PENGUINS NEWS: WOTHERSPOON SENT WEST, HORCOFF RECOVERING FROM SURGERY

On the day before NHL free agency began, the Penguins made a big trade, swapping reliable defenseman Parker Wotherspoon to Vegas for defenseman Kaedan Korczak, with the Pens agreeing to retain half of Wotherspoon’s million-dollar salary cap hit.

Korczak is 25 years old.  He’s 6-3, 205 pounds, and played 78 games for the Golden Knights last season, averaging 15 minutes, 58 seconds per game and scoring three goals with thirteen assists.  He was a healthy scratch for nine of Vegas’ twenty-two playoff games.  The 2019 Vegas second round draft choice will be playing the first year of a four-year contract with a $3.25 million salary cap hit this season.

The Penguins are not expected to make any big moves in NHL free agency, but they are expected to lose 33-goal scorer Anthony Mantha, most likely to Montreal.

At Penguins development camp yesterday, 2025 first round draft choice Will Horcoff explained why he is not skating this week.  He had shoulder surgery about nine weeks ago, after the University of Michigan’s season ended.  Horcoff said the injury occurred just before Christmas, twenty games into the season, and the decision was made to play through the pain for the remainder of the season. Prior to getting hurt, he scored nineteen goals with nine assists.  Afterward, he scored six goals with five assists in the final twenty games.

Horcoff says he’s matured a lot since his first prospect camp last year, which was right after he was drafted.

Another intriguing prospect at the camp this week is winger Jake Livanavage, who was signed as an NCAA free agent late last season and made his NHL debut in the last regular-season game.  Livanavage says the time he spent with the Pens was invaluable, especially being able to be mentored by Sidney Crosby.

Prospect Development Camp continues for a third day today in Cranberry.

Will Horcoff and 2025 third round draft choice Charlie Trethewey have been invited to join Team USA for the World Junior Summer Showcase, which will be played July 26^th to August 1^st.  Horcoff’s availability will be in question due to the shoulder surgery.  The defenseman Trethewey’s father grew up in Pittsburgh and Charlie played for the Pens Elite 14U team.  He’s played the last two seasons with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, scoring 18 goals with 37 assists in 115 games.