Penguins/NHL
Optimism in Penguin circles of moving on a trade this coming week
The Pittsburgh Penguins today agreed to terms with forward Conor Sheary on a three-year contract worth $9 million, the team announced.
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The deal runs through the 2019-20 campaign and has an average annual value of $3 million.
The Sheary deal comes six days after the Penguins locked up Brian Dumoulin to a 6 year, $24.6 million contract.
Sheary’s arbitration case was scheduled for August 4th. Sheary’s agent planned to request $4.5 million in arbitration, while Pittsburgh was prepared to request around $2.25 million per a source, if things would have gone that far.
As what happens 98% of the time with RFA’s, both sides made some compromises.
Pittsburgh gave Sheary some security with the three year term and Sheary’s camp came down on an asking price when they played hard ball for a few weeks.
Both sides began to push for a deal on Tuesday as the Penguins and Sheary’s agent Lewis Gross each made new proposals and a deal officially came together today.
Nobody wanted to make another trip to Toronto as was the case with Brian Dumoulin where the Penguins agreed to a new deal the morning of.
Sheary had a breakout campaign in 2016-2017, setting career high in goals (23), assists (30), points (53), and plus-minus (+24). He also led the Penguins in 5 v 5 points/60.
Sheary, though, has been an interesting situation because of how lost he looked in the playoffs for long stretches.
His long-term future with the Penguins will still be up in the air moving forward.
The Penguins have given the Sheary camp assurances he won’t be traded this summer but Pittsburgh is not against moving what they feel is a strong trade asset in Sheary to address another need at ‘some point’, as one source close to the situation said.
League sources believe Sheary’s contract enhances his trade value if Pittsburgh were to go down that route.
“They’re already getting calls,” a source said.
The Penguins have made some in roads in trade talks for a third line center in the past three to four days. Some optimism they could move on a deal this coming week.
The team now has less than $4 million in cap space.[/hide]
