Penguins' Marcus Pettersson glad to get contract done before camp starts

Marcus Pettersson was a full participant during the first day of training camp, less than 24 hours after agreeing to a one-year contract worth $874,125.

A restricted free agent coming off his entry-level deal, Pettersson was hoping to sign a longer-term contract but agreed to the one-year deal in order to avoid missing any time in camp.

“It’s been a long summer,” he said. “I’m glad to get it done before camp starts so I can get a full camp in.

“I know we both (Pettersson and management) worked towards a longer deal but obviously with the situation being what it is (the team’s salary cap being tight and training camp beginning), there was no way around it,” he said. “I feel like, as long as I’m here, I’m in the place I want to be. In Pittsburgh. I’m glad to be here.”

After arriving in Pittsburgh in a early December via trade, Pettersson flourished by appearing in 57 games with the Penguins and scoring 25 points.

He realizes how much his first training camp with the team can mean as opposed to being dropped into the lineup midseason.

“It’s different, for sure,” he said. “It’s my first full camp here, my first full season. I’m just going to soak it all in and take it every day as it comes. I know it’s a really competitive and hard training camp. It’s a high standard here. I don’t think I can look too far ahead or too much at what happened in the past.”

At 6-foot-3, Pettersson is one of the taller players on the team, but at 177 pounds, he is also one of its lightest.

“Getting stronger is obviously a big thing for me,” Pettersson said. “Bigger and stronger. Once I get that done, I’m never going to stop pushing. It’s all the better for me. I have the conditioning down. That’s something I’ve got to build on this year.”

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