The Pittsburgh Penguins have deemed defenceman Yannick Weber worthy of a spot on the roster. Weber has been around since 2008-09 but only has 497 NHL games. Injuries have cut into recent seasons but he can still contribute in small amounts. The contract is a one-year deal worth $750,000. It is a two-way contract.
Penguins signed Yannick Weber about an hour ago. One year, $750k. Has to go on waivers before he can be added on. https://t.co/dDjsIaGGoR
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) January 27, 2021
Yannick Weber Signs with Team
Weber was one of the spare defenders for the Nashville Predators in 2019-20. He contributed just one goal and three points in 41 games but did chip in a reasonable 37 hits and 38 blocks in his age-31 season. His ice time was the highest it had been since joining the Predators but it was still far short of the 18:50 he averaged in 2015-16. That was Weber’s final season with the Vancouver Canucks.
The Montreal Canadians originally selected Weber in the third round of the 2007 Draft. he debuted not long afterwards but didn’t have a real season until 2010-11 when he skated in 41 games with one goal and 11 points. Overall, Weber has just 28 goals and 94 points but makes up for the lack of scoring with almost 500 hits and 400 blocks. He is a perfectly fine bottom-pairing defender who can help kill penalties but shouldn’t be counted on in offensive situations.
What This Means for the Future
Weber is a very average defensive option. He does have a 49 percent Corsi For but there’s nothing exciting about him otherwise. He has only four seasons with 10 or more points in 12 seasons. His new team will probably deploy him similarly to Nashville. Perhaps the best things about Weber are that he offers variety as a right-handed shot and has a very low cap hit. He cost Nashville just $675,000 in 2019-20 and that didn’t go up much with this new deal. Every team needs a capable seventh defender and Weber fits that profile perfectly.
