Hendrix Lapierre begins new chapter with the Pittsburgh Penguins
Former Washington Capitals forward Hendrix Lapierre has made the Pittsburgh Penguins' season-opening roster after a summer trade and, with the team short on healthy forwards, will open the season as third-line center.
From Washington to Pittsburgh
Hendrix Lapierre, a 24-year-old forward whom the Washington Capitals selected 22nd overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on June 25. According to RMNB, Pittsburgh sent draft picks to Washington in the deal. On July 3, Lapierre signed a two-year contract with his new club — RMNB reports the total value at $2.6 million, while TribLive cites an average annual salary-cap hit of $1.3 million.
On Monday, the Penguins announced their 22-player Opening Night roster, which includes Lapierre. With several forwards sidelined by injury — including Bryan Rust, Andrei Kuzmenko, Blake Lizotte, Justin Brazeau and Ben Kindel — Lapierre has been given the chance to open the season as the team's third-line center, skating alongside wingers Filip Hallander and Ville Koivunen. Per TribLive, he is effectively filling in for Kindel, the Penguins' 2024 first-round pick (No. 11 overall), and will also run the second power-play unit.
Last season and growth
In the 2025-26 season, Lapierre set career highs by appearing in 74 games and recording 16 points (4 goals, 12 assists), averaging 8 minutes 50 seconds of ice time per contest. RMNB notes that he opened the season without a goal in his first 48 games, part of a league-leading 90-game goal drought dating back to the 2023-24 campaign.
Before becoming a full-time NHL player, Lapierre spent three seasons (2022-2025) with the AHL's Hershey Bears, playing 113 games and winning back-to-back Calder Cup championships in 2023 and 2024. During the 2024 playoff run, he earned the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as playoff MVP after posting 22 points (7 goals, 15 assists) in 20 games. TribLive notes that current Penguins goaltender Artur Silovs also holds that honor, having won it in 2025 with the champion Abbotsford Canucks.
Confidence and what's next
In a 3-1 preseason win over the Buffalo Sabres, Lapierre recorded an assist on a goal by Koivunen while logging 18:48 of ice time. Penguins head coach Dan Muse and assistant Nick Bonino have praised his adjustment to the team, particularly his work on faceoffs. Lapierre has also spoken about the comfort of reuniting with assistant coach Todd Nelson, his head coach for all three seasons in Hershey, and former Capitals teammate Trevor van Riemsdyk, who signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent over the summer.
Pittsburgh opens its season on the road against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday, before traveling to Washington on October 7 for the Capitals' home opener — Lapierre's first game against his former team.
