In 59 games this past regular season, Penguins forward Blake Lizotte had 20 points (11 goals, nine assists).
With the Pittsburgh Penguins entering the offseason for a third consecutive year without a playoff appearance, TribLive will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 56 individuals signed to an NHL contract - including those whose deals do not begin until future seasons - with the organization.
Starting with Noel Acciari and going on through to Philip Tomasino (regrettably, there is no Z on the payroll), every player will be profiled in alphabetical order.
This series is scheduled to be published Mondays through Saturdays leading up until June 24, four days before the start of the NHL Draft. In the event of a transaction, that schedule will be altered as necessary.
(Note: All contract information courtesy of Puckpedia.)
2024-25 NHL statistics: 59 games, 20 points (11 goals, nine assists), 12:43 of average ice time per contest
Contract: In the first year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $1.85 million. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2026
Acquired: Unrestricted free agent signing, July 1, 2024
This season: After the Los Angeles Kings opted not to extend a qualifying offer as a pending restricted free agent in June of 2024, Blake Lizotte became an unrestricted free agent and wound up being one of the Penguins' most prominent additions during a fairly quiet offseason.
Lizotte was expected to provide some energy as a bottom-six center but those aspirations were delayed due to a concussion Lizotte suffered during a preseason game on Sept. 29 as a result of being struck by a puck while sitting on the bench. That injury landed him on injured reserve and cost him the first 11 games of the regular season.
Back in the lineup by Oct. 31, Lizotte generated two goals in his first seven games of the season before being felled by another concussion - after being struck by a puck again - on Nov. 13.
Rejoining the lineup on Nov. 27, Lizotte was elevated to the being the third-line center following the trade of forward Lars Eller. That promotion led to a small offensive outburst by Lizotte who posted nine points (five goals, four assists) in nine games.
But by mid-December, Lizotte was moved to the fourth line and with that, his offensive contributions tailed off.
In his final 43 games of the season, Lizotte put up only nine points (four goals, five assists) while largely filling the role expected of him as a bottom-six forward. Finishing tied for second on the team with 187 defensive zone starts (per Natural Stat Trick) while logging 1:19 of short-handed ice time per contest.
The future: Lizotte is far from the most important gear in the Penguins' machine but he appears to be a safe bet to return to his role going into 2025-26.
When healthy, Lizotte is dependable in how he goes about his business. He wins most of his faceoffs, skates like a water bug, is a persistent pesky defensive forward and can chip in some offense.
As a pending unrestricted free agent in 2026, his status approaching next season's trade deadline could lead to him being moved to another team for a future asset. But for the time being, Lizotte appears secure in his station with the Penguins.
Though his first season with the team, Lizotte was as advertised.