The Pittsburgh Penguins are still looking to bolster their blue line for the upcoming season and are rumored to be one of the teams attempting to woo free agent defenseman Cody Franson. Franson was drafted by the Nashville Predators and spent the first four years of his career as a minor leaguer or a third-pairing defender in their organization. They traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2011 and, over the past four seasons, he improved into a solid top four defenseman before getting ... Read More
Penguins sign Matt Cullen
The Pittsburgh Penguins continued to build their depth in the bottom six on Thursday by signing free agent center Matt Cullen to a one-year contract worth $800,000. Cullen, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound native of Virginia, Minnesota, spent the last two seasons with the Nashville Predators. In 2013-14, he scored 10 goals and recorded 29 assists in. In 2014-15, a pair of injuries held him to just 62 games played, but he still was able to score 7 goals and tally 18 assists. Cullen can play center and ... Read More
Penguins re-sign Beau Bennett
The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed forward Beau Bennett to a one-year contract, according to a statement released by general manager Jim Rutherford. The contract is a one-way deal worth $800,000. Bennett, 23, scored four goals and recorded eight assists in 49 games with the Penguins in 2014-15. Bennett was sidelined by a series of injuries and the mumps, causing him to miss extended periods of time throughout the year. Bennett was the Penguins first-round draft pick in the 2010 NHL ... Read More
Penguins bring back Bobby Farnham
The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed forward Bobby Farnham to a one-year, two-way contract worth $575,000 at the NHL level, according to a statement released by general manager Jim Rutherford on Monday. Farnham, 26, became a bit of a folk hero in 2014-15 when he made his NHL debut. Farnham’s wild style of play and penchant for drawing penalties led to popularity that belies his lack of production (no points in 11 games.) With Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, Farnham ... Read More
Pens mailbag: Kessel, the cap, who is Kael Mouillierat and more
I heard that Kessel is a bit of a dressing room problem. While not technically a question, it is a concern, and a fairly serious one. Deserved or not, Phil Kessel’s reputation ranges from that of a guy that’s a bit out of shape and doesn’t always try his hardest to a full-blown locker room cancer. I’ve also heard others say that Kessel is a little bit misunderstood and that his social anxiety causes tension between him and the media. Here’s what Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford ... Read More
Penguins sign ex-Capitals defenseman Steve Oleksy
The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed free agent defenseman Steve Oleksy to a one-year, two-way contract worth $575,000 at the NHL level. Oleksy, 29, is a native of Chesterfield, Michigan. He has spent the last three seasons in the Washington Capitals organization, splitting time between the Capitals and their top farm club, the Hershey Bears. Over the last three seasons, he’s played in 62 games for the Capitals, scoring three goals and recording 16 assists. He also appeared in seven NHL ... Read More
Penguins offseason: Martin, Ehrhoff could be on their way out
The free agency period is almost here and the Pittsburgh Penguins have some tough decisions to make. The most high profile players that will be eligible for free agency on July 1 will be veteran defensemen Paul Martin and Christian Ehrhoff. Paul Martin: Upon joining the Penguins as a free agent in 2010, Martin’s slow adjustment to then-head coach Dan Bylmsa’s system caused him to become a scapegoat and fans were trying to find ways to get run him out of town. However, he then had an amazing ... Read More