With the Penguins’ 2021-22 season coming to a quick ending in the first round of the playoffs, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 54 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until the 2022-23 season — with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to top-six winger Jason Zucker.

Cam Lee

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Left

Age: 25

Height: 6-foot

Weight: 186 pounds

2021-22 AHL statistics: 61 games, 19 points (one goal, 18 assists)

Contract: In the final year of a two-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $925,000. Pending restricted free agent this upcoming offseason.

(Note: According to Cap Friendly, Lee is eligible for salary arbitration this August.)

Acquired: Undrafted free agent signing, March 17, 2020

Last season: For reasons that aren’t exactly clear, left-handed defensemen are much easier to find than righties on the blue line.

The Penguins are a leading example of that given that they have three veteran southpaws each commanding in excess of $4 million a season on the NHL roster in Brian Dumoulin, Mike Matheson and Marcus Pettersson.

Such a surplus has thus far blocked high-end prospect P.O Joseph, a one-time first-round pick, from breaking through to the NHL level on a regular basis, even after he enjoyed a career year in 2021-22.

So for an undrafted player such as Cam Lee to even register a blip on management’s radar, he really had to stand out.

He did no such thing in 2021-22.

After showing some promise during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign in which he appeared in 31 games and posted 15 points (two goals, 13 assists), Lee’s production regressed considerably this past season.

With Joseph as well as left-handed veterans Matt Bartkowski and Juuso Riikola each commanding their share of ice time on the blue line for most of the season, Lee was often deployed on the third pairing and even on the right side in order to get into the lineup.

It was from the starboard side orientation that Lee scored his only goal of the season in a 5-4 shootout road loss to the Springfield Thunderbirds on Nov. 19.

The rest of Lee’s season was pockmarked with a handful of healthy scratches, including a must-win Game 3 of an Atlantic Division Semifinal series against the Thunderbirds (which the Penguins lost 7-6 as their season came to an end). With the team facing elimination, Lee sat in favor of Colin Swoyer, freshly signed out of the NCAA ranks.

Interestingly, while Lee’s base offensive figures took a tumble, his penalty figures spiked as he finished third on the team with 71 penalty minutes.

The future: As a restricted free agent, it seems unlikely Lee will receive a qualifying offer this offseason and could be allowed to walk as an unrestricted free agent in July. Signed by former general manager Jim Rutherford, Lee has done little to impress the existing regime under current general manager Ron Hextall.

Were he a right-handed defenseman (or simply better at playing on the right side), Lee might stand a better chance of remaining with the Penguins. But given the abundance of left-handed defensemen in the organization, the arithmetic simply doesn’t benefit him.

The door isn’t closed on Lee reaching the NHL. He has plenty of speed and has shown ability to join the rush at the American Hockey League level. Plus, he isn’t afraid to mix it up physically despite being on the small side.

But if Lee is going to become an NHLer, it won’t be with the Penguins.

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