The Penguins have re-signed forward Bill Guerin to a one-year deal. The deal is worth $2 million.
Guerin, 38, came to the Penguins in a trade deadline deal from the Islanders in exchange for a conditional draft pick. In 78 games split between the Islanders and Penguins last season, he had 48 points (21 goals, 27 assists). In 24 playoff games, he had 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) playing mostly on Sidney Crosby's wing.
EN Says: We like the length of the deal in that it doesn't commit the Penguins to an older player to anything beyond a year. Much like the deals with Ruslan Fedotenko and Miroslav Satan last offseason, it's a low-risk move that won't have any long-term impact. That said, we're curious to see what Guerin can do over the course of a complete season. In 17 regular season games with the Penguins he had 12 points (five goals, seven assists). Nice totals for a 38-year-old. But how much of that was generated out him being saved from the Islanders' horrible situation and thrust into the midst of a playoff race with the Penguins? Was Guerin given a shot of energy from that? Will he be able to keep that enthusiasm over the course of 82 games?
Guerin obviously worked well on Crosby's wing and on the power play and he genuinely seemed to love the situation here in Pittsburgh from the team to the fanbase. Additionally, Crosby clearly appreciated having a teammate with his moxie and experience to lean on. In that respect, it's a good move.
If we're doing our math right, it looks like the Penguins now have about $5.7 million of salary cap space left after the signings of Guerin and Craig Adams today.
UPDATE: According to Dave Molinari, the Penguins have made qualifying offers to goaltender John Curry, defenseman Ben Lovejoy and forward Tim Wallace, all of whom are restricted free agents. Goaltender David Brown was not tendered an offer and has become an unrestricted free agent.
(Photos: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Posted
Jun 29 2009, 08:58 PM
by
Seth Rorabaugh