At his press conference not long after the Penguins emptied their lockers at seasons end, general manager Kyle Dubas knew he was going to have decisions to make regarding his free agents this season.
But it was known not long ago that Dubas wanted to bring back one of his unrestricted free agents in Boko Imama. It is a welcome sight to see Imama on the ice actually standing up for his teammates and getting into a scuffle when needed and providing some energy.
This kind of play is something that Dubas seems to look for on his team and rewarded him with a contract extension on Friday.
The Penguins have re-signed forward Boko Imama to a one-year contract.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 13, 2025
The contract will run through the 2025.26 campaign and carries an average annual value of $775,000 at the NHL level.
Details: https://t.co/4h6aG6vOxR pic.twitter.com/LPNsRdDXEu
Imama earned the contract extension
When the Penguins originally called Imama up last season, it was because they were riddled with injuries and did not have enough bodies to put out 12 forwards on the ice.
But as the season went on, his callup meant way more than just being there because of an injury. It meant you were watching an enforcer. It meant you were watching someone who actually stood up for Crosby and Malkin and Letang.
You could feel Imama's presence on the ice even when he was on the bench. He was just a good presence to have around. Imama even scored his first NHL goal this past season and the fans in the crowd erupted.
His extension was absolutely earned.