The Penguins brought back a familiar face with their first move of free agency.
The Penguins signed forward Dominik Simon to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal is worth the league-minimum $750,000 at the NHL level, and $375,000 at the AHL level.
Simon, 26, was set to be a restricted free agent this offseason but was not given a qualifying offer by the Flames, allowing him to hit free agency.
I asked general manager Ron Hextall on Wednesday where he sees Simon fitting in in the organization.
"We just felt like we needed depth that in the organization up front," Hextall said. "We feel Dominik will be a real, real good piece for us moving forward, whether he's up top or down below."
That doesn't necessarily mean that Simon is a lock for the Penguins' lineup, though.
"You know, we'll see what what training camp dictates," Hextall said. "We do have some kids that are going to be fighting for some spots, and Dom will be in the mix as well."
Simon was an unrestricted free agent last offseason after not being given a qualifying offer by the Penguins, something Jim Rutherford said at the time was in part due to concern over Simon's arbitration rights if qualified. Simon then signed a one-year deal with the Flames, and played 11 games in the NHL and one in the AHL, recording no points in either league.
Simon was the Penguins' fifth-round pick in 2015 and made his North American professional debut the following season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He led the team in goals as a rookie with 25 in 68 games, and made his NHL debut that same season, appearing in three games. He spent his sophomore season again primarily in Wilkes-Barre, only playing two games in the NHL. He split his third season between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre, and finally became a full-time NHL player in the 2018-19 season.
Simon spent almost a third of his ice time in the 2018-19 season on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel, and while he only scored eight goals and 20 assists himself that season, the top line produced the most by far when Simon was on it, at a rate of 5.30 goals per 60 minutes. His 18 even strength assists that season were the sixth-most on that team that season, following Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Guentzel, Phil Kessel, and Kris Letang.
"At the time, you don't realize it, how fortunate (to play with Crosby)," Simon told reporters last summer. "It's amazing. You don't think about that you're playing with one of the best in the game. He was an amazing teammate and an amazing player to play with. I was extremely lucky I was able to play with him."
Simon played in 64 games in his last season in Pittsburgh in 2019-20, scoring seven goals and 15 assists. His season ended on Feb. 29 when he sustained a shoulder injury in a game against the Sharks. He delayed surgery for two months, hoping to be able to rehab and play through the injury when the NHL season restarted. When it became clear that the shutdown was going to last several months, he had shoulder surgery on April 29, ending his season.
