Dominik Simon Returning To Pittsburgh Penguins

Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli is reporting that the Pittsburgh Penguins have brought back former member Dominik Simon on a one-year contract. The team has confirmed that is is a two-way deal for the depth forward worth $750K at the NHL level.

Free agents reuniting with their old teams has been a minor theme of the day and Simon is no different. The 26-year-old forward was a Penguins draft pick in 2015, came up through the system, and had put together back-to-back 20+ point campaigns for the team heading into the last off-season. He then made the unwise decision (in retrospect) to leave Pittsburgh in pursuit of a greater role. He found the exact opposite with the Calgary Flames, playing in just 11 games and recording zero points. Simon was not extended a qualifying offer from Calgary as a result.

This reunion thus makes perfect sense for both sides. Even under a new administration, the cap-strapped Penguins understand that Simon can step back into the lineup and produce with familiar teammates in a familiar system all while playing at the lowest cap number possible. This will be invaluable to a team that was largely inactive today due to their limited cap space and, barring a trade, won’t be able to make a big free agent addition this summer. Meanwhile, Simon sees a Penguins roster that has lost Jared McCann and Brandon Tanev up front and will have top-nine openings all season. Simon could be in for another strong season that could finally result in the pay day that he has been looking for.