The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed forward Jared McCann to a two-year contract. The deal will run through the 2021-22 season with an annual cap hit of $2.94 million. Pittsburgh has been active recently with two separate trades but McCann is also the second signing in September. The team announced the contract late Friday afternoon.
Rutherford on McCann: “Jared is a good offensive player who can play center or wing. We saw improvement in his play this year and feel that there is more upside to his game.”
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 18, 2020
Penguins Re-sign Jared McCann
McCann was one of the most productive and reliable Penguins in 2019-20. The 24-year-old scored 14 goals and 35 points in 66 games. The 35 points ties McCann’s career-high first set last year in 2018-19. He was not the highest scorer on the team but he appeared in more games than stars like Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. He was one of the team’s bright spots in terms of reliability as Pittsburgh suffered multiple severe injuries over the course of the season.
The Vancouver Canucks originally drafted McCann in the first round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He debuted not long after in 2015-16 with nine goals and 18 points in 69 games. That was McCann’s only season with Vancouver as the Canucks sent him to the Florida Panthers in the spring in exchange for Erik Gudbranson. The Panthers then sent McCann to Pittsburgh along with Nick Bjugstad in exchange for Derick Brassard and Riley Sheahan. Overall, McCann’s short career already features three teams, 52 goals and 123 points in 310 games.
What This Means for the Future
This is a smart move for the Penguins. McCann had respectable numbers despite the team’s multiple injuries in 2019-20. He is the perfect option for the team’s middle-six capable of winning face-offs and controlling possession. He is also young and cheap as the team tries to maximize the end of the Sidney Crosby era.
The deal leaves Pittsburgh with roughly $6 million in remaining cap space with several players to potentially re-sign. They have decisions to make on several options including Dominik Simon, Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry. McCann is a good returning player but the team is far from finished with its offseason moves.
Main Photo
