Penguins forward prospect Cruz Lucius won't be signing with the Penguins after his senior season ended at Arizona State. He'll become a free agent when his rights expire on Aug. 15. Lucius, originally a fourth-round pick of the Hurricanes in 2022, was a piece in the Jake Guentzel trade.
"(Lucius and his agent) informed us that that he was not going to be signing in Pittsburgh for a few reasons that's up to him to share," Kyle Dubas said on this week's GM Show. "It's a personal thing for him. We felt we had a great opportunity for him, and the proof is in the pudding on the development side, but players are entitled to make their decision, and I don't think we're at the position here anymore where we have to beg people to come."
Had Lucius signed with the Penguins, there would have been the opportunity to have his entry-level contract start next season, but he could have finished the year in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a tryout contract.
"I think passing up a chance to get into the American League and developing here, it would have been a month already now, but obviously next few months, especially when your (college) team doesn't qualify for anything, it's a big miss," Dubas said. "But that's his decision and his right. And we'll just move on to the next."
THE ASYLUM
Lucius to hit free agency
Penguins forward prospect Cruz Lucius won't be signing with the Penguins after his senior season ended at Arizona State. He'll become a free agent when his rights expire on Aug. 15. Lucius, originally a fourth-round pick of the Hurricanes in 2022, was a piece in the Jake Guentzel trade.
"(Lucius and his agent) informed us that that he was not going to be signing in Pittsburgh for a few reasons that's up to him to share," Kyle Dubas said on this week's GM Show. "It's a personal thing for him. We felt we had a great opportunity for him, and the proof is in the pudding on the development side, but players are entitled to make their decision, and I don't think we're at the position here anymore where we have to beg people to come."
Had Lucius signed with the Penguins, there would have been the opportunity to have his entry-level contract start next season, but he could have finished the year in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a tryout contract.
"I think passing up a chance to get into the American League and developing here, it would have been a month already now, but obviously next few months, especially when your (college) team doesn't qualify for anything, it's a big miss," Dubas said. "But that's his decision and his right. And we'll just move on to the next."
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