The Penguins locked up one of their pending free agents to a multi-year contract extension.
Ron Hextall on Sunday announced that the Penguins have re-signed defenseman Mark Friedman to a two-year contract extension that begins next season and runs through the 2023-24 season.
The contract is a one-way deal that carries an average annual value of $775,000.
Friedman, 26, was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Typically, players remain restricted free agents until they reach age 27 or have accrued seven seasons, whichever comes first. But for players who are 25 or older, have accrued at least three professional seasons, and have played in fewer than 80 NHL games, they become unrestricted free agents upon the expiration of their contracts.
Friedman, who was claimed off waivers from the Flyers last February, has played in 36 NHL games between the Flyers and Penguins. His 20 NHL games this season are a career-high. He's recorded four assists and one goal this season, the game-winner against Vegas on March 11:
Friedman can also be credited with one unofficial save this season, sweeping the puck from the goal line in a game in Columbus last month, keeping the Penguins' deficit in that game to just one goal ahead of the Penguins' eventual comeback win:
Friedman has been one of the most effective skaters in the league this season at drawing penalties at five-on-five. He averages 2.65 penalties drawn per 60 minutes of five-on-five ice time, a rate that ranks eighth in the league among skaters with at least 10 games played.
"I tend to go after the biggest guys on the ice, which probably isn't the smartest thing to do," Friedman said of his ability to get under the skin of opponents after the Penguins' game in Tampa earlier this month. "But that's just me being me. And if I could draw a penalty out of it like we did going into the third, then so be it."
That edginess is one of the big reasons the Penguins wanted to lock Friedman up for two more years.
"Friedman is an impactful defenseman who has strong offensive instincts and plays with an edge," Hextall said of Friedman after signing the extension. "He's added depth to our defense corps and we are excited to see his continued development over the next two years."
