Penguins forward prospect Cruz Lucius saw his college career end last week when his senior season with Arizona State concluded, and he finished No. 3 in the country in scoring with 46 points (15 goals, 31 assists) in 36 games. 

Lucius, who was acquired in the Jake Guentzel deal, became eligible to sign an entry-level deal once his season ended. If he signs now, he'd be able to finish the year in the AHL on a tryout contract, too. 

The holdup isn't the Penguins deciding whether they want him. The Penguins are just waiting on Lucius' decision, which could be delayed by him finishing his college degree.

"He had an awesome year," Kyle Dubas said on Wednesday. "The year that we traded for him was an excellent year at Wisconsin, he transferred to Arizona State, had surgery last year, missed a lot of the year, and then bounced back this year. He was at development camp here last July. Had a great season with Arizona State, so we met with Cruz and his camp on Monday or Tuesday, and Jason Spezza, Tom Kostopoulos and I went through the way that he's progressed here the last stretch, what the plan would be for him, and now we'll wait to hear from him as to what his decision is. But we'd be thrilled to have him. He can jump in right now and turn pro and get going. The major stress for us is that he's making sure he's completing his college degree. He's come this far. There's no need to do anything that's going to leave you short a month or two away from getting that. So that's important to us. We'll continue to work with him, but he's had an excellent year and earned that right to be in that mix."