Pittsburgh Penguins claim forward Jansen Harkins off waivers

The Pittsburgh Penguins have claimed forward Jansen Harkins off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Monday afternoon.

Harkins, 26, split the 2022–23 season between the Jets and the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. The 6’1″ forward recorded three goals and five points in 22 NHL games with the Jets last season.

In his time with the Moose, Harkins racked up 25 goals and 50 points in 44 games during the regular season before adding four goals and seven points in five playoff games. Harkins’ demotion last year marked the first time he’d played in the AHL since 2019–20.

Harkins is the son of former Calgary Flames and Hartford Whalers forward Todd Harkins, who notched three goals and six points in 48 career NHL games in the early 1990s.

Jansen Harkins has been slightly more productive in the NHL than his father, collecting 13 goals and 27 points in 154 games over parts of four career seasons with the Jets. He’s also appeared in four playoff games, scoring one goal.

Now with Pittsburgh, Harkins is entering the back half of the two-year deal he signed with the Jets in 2022. He’ll count for $850,000 against the Penguins’ salary cap ceiling in 2023–24.

The Penguins missed the playoffs in 2022–23 after qualifying in each preceding year since 2006–07. New general manager Kyle Dubas quickly got to work reshaping the roster, shipping out underperforming veterans Mikael Granlund and Jeff Petry while bringing in Erik Karlsson, Reilly Smith, and Ryan Graves.

Harkins will most likely compete for ice time in the Penguins’ bottom six alongside the likes of Matt Nieto, Alex Nylander, Drew O’Connor, and Noel Acciari. The Penguins are slated to kick off their 2023–24 slate of games when they take on Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks in Pittsburgh on October 10.