PITTSBURGH — The Penguins entered the first day of NHL free agency Wednesday with their eye on signing at least one more forward. But their first significant addition to the NHL roster was a defenseman with size, snarl and two Stanley Cup rings.
They signed Jan Rutta, a member of the recent back-to-back title teams in Tampa Bay, to a three-year deal with an average annual value of $2.75 million.
Rutta, who turns 32 on July 29, is the type of defenseman who should satisfy both the front office of Ron Hextall and Brian Burke and coach Mike Sullivan. The Czech product, who is 6-foot-3 and 204 pounds, brings coveted bulk to the Pittsburgh blue line. And he skates well for his size and possesses some puck skill.
Undrafted, he played overseas until joining the Chicago Blackhawks at 26. He was traded to the Lightning in 2018-19 and was part of two championship teams there, playing 28 games over their two Cup runs. Last season, he played a career-high 76 games and scored three goals with 15 assists and a plus-25 rating.
Now, Rutta is joining a crowded Pittsburgh defense corps that includes Kris Letang, John Marino, Chad Ruhwedel and Mark Friedman on that right side.
Is there another shoe that drops? Hextall and the Penguins have been looking to move one of their incumbent defensemen to clear salary cap space and open up a lineup spot for Pierre-Olivier Joseph. This signing could accelerate that.
The Penguins began free agency by bolstering their organizational depth, bringing in defenseman Xavier Ouellet and welcoming back goalie Dustin Tokarski.
Tokarski will be their third goalie this season, replacing Louis Domingue. It will be his second go-round in Pittsburgh. He was their third goalie in 2019-20.
The drama of this past postseason showed that this is no insignificant role. With Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith injured, Domingue became an unlikely hero in the Game 1 win over the New York Rangers. However, he struggled the rest of the way and the Rangers ultimately beat Jarry and the Penguins in Game 7.
Tokarski, 32, has had a journeyman career, suiting up for seven organizations and shuffling back and forth between the NHL and American Hockey League. He had his busiest NHL season in 2021-22, playing 29 games for the Buffalo Sabres. He went 10-12-5 with a 3.27 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage.
His one-year deal has an average annual value of $775,000 at the NHL level.
Domingue, meanwhile, joined the Rangers on Wednesday — a spicy plot twist.
Ouellet, a veteran left-shot defenseman, has signed a two-year deal that would pay him an annual average salary of $762,500 at the NHL level. The 28-year-old is likely ticketed for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL to start next season.
Ouellet, listed at 6-foot and 197 pounds, didn't play in the NHL last season and has appeared in just 18 NHL games the last three years. He was a Detroit second-round pick in 2011 and has played 178 career games for Detroit and Montreal. Ouellet set career highs in games (66), goals (3) and points (12) in 2016-17.
