented cornerbacks on the market, yet the Steelers signed Slay to $10 million. This year, without Tomlin in the fold, the Steelers went straight to the top of the market and signed Jamel Dean. 

Again, this is no coincidence. With Tomlin no longer in the picture, the front office did not hesitate to do things differently. -- Chris Halicke

• It's always fun to learn things way later, so here's a fun nugget: When the Steelers were trying to trade George Pickens, one offer they had was a seventh-round pick from the Falcons. There were other similar offers — late Day 3 picks. Omar Khan kept his cards close to the vest and waited for the Cowboys to pony up. -- Chris Halicke

• Not surprised at all by Chris Boswell's extension. I reported last week that extensions could be happening soon. And, I expect at least a couple more before training camp. However, I don't think all the extensions they want to get done will be done before camp begins in July. -- Chris Halicke

• It's nearly time to see if the team puts its money where its mouth is regarding Aaron Rodgers. I've been told if Rodgers hasn't provided at least an answer by the start of OTAs, which is just three days away, that some higher-ups might be ready to move on. The issue is if those higher-ups have enough say to ultimately influence the decision to move on, should Rodgers continue to drag his feet. 

Listen, the prominent people in the organization really wanted this wrapped up by the start of the NFL Draft. As much as fans are tired of this, trust me, some prominent people on the inside are tired of it, too. -- Chris Halicke

PIRATES

• Henry Davis still hasn’t found his way at the plate, even with 218 games and 760 career plate appearances under his belt. Ben Cherington thinks Davis has been a little bit snake-bitten this year, though. He’s hitting the ball hard on a rather consistent basis (90.9 average exit velocity; 74th percentile) and he’s cut down on the strikeouts (18% strikeout rate; 70th percentile) and swing and miss (20.7 whiff rate; 72nd percentile). But, the results still aren’t there. Not nearly enough for a former No. 1-overall pick whose bat earned him enough of a reputation in college to be drafted that high. 

“The surface production’s not there,” Cherington said Thursday. “Under the hood, it looks like a better hitter than last year. We haven’t quite gotten the production yet. He’s working at it. He’s a very hard worker, as we know. He also takes a lot of responsibility for the defensive part of the game. That’s a big part of his day. He spends a lot of time on that. He’s got a full description between the defensive side and working to be a better offensive player. He has a lot on his plate. I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him as a hitter. I do think we’re seeing some improvement this year. Hasn’t quite bubbled up into production yet. Still believe there’s more to come.” -- José Negron in Pittsburgh

• As I alluded to in last week’s insider when I talked to Matt Hague about Marcell Ozuna, they’re not giving up on the latter any time soon. Cherington said he’s “definitely going to have runway” as he continues to work to get back on track following a rough 36 games to begin the season. 

“I don’t think it’s a stress point right now because on the days that Donnie has decided he’s going to put someone else out there and give him a day, he’s a total pro,” Cherington said. “There’s no change in him. He’s part of the team. We are excited he is a part of the team. Over the course of the season, we believe the numbers will be there. Out of our entire position-player group, we’ve seen consistent focus on putting the team first. Whatever guys are asked to do, they are doing.” -- José Negron

• When Ozuna was recognized with the home-run compilation upon hitting the 300th of his career in San Francisco, he said his favorite of the bunch was one he hit off Blake Snell back in 2017, when he was with the Marlins. It wasn’t your typical home run, though, as he belted it off the Rays’ 2011 Wild Card banner out in left field. Certainly a memorable one. -- José Negron

• The results haven’t been ideal for Bubba Chandler this season, but there is a belief in the development he’s experiencing at the big-league level. They like the compete level he’s shown and his ability to keep his team in games, for the most part. The stuff is there and his upside is really high. There doesn’t seem to be any concern surrounding a young pitcher who is continuing to learn and work to get better. -- José Negron

• Despite some of the struggles he’s faced, I don’t expect Chandler to be heading to the bullpen any time soon, even after Jared Jones eventually makes his long-awaited return to the majors. The latter, by the way, seems to be destined for a return to the rotation, though no one seems to be ready to make that determination just yet. Jones is internally viewed as a starter long term and, honestly, I’d be shocked if he’s not back in the rotation once he’s activated from the 60-day injured list. -- José Negron