SB Nation Pittsburgh - NHL Free Agency: Penguins Sign Defensemen Zbynek Michalek, Paul Martinhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48827/pitt-fv.png2010-07-01T18:02:23-04:00http://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/rss/stream/13116402010-07-01T18:02:23-04:002010-07-01T18:02:23-04:00Pens Reshuffle The Defense
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<p>Coming into today the Pens watched four of their defensemen - Sergei Gonchar, Mark Eaton, Jordan Leopold and Jay McKee - skate into unrestricted free agency. </p>
<p>General Manager Ray Shero had discussions with the agents of Dan Hamhuis (whose rights they'd acquired) and Gonchar, but couldn’t come to terms with either; Gonchar wanted a three year deal and the Pens didn’t want to go that far with a 36 year old defenseman who’s missed 79 games with injuries in the past two years. And Shero couldn’t dissuade Hamhuis, experiencing unrestricted free agency for the first time, from testing the waters.</p>
<p>Shortly after the free agency period opened, Gonchar found the Ottawa Senators,who were willing to give him that third year, as well as a no trade clause and a $500,000 raise on his last contract (up to $5.5 million per year). Hamhuis ended up going back to his home of British Columbia, to join the Vancouver Canucks on a monster six-year contract worth $4.5 million per.</p>
<p>Shero quickly re-shuffled his priorities and snagged Zbynek Michalek. Michalek will fill a role last played by Rob Scuderi: the shot-blocking, tough, defensive-minded defenseman. Last season Michalek finished 16th in the league in blocked shots and played an impressive 4:06 per night on the penalty kill. At 27 he’s young and worthy of the five year deal he received from Pittsburgh. He’s also a right-handed shot, which is a prize in a league where most defensemen shoot left.</p>
<p>Then Shero took Sergei Gonchar’s $5 million per year and he gave it to Paul Martin, formerly of the New Jersey Devils. Martin, 29, is a smooth-skating defenseman who handles the puck well and is the epitome of the “post-lockout” defenseman. He would have played for Team <span class="caps">USA</span> in the Olympics this winter, but his season was cut short when he broke his arm, ironically in a game against the Penguins, off the stick of Bill Guerin.</p>
<p>Just like that, with two signings, the Penguins have used $9 million of their approximately $11 million of available cap room. But they’ve locked up two stellar defensemen and have certainly upgrade their most needed position.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/2010/7/1/1548096/pens-reshuffle-the-defenseJim Rixner2010-07-01T14:54:01-04:002010-07-01T14:54:01-04:00Post-Gazette Confirms Martin Signing
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<p><a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10182/1069705-100.stm">With details:</a></p>
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<p>The Penguins have worked out a contract agreement with Paul Martin, arguably the best two-way defenseman on the free-agent market. The contract is for five years and $25 million, an annual cap hit of $5 million.</p>
<p>Martin, 29 and late of New Jersey, was signed shortly after Sergei Gonchar accepted a three-year deal worth $16.5 million with Ottawa.</p>
<p>Martin is 6 feet 1, 200 pounds and has excellent mobility and instincts. He, like Gonchar, doesn’t play a particularly physical game and he won’t necessarily be the front-runner to replace Gonchar as quarterback of the power play.</p>
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<p>Michalek and Martin didn't come cheap, and there won't be a ton of money left over to pursue offensive reinforcements, but the Pens got two of the better defensemen available on the free agent market, filling the biggest hole on their roster.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/2010/7/1/1547655/post-gazette-confirms-martinCharlie Wilmoth2010-07-01T14:48:26-04:002010-07-01T14:48:26-04:00And Paul Martin Too?
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<p>Bob McKenzie <a href="http://twitter.com/TSNBobMcKenzie/status/17512952268">tweets</a> that the Pens have also signed former Devils defenseman Paul Martin to a five-year deal.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/2010/7/1/1547638/and-paul-martin-tooCharlie Wilmoth2010-07-01T14:40:48-04:002010-07-01T14:40:48-04:00NHL Free Agency: Penguins Sign Defenseman Zbynek Michalek
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<p>The Pens have <a href="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_688518.html">signed</a> defenseman <span>Zbynek Michalek</span>, the Trib reports:</p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px;">Michalek, 27, was signed for five years at a total of $20 million, an annual salary of $4 million that will count against the salary cap...</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px;">The <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/teams/PIT" class="sbn-auto-link">Penguins</a> project slightly more than $7 million in remaining available cap space, and they are not done pursuing defensemen on the market.</p>
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<p>After losing out on <span>Sergei Gonchar</span> (to the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/teams/OTT" class="sbn-auto-link">Senators</a>) and probably <span>Dan Hamhuis</span> (who became an unrestricted free agent today), the Pens were in the market for defensive upgrades, and Michalek fit the bill. Michalek showed solid shot-blocking skills last year for the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/teams/PHO" class="sbn-auto-link">Coyotes</a> and can help out a bit on offense as well.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/2010/7/1/2317318/nhl-free-agency-penguins-sign-defenseman-zbynek-michalekCharlie Wilmoth