The Pittsburgh Penguins completed an August trade that sent the rights to forward Cruz Lucius to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for future considerations, a move that also delivered several additional assets to the roster.
Roster reshaping
Cruz Lucius, who completed a fifth season at Arizona State University, had informed the Penguins in April that he would not sign a professional contract after college, forcing the club to retain his rights past the August 15 deadline and ultimately trade him.
As part of the deal, Pittsburgh received Michael Bunting, defenseman Vasily Ponomarev, forward Ville Koivunen and a second‑round pick, while the team also acquired Jake Guentzel earlier in the 2024 deadline, a transaction that had originally brought Lucius’s rights to the organization.
Ponomarev, aged 24, chose to return to Russia after the Penguins did not guarantee him an NHL roster spot, whereas Koivunen signed an eight‑year, $32 million contract shortly thereafter, reflecting the team’s long‑term commitment to the Finnish forward.
Bunting’s time in Pittsburgh was brief; he was flipped at the 2025 trade deadline for forward Tommy Novak and defenseman Luke Schenn, a package that later saw Schenn traded to Winnipeg. The second‑round pick obtained in the Lucius trade was used to select defenseman Harrison Brunicke, adding another piece to the club’s rebuilding strategy.