Penguins hope cheaper is better in signing Mark Jankowski as 3rd-line center

In his seemingly never-ending search to replace Nick Bonino as the Penguins’ third-line center, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford usually has gone big in trying to fill that void.

That’s to say he’s traded away some significant assets for players with large salary cap hits in hopes of giving the Penguins the depth they prefer in that role.

Whether it be Riley Sheahan, Derick Brassard or Nick Bjugstad, Rutherford usually has had to move a high draft pick or prospect to acquire a center with a seven-figure salary to line up behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

But after three mostly unappetizing seasons with that approach, Rutherford is hoping a more frugal option will do.

On Friday, they signed Mark Jankowski, formerly of the Calgary Flames, to a one-year contract worth a league-minimum $700,000.

While Jankowski isn’t a big name (the number of letters on his jersey’s nameplate notwithstanding), he is a player with a high pedigree as a former first-round pick in 2012 (No. 21 overall) who largely never has lived up to his considerable potential.

In other words, the left-handed Jankowski (6-foot-4, 212 pounds) is a classic “second-chance” acquisition Rutherford routinely has pursued with the Penguins.

“He’s coming off of five goals,” Rutherford said. “That’s not a good year for a player like this. But being a first-round pick, I’m sure if you asked him and the Flames, they would say they had higher expectations. But I don’t think having 14 goals and 17 goals in a year and playing as a defensive center is all that bad. … We’re not looking to bring Mark in score 30 goals. But if he decides and figures out a way to do that, we’d be fine with it.”

Last season, Jankowski, 26, appeared in 56 games and scored seven points (two goals, five assists) while averaging 11 minutes, 6 seconds of ice time.

Additionally, he was second among all Flames forwards in average short-handed ice time per game at 2:02 and won 44.7% of the faceoffs he took.

A native of Hamilton, Ont., Jankowski has reached double-digit figures in goals twice in his four-year career. As a rookie in 2017-18, he scored 17 goals and 25 points in 72 games then followed that up in 2018-19 with 14 goals and 32 points in 79 games.

Having just completed a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $1.675 million, Jankowski was scheduled to become a restricted free agent but never received a qualifying offer from the Flames and was allowed to become an unrestricted free agent.

He wasn’t the only player the team added in the name of boosting the third line.

Forward Evan Rodrigues returned after signing a one-year contract worth $700,000.

Acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 24, the right-handed Rodrigues appeared in seven games and scored one goal for the Penguins before the NHL halted play in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. After being a healthy scratch for all four of the team’s postseason games, Rodrigues was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Aug. 25 in a transaction that brought top-six winger Kasperi Kapanen to Pittsburgh.

A pending restricted free agent at the time, the 27-year-old Rodrigues did not receive a qualifying offer from the Maple Leafs and became an unrestricted free agent.

Rutherford suggested Rodrigues, capable of playing all three forward positions, will be the team’s third-line right winger.

“If you look what we did today, (Jared) McCann would be the left winger, Jankowski would be in the middle and Rodrigues on right wing,” Rutherford said in a conference call. “That gives us speed on the wings, that gives us the defensive center that we’re looking for.”

Those signings have brought an end to forward Dominik Simon’s tenure with the Penguins. After not receiving a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent, he became an unrestricted free agent Friday. Rutherford was open to re-signing the versatile forward but opted to sign players more capable of playing center.

“He was in the mix, and we talked about these three players, Rodigues, Jankowski and Simon,” Rutherford said. “Part of not qualifying Dominik was the (potential arbitration) case. We still had some interest in him. He had some interest in us. But we felt having these guys that are more natural centers — I know Dom played center at one point — but having Rodrigues and Jankowski that are more comfortable centers made more sense for the flexibility for the coach.”

Rutherford suggested the team still is pursuing players to boost the lower portions of the roster, namely a right-handed defenseman who could play on the third pairing and a third goaltender who likely would be the starter in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

“We could look at that if something came along here in the next few days,” Rutherford said. “And any other position that we think we could upgrade, we will do it.”

The Penguins’ only other signing Friday was of minor league forward Josh Currie to a one-year, two-way contract. The 27-year-old Currie (5-10, 172 pounds), played in 56 AHL games last season with the Bakersfield Condors, leading that team in in goals (24) and points (41).

According to Cap Friendly, the Penguins have $2,568,158 of salary cap space.

Three members of the Penguins’ 2019-20 season signed elsewhere.

• Defenseman Jack Johnson joined the New York Rangers on a one-year contract worth $1.15 million.

• Defenseman Justin Schultz signed with the rival Washington Capitals on a two-year contract carrying a cap hit of $4 million.

• Goaltender Matt Murray, a restricted free agent who had his rights traded to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, signed with Ottawa on a four-year deal carrying cap hit of $6.25 million.

Follow the Penguins all season long.