The Penguins acquired forward Hendrix Lapierre from the Capitals in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick and the 2028 fifth-round pick that originally belonged to the Sharks.
Lapierre is a restricted free agent this summer, and so will need to be re-signed by the Penguins.
Lapierre, 24, is a 6-foot, 195-pound center who spent the last four seasons in the Capitals organization. This past season was his first full year in the NHL, and he tallied four goals and 12 assists in 74 games. He split the 2024-25 season between Washington and the Capitals' AHL affiliate in Hershey, recording seven goals and 25 assists in 32 AHL games and eight assists in 27 NHL games.
Lapierre won back-to-back Calder Cups in Hershey in 2023 and 2024. He won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy (the AHL's equivalent of the Conn Smythe for playoff MVP) in 2024 after leading the AHL postseason in points.
Lapierre exactly fits the mold of what Kyle Dubas said he was targeting this summer -- players in their mid-20s who could bridge the gap between the Penguins' older core and the wave of young players coming up through the system. Dubas also spoke of going after those younger players who could seemingly benefit from a new start in a new situation, and Lapierre seems to be that as a former first-round pick who hasn't yet made a big impact at the NHL level. Because of that, the Penguins also got him for extremely cheap -- just two mid-round picks in the future, one of which was a surplus pick they had previously added.
THE ASYLUM
Lapierre acquired from Capitals
The Penguins acquired forward Hendrix Lapierre from the Capitals in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick and the 2028 fifth-round pick that originally belonged to the Sharks.
Lapierre is a restricted free agent this summer, and so will need to be re-signed by the Penguins.
Lapierre, 24, is a 6-foot, 195-pound center who spent the last four seasons in the Capitals organization. This past season was his first full year in the NHL, and he tallied four goals and 12 assists in 74 games. He split the 2024-25 season between Washington and the Capitals' AHL affiliate in Hershey, recording seven goals and 25 assists in 32 AHL games and eight assists in 27 NHL games.
Lapierre won back-to-back Calder Cups in Hershey in 2023 and 2024. He won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy (the AHL's equivalent of the Conn Smythe for playoff MVP) in 2024 after leading the AHL postseason in points.
Lapierre exactly fits the mold of what Kyle Dubas said he was targeting this summer -- players in their mid-20s who could bridge the gap between the Penguins' older core and the wave of young players coming up through the system. Dubas also spoke of going after those younger players who could seemingly benefit from a new start in a new situation, and Lapierre seems to be that as a former first-round pick who hasn't yet made a big impact at the NHL level. Because of that, the Penguins also got him for extremely cheap -- just two mid-round picks in the future, one of which was a surplus pick they had previously added.
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