Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Christian Ehrhoff, Blake Comeau & Thomas Greiss
By Larry Snyder
When the clock struck noon Tuesday, it was time for NHL players to feast on free agency dollars at lunch.
The Pittsburgh Penguins struck first, adding defenseman Christian Ehrhoff to their blue line crew for one season with a $4 million cap hit. The Moers, Germany native will turn 32 on Sunday and has played 10 seasons in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres, the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks.
The 6-foot-2 Ehrhoff has produced 69 goals, 244 assists for a total of 313 points in 692 career games.
The Black and Gold also added left wing Blake Comeau from the Columbus Blue Jackets for one year at $700,000 and goaltender Thomas Greiss from the Arizona Coyotes for one year at $1 million.
Comeau, 28, has spent the last season and a half with the Blue Jackets and contributed seven goals, 14 assists for a total of 21 points in 70 regular-season contests. The 6-1 Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan native has spent eight seasons in the NHL with the New York Islanders, the Calgary Flames and Columbus.
Greiss spent last season with the Coyotes where he put together a 10-8-5 record in 25 regular-season games. The 6-1, 28-year-old goaltender is from Fussen, Germany and has been in the NHL five seasons with San Jose and the Coyotes.
The Pens also announced they re-signed forward Nick Drazenovic to a one-year deal. His contract is a two-way deal worth $550,000 at the NHL level.
The Prince George, British Columbia native played the majority of last season with Pittsburgh’s minor-league affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. The 6-0, 27-year old center also suited up for one regular-season game with Pittsburgh on Jan. 15 against Washington.
Meanwhile, here are some of the players who are leaving Consol Energy Center:
Matt Niskanen inked a seven-year, $42.5 million contract with the Washington Capitals.
Jussi Jokinen signed a four-year, $16 million deal with the Florida Panthers.
Brooks Orpik‘s contract with the Washington Capitals is for five years, $27.5 million.
Tanner Glass inked a three-year, $4.35 million deal with the New York Rangers.
Deryk Engelland‘s contract with the Calgary Flames is for three years, $8.7 million.
According to TSN, forward Joe Vitale has signed a three-year deal with the Arizona Coyotes.