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Pittsburgh Penguins Forward Reveals Where He Wants to Play Next
Boko Imama has seemingly found a home in Pittsburgh, and now, it appears he doesn't want to go anywhere in free agency over the summer.
The 2024/25 season hasn't gone the way the Penguins would have hoped, but through all of their struggles, there have certainly been some shining lights that give them hope for the future.
While Boko Imama isn't the type of player that Kyle Dubas and the team could build around, he's shown flashes of being a very solid complimentary piece in 2024/25, with a +1 differential in 10 games thus far despite not yet getting on the score sheet.
Scoring isn't Imama's game at the NHL level however, and he confirmed that without that, he's looking to impact the game from a physical standpoint as he does anything he can to contribute.
«Just trying to make a difference out there. Make sure my presence is being felt. Physicality is a big part of my game. I've got to do what I can to be relevant here.»
While he's been in and out of the lineup for the majority of the season, Imama is building himself as a key piece of the Penguins bottom-six, and he's clearly got bigger goals moving forward, wanting to be back with this team next season.
«Every day I wake up, I wake up with a big smile on my face. Walking to the rink, it's just so great. But obviously, I'm looking at the long term. I want to be back here next year with this group. I don't really look at the career highs or whatnot. I'm just trying to make sure that I can be in this league. I just want to prove to the staff as well, the coaches, that I belong here for sure.»
This past summer, Imama signed a one-year deal worth $775k, and without the play behind him to justify a major pay increase, he would be very valuable once more moving forward on a very similar deal.
With some big decisions to make on the future, it's unclear what direction Dubas and the front office want to go, but if they want a physical presence in the bottom of their lineup, Imama would certainly be a good option.
| POLL | ||
MARS 13 | 189 ANSWERS Pittsburgh Penguins Forward Reveals Where He Wants to Play Next Should the Penguins bring back Boko Imama next season? | ||
| Yes | 115 | 60.8 % |
| No | 74 | 39.2 % |
| List of polls | ||