Nobody really went crazy when the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired forward Connor Dewar from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2025 NHL trade deadline.
Dewar came over with defenseman Conor Timmins from the Maple Leafs for a fifth-round pick. The Penguins had space in their lineup for both players and wanted to see what they could do to end the year.
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Dewar, in particular, had only compiled three points in 31 games (all assists) with the Maple Leafs before being rejuvenated with the Penguins. He may have only played in 17 games with them, but he looked like a completely different player, racking up four goals and seven points.
He was also a great forechecker and was excellent at going to the dirty areas in front of the net. He’d win battles below the dots, leading to extended zone time and quality chances.
The Penguins rewarded him with a one-year extension during that offseason and he had the best season of his career in 2025-26, setting career-highs in goals (14), assists (16), and points (30). He continued to be one of their best forecheckers and was the straw that stirred the drink on the fourth line.
Head coach Dan Muse loved to put the fourth line out when he felt his team needed a spark in games last year, and Dewar was oftentimes leading the charge, whether it was a big hit or a solid offensive shift.
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When Dewar was on the ice at 5v5, the Penguins controlled 50.8% of the shot attempts, 51.2% of the expected goal share, 53,3% of the scoring chances, and 51.8% of the high-danger chances. They also had a +11 goal differential with Dewar out there.
Dewar was a mainstay on the penalty kill alongside one of his linemates, Blake Lizotte, logging a career-high 209:22 on that unit. Like Lizotte, Dewar was excellent at blocking shots and winning board battles, leading to clears.
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There weren’t many players who had a good playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers, but Dewar was one of them. He scored two goals and was everywhere in each game, especially Game 6. Yes, the Penguins lost that game and the series, but that final game in Philadelphia was easily one of his best games of the season.
He was set to be an unrestricted free agent in the summer before the Penguins signed him to a two-year extension with an average annual value of $2.25 million. It was an easy decision for the Penguins, considering his tenure and age (27).
Going into this season, I’d like to see him hover around that 15-goal range again and continue to drive the way on the fourth line. He may not get as much ice time as some of the other players on the team, but he makes all of it count.
Dewar’s the type of player who is easy to root for (also like Lizotte) and could play a big role in the Penguins’ bottom six having another solid year.
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