Teddy Blueger won't be testing the free-agent market this summer.
The Penguins have signed him to a two-year contract with an annual salary-cap hit of $2.2 million.
Blueger was about to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights.
Signing him suggests that he likely will be one of the seven forwards the Penguins protect for the expansion draft that will be held July 21, although the team has not disclosed the makeup of its list yet.
Blueger, 26, had seven goals (three of them shorthanded) and 15 assists in 43 games in 2020-21, generally playing between Zach Aston-Reese and Brandon Tanev on an effective fourth line. He also was a fixture on their penalty-killing unit.
“Teddy has proven to be a versatile, two-way center, as well as a fixture on the penalty kill,” Ron Hextall said in a statement released by the club. “He is a valuable player for our team.”
Blueger's previous contract carried a cap hit of $750,000.
Aston-Reese, Radim Zohorna and Mark Jankowski are the remaining restricted free agents on the Penguins' major-league roster.
All three have arbitration rights.
