NHL Player Swap
Winnipeg Jets, Pittsburgh Penguins Swap Forward David Gustafsson for Defenseman Jack St. Ivany
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Key Points
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Gustafsson posted a strong AHL season with Manitoba Moose: 10 goals, 22 assists, 32 points in 48 games, plus four Calder Cup Playoff points and a 0.67 points-per-game average.
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Gustafsson has 149 career NHL games with Winnipeg, totaling 20 points, and he made his NHL debut on Oct. 15, 2019.
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St. Ivany appeared in 53 NHL games with the Penguins and recorded nine assists; he debuted for the Penguins on March 22, 2024.
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St. Ivany was drafted in 2018 in the 4th round (112th overall) by the Philadelphia Flyers and has spent time with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the AHL.
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Gustafsson also brings SHL experience (two seasons in 2017–19) and international bronze medals for Sweden at the 2018 World Under-18 Championship and the 2020 World Junior Championship.
The Winnipeg Jets and Pittsburgh Penguins swapped depth players on June 29, 2026, with Winnipeg sending forward David Gustafsson to Pittsburgh in exchange for defenseman Jack St. Ivany, according to Pro Hockey Rumors. Both players are 26 years old, and both organizations see the deal as a low-risk reset ahead of NHL free agency.
Pittsburgh immediately issued Gustafsson a qualifying offer to retain his restricted free agent rights, TribLIVE reported. The Penguins get a proven AHL scorer. The Jets get a budget-friendly right-shot defender at $850,000 for 2026-27.
Gustafsson Heads to Pittsburgh After Seven Jets Seasons
Gustafsson spent his entire pro career in the Jets system after Winnipeg drafted him in the second round in 2018. He played 149 NHL regular-season games with the Jets, posting 20 career points, according to Sportsnet. He never locked down a full-time NHL role, but he remained a steady option.
This past AHL season with the Manitoba Moose, Gustafsson was dominant. He scored 10 goals and added 22 assists for 32 points in just 48 games — a 0.67 points-per-game pace — and finished a plus-12, per TribLIVE. Pittsburgh sees him as a fourth-line center who can also step in as an injury replacement. Gustafsson also brings international experience, winning bronze medals with Sweden at the 2018 World Under-18 Championship and the 2020 World Junior Championship.
St. Ivany Fills a Right-Shot Defensive Need in Winnipeg
St. Ivany appeared in 53 NHL games for Pittsburgh over parts of three seasons, recording nine assists. He was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the fourth round, 112th overall, in 2018 before eventually landing with the Penguins, according to Pittsburgh Hockey Now. He debuted for Pittsburgh on March 22, 2024.
The Jets wanted right-shot defensive depth after top prospect Elias Salomonsson went down with a major injury, per Daily Faceoff. St. Ivany is 6-foot-3 and averaged 15:39 of ice time across his NHL appearances. His $850,000 cap hit fits neatly into Winnipeg's plan to stay well below the new $104 million salary cap for 2026-27.
New Penguins Ownership Drives a Bottom-Six Rebuild
The trade lands just two days after the NHL approved the sale of the Penguins to the Hoffmann Family on June 27, 2026, according to The Hockey News. Under GM Kyle Dubas, Pittsburgh enters the offseason with over $45 million in cap space and a clear need to rebuild their bottom six.
Dubas emphasized Gustafsson's defensive reliability when announcing the deal, per Pittsburgh Hockey Now. Pittsburgh's fourth line struggled with consistency all season. Gustafsson's AHL numbers and faceoff ability — developed in Sweden's top league and at the World Juniors — directly address that weakness.
A Classic Change-of-Scenery Swap for Two Stalled Prospects
Daily Faceoff framed the deal as a routine pre-free agency swap where assets that have "staled" in one system get a fresh start elsewhere. Gustafsson cleared NHL waivers as recently as October 2025 and spent the full 2025-26 season in the AHL. St. Ivany missed the first 28 games of last season with a lower-body injury before returning to record seven assists in 20 games.
Local Winnipeg media called Gustafsson's departure the "end of an era" for a second-round pick who dominated the AHL but never fully broke through at the NHL level, according to TSN. For Pittsburgh, the Gustafsson signing process will likely result in a one- or two-year deal in the $900,000–$1.1 million range, per PuckPedia.
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