Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Matt Niskanen, Tanner Glass, Lose Arron Asham
By Matt Shetler
The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed veteran defenseman Matt Niskanen to a two-year contract, the team announced Saturday.
The deal is worth $4.6 million as Niskanen will earn $2.1 million next season and $2.5 million in 2013-14, a source told ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun.
Niskanen will rejoin the Penguins for a second full season after he was acquired from the Dallas Stars in February 2011 in the same deal that brought the Pens forward James Neal.
The 25-year-old Niskanen had four goals and 17 assists in 75 games last season and a plus-nine rating.
Niskanen has proven to be a pretty good penalty killer for the Penguins and is considered a key part of the blue line after Ray Sherro traded Zbynek Michalek to the Phoenix Coyotes last week.
In addition, the club signed winger Tanner Glass to a two-year, $2.2. million contract.
Glass, 28, notched 16 points in 78 games with the Winnipeg Jets this past season, which was a career high. His 246 hits was ranked tenth in the NHL. He will make $1.1 million per season. Glass can play either wing and is not afraid to drop the gloves when need be.
The signing of Glass replaces the loss of winger Arron Asham, who signed a two-year, $2 million contract with the New York Rangers, as now Asham will have played with every team in the Atlantic Division during his career.
The Penguins also re-signed forward Steve MacIntyre to a two-year contract. He will earn $625,000 at the NHL level.
Keep checking back to City of Champions Sports for the latest offseason happenings around the NHL.