Penguins re-sign Conor Sheary at a bargain $3 million per season

The Pens lock up their 25-year-old forward through 2020 for $9 million

For a team coming off a second straight Stanley Cup title, the Pittsburgh Penguins haven't exactly been recipients of overwhelming praise this summer.

They coughed up considerable draft-pick compensation to add "toughness" in the St. Louis Blues' Ryan Reaves, they lost assistant coach and Phil Kessel mentor Rick Tocchet to the Arizona Coyotes, and their free-agent additions were largely overshadowed by the departures of postseason vets Nick Bonino, Chris Kunitz and Trevor Daley.

The Pens warrant praise Sunday, however, after announcing a three-year contract extension for Conor Sheary.

The deal is relatively short for a player as young as Sheary, 25, but it looks like a bargain at $9 million for a couple reasons.

1. When Sheary, who scored 23 goals in 61 games as a second-year winger in 2016-17, gets the same average annual salary ($3 million) as a declining 33-year-old Dan Girardi, you know he's a financial steal. Consider, too, that mid-tier defensemen were raking in the bucks early in free agency, and it's not a stretch to say Sheary, as an up-and-coming points scorer, could give the Pens incredible value.
2. If Sheary's rise from undrafted rookie to regular forward on a deep and dominant Pens offense is any indication of where the two-time champion is headed, Pittsburgh was wise not only to keep its winger from arbitration -- and around through 2019-2020 during what should be the prime of his production -- but also give itself the option to re-evaluate Sheary as he approaches unrestricted free agency down the road.