The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that forward Rickard Rakell has signed a six-year deal, $30 million deal. This contract carries an average cap hit of $5 million per season and runs into the 2027-28 season. The Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli broke news of the deal while The Athletic’s Rob Rossi broke the contract details.
Rickard Rakell gets 6/$30M from Penguins, who have had themselves a newsy few days of late. He clicked well in spell with Sidney Crosby last season.
Cap space drying up fast.— Rob Rossi (@Real_RobRossi) July 12, 2022
Rickard Rakell Re-Signs with Penguins
Over his 11-year NHL career, Rickard Rakell has played the majority with the Anaheim Ducks, and last season became a late trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has put up 158 goals and 194 assists for 352 career points in 569 career games. He was originally drafted in the first round, 30th overall of the 2011 NHL draft by the Anaheim Ducks.
Last season he scored 20 goals and 21 assists for 41 points. He also added 12 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 52.3 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of 9.4.
What This Means for the Future
The Pittsburgh Penguins had big contracts to renew in the offseason with both Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang becoming unrestricted free agents. Rakell’s contract is a reflection of this. Letang’s contract settles a big question on defence, but Malkin’s future is more uncertain. The veteran Russian will test the free agent market. It may weird seeing Malkin in another sweater next season. However, cap space seems to be drying up for the Penguins.
Rakell is a consistent offensive producer and has proved to be a versatile short-impact player. The 29-year-old adds further experience to the team and provides added depth on the wing. After a disappointing exit in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Penguins look to enhance further next season.
The Penguins still have some roster questions, but this settles one of those. However, general manager Ron Hextall still has some work to do this off-season. Pittsburgh wants to go back to making deep Stanley Cup Playoff runs.
🚨SIGNING UPDATE🚨: Penguins agree to a six-year, $30 million contract extension with F Rickard Rakell…
Follow every deal in our Signing Tracker – https://t.co/9G8sMTmZZA#TSNHockey pic.twitter.com/4zUR2B16iS
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) July 12, 2022
