Kulemin's agent: 'Obviously the Penguins are very interested, but other teams like him too'

The Pittsburgh Penguins remain interested in securing the services of free agent forward Nikolai Kulemin on July 1; according to Josh Yohe of TribLIVE, "general manager Jim Rutherford - along with numerous people on his staff - possesses a high opinion of the 27-year-old forward."

Kulemin's agent, Gary Greenstin, confirmed Monday that he has spoken with the Penguins on several occasions about his client.

“Obviously the Penguins are very interested,” Greenstin said. “But other teams like him, too.”

A key factor in this potential acquisition is Kulemin's close relationship with star center Evgeni Malkin, with whom he played in the KHL and on Russia's national team.

“They always play well together,” Greenstin said. “Pittsburgh knows this.”

With Malkin's old running mate James Neal off to Nashville, the Penguins seem likely to make a hard push for Kulemin's services on Tuesday.