The Penguins re-signed defenseman P.O Joseph to a two-year, one-way contract that carries a salary cap hit of $825,000.
The deal was announced Tuesday, one day after the team formally tendered a qualifying offer to retain his rights as a pending restricted free agent.
Considered as the top prospect in the organization, Joseph, 23, is in the final days of a three-year entry-level contract.
Last season, Joseph (6-foot-2, 185 pounds) appeared in only four NHL games and did not record a point.
He did, however, experience a career season at the American Hockey League level with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In 61 games, he set career highs with 10 goals, 23 assists and 33 points.
The Penguins acquired the left-handed defenseman in a 2019 trade that sent popular forward Phil Kessel to the Arizona Coyotes. Joseph was a first-round pick (No. 23 overall) of the Coyotes in 2017.
Despite this contract, it remains to be seen how Joseph, who would require waivers for any transactions involving Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, can fit onto the NHL roster. Ahead of him on the depth chart are veteran left-handed defensemen Brian Dumoulin, Mike Matheson and Marcus Pettersson. All three players are signed to contracts with salary cap hits that all exceed $4 million. Additionally, reserve right-handed defenseman Mark Friedman, who is entering the first-year of a two-year contract with an average annual value of $775,000, is capable of playing the left side of the blue line as well.
