Penguins swap Jack St. Ivany for David Gustafsson in Jets trade

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets completed a trade that shifts two pieces of depth between the organizations. Pittsburgh acquired forward David Gustafsson from Winnipeg, sending defenseman Jack St. Ivany the other way, a deal first reported by Yahoo Sports on Monday.

The move is the kind of roster housekeeping teams make between seasons, when the focus is often on balancing organizational depth and ensuring that players with NHL experience are available for the grind of an 82-game schedule. In this case, each club was targeting a different positional need: Winnipeg added a defenseman, while Pittsburgh brought in another forward.

For the Penguins, Gustafsson represents forward depth they can use in a variety of situations, especially when line flexibility matters, such as injuries, matchups, or late-season adjustments. The Penguins have routinely relied on role players to supplement their top scorers, and internal competition for bottom-six minutes can determine how smoothly a team absorbs roster shocks.

Winnipeg’s side of the swap, St. Ivany as a defenseman, similarly fits the Jets’ need to keep defensive depth aligned with playing time expectations. Defensemen on the depth chart are often asked to handle more than one type of responsibility, including penalty-kill work, late-game protection, and staying stable in transition. Adding a defenseman through a direct exchange can help keep the defensive pipeline stocked without forcing a broader reset.

Because the report centers on an exchange of depth players, details that fans typically look for, such as the players’ recent statistical production, contract information, or whether either side gained or lost cap flexibility, were not included in the material available here. That means the full competitive impact cannot be fully measured from this announcement alone, and readers should treat the trade primarily as a roster-shaping move rather than a headline overhaul.

Still, there are practical implications for both teams’ near-term plans. Pittsburgh’s addition of Gustafsson increases the pool of forwards available for training camp and for lineup construction as the season approaches. Winnipeg’s acquisition of St. Ivany does the same on the blue line, offering another option when deciding pairings, particularly if the Jets need a steady presence to complement their primary defensive core.