Today marks one year since the Penguins announced they had invited forward Brian Boyle and defenseman Matt Bartowski to Pittsburgh for training camp on professional tryout contracts (PTO). Both ended up in the organization for the season, with Boyle sticking in Pittsburgh and Bartkowski headed out to Wilkes-Barre on an AHL contract.
While it’s not every year that every time brings in an unsigned vet to see what they have left, it’s still a possibility and common happening in the NHL. Sometimes these things come and go without much happening, like Jay McClement with the Pens that one year, or Sergei Gonchar in 2015 trying to keep his playing days going.