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Dustin Penner is returning to the team that gave him his first chance in the NHL.
The Anaheim Ducks announced on Tuesday that the team has agreed to terms with the free-agent forward on a one-year contract that will pay him $2 million, according to Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register.
Penner, 30, spent the past 2½ seasons as a member of the Los Angeles Kings and is coming off a 2012-13 season that saw him score two goals to go with 12 assists in 33 games. His offensive production has fallen off a bit in recent years, but he's still a big power forward who plays a pretty strong puck-possession game. And there's a lot of value in that, even if it doesn't result in a ton of goals.
It's not a huge signing by any means, but it's a nice addition given the way that Anaheim allowed the free-agent market to sort itself out and find a useful player for a decent price.
This will be Penner's second stop with the Ducks after spending the first two years of his career in Anaheim, including the team's 2006-07 Stanley Cup season (he was also on Los Angeles' 2011-12 Cup-winning team). Following the '06-07 season Penner, a restricted free agent, signed a large offer sheet with the Edmonton Oilers that the Ducks could not match. The sequence of events infuriated then-Ducks general manager Brian Burke and led to a very public dispute with then-Oilers GM Kevin Lowe.
In 522 career games, Penner has scored 137 goals and recorded 138 assists.
