As expected, the Penguins yesterday signed free agent defenseman Jack Johnson away from the Blue Jackets on a five-year deal totaling 16.25-million-dollars. The Pens are also bringing back center Matt Cullen on a one-year, $650,000 contract. The 41-year-old Cullen won two Stanley Cup rings with the Penguins before leaving for Minnesota last year.
Jack Johnson and his wife showed up in Pittsburgh to go house-hunting yesterday and he was a surprise guest at the news conference announcing his signing. He says the Penguins are the right fit for him. Johnson was a prep school teammate with his good friend Sidney Crosby. He says Crosby didn’t have to “sell” him on Pittsburgh, which has a lot of scoring talent.
General Manager Jim Rutherford says Johnson gives the Penguins three balanced defensive pairings, and he says bringing Cullen back will help with center depth. Rutherford says having five solid NHL centers might seem much, but Cullen and the other centers can also play the wing, and he likes what the veteran brings to the locker room.
The Pens also signed right wing Jimmy Hayes, who played for New Jersey last year and has played for Chicago, Florida, and Boston in the NHL. The also agreed to a deal with goaltender John Muse, who played in the AHL last year, and they re-signed defenseman Zack Trotman, who played for Wilkes-Barre last season and also played three games with the Pens. And they signed defenseman Stefan Elliott, who’s played with three NHL teams and skated last year in Sweden.
The biggest free agent available this year, Islanders’ veteran John Tavares, has agreed to a seven-year contract with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. Tavares had spent his entire nine-year career with the New York Islanders. He scored 37 goals with 47 assists last year.
Former Penguin Chris Kunitz had been a strong contender to return to Pittsburgh, but he instead signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks.
James van Riemsdyk has rejoined the Flyers on a five-year deal worth $35 million. He played three seasons with the Flyers before being traded to the Maple Leafs in June 2012. He scored a scored a career-high 36 goals last season for Toronto.
