The Penguins put pen to paper with a pair of their restricted free agents on Wednesday as they announced the re-signings of defenseman Derrick Pouliot and forward Josh Archibald. Pouliot receives a one-year contract worth $800K while Archibald inks a two-year pact with a cap hit of $675K. Both players received one-way deals.
Pouliot spent the bulk of this past season with Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, playing in a career-high 46 games with the Baby Pens. He collected 23 points in that span, matching his output from 2015-16 but he only needed 37 games to reach that mark that season. The 23-year-old battled a lower-body injury that cost him 21 games in the NHL and as a result, he saw action in just 11 contests with the Penguins, all in the regular season. In 67 career NHL games spanning three seasons (all with Pittsburgh), Pouliot has two goals and 12 assists.
Archibald collected a career-best 29 points in 61 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season while picking up his first ever NHL points, tallying a trio of goals in 10 games with Pittsburgh in the regular season. He also saw action in four playoff contests and is a candidate to lock down a more permanent roster spot in 2017-18.
Pittsburgh has three remaining restricted free agents this offseason, forwards Jean-Sebastien Dea and Conor Sheary as well as defenseman Brian Dumoulin.
Don’t understand why they would sign them to one-way deals. Pouliot is maybe the 8th defenseman and unless Archibald starts playing center, there’s no spot for him.
I trust pens management. I believe that all a one way contract means is that if they are sent down they get full paycheck!
Exactly. A one way contract just means he makes the same whether he is up in the NHL or down in the NHL.
Starting to wonder if they have held on to Pouliot for too long. Prior to last year he was considered a better prospect than he seems to be now.