The gates for NHL free agency opened on Friday at noon, and it only took a few hours for ex-Penguins third-pairing defensemen Jack Johnson and Justin Schultz to find new homes.
Neither are going very far, either.
Johnson, who was bought out by the Penguins earlier this week, signed a one-year deal with the Rangers worth $1.15 million. The signing reunites Johnson with assistant coach Jacques Martin, who was hired by the Rangers in August after being fired by the Penguins following their qualifying-round series loss to the Canadiens.
The Rangers recently paid the Red Wings to take another aging left-handed defenseman's contract off their hands. On Sept. 27, the Rangers traded Marc Staal and a second-round pick to the Red Wings in exchange for "future considerations" (layman's terms: in exchange for nothing). Johnson can slot in on the Rangers' third pairing for $4.55 million cheaper than Staal's $5.7 cap hit.
Johnson signing with a new team has no effect on the buyout terms with the Penguins. The Penguins are still on the hook for six years. He counts $1,166,667 toward the salary cap for the next two seasons, $1,916,667 in 2022-23, and $916,667 for the final three years of the buyout.
Schultz, who was an unrestricted free agent, signed a two-year deal with the Capitals that carries an average annual value of $4 million, a decrease from his cap hit with the Penguins of $5.5 million.
The Capitals' signing of Schultz comes after this week's news that one of the team's right-handed defensemen, Michal Kempny, will be sidelined for six to eight months after injuring his Achilles tendon in offseason training and requiring surgery, Schultz will join John Carlson and Nick Jensen on the right side of Washington's blue line.