Pascal Dupuis is a good player and all, scoring 37 points in 81 game last season after tallying 38 in 81 games of the previous campaign.
But the Pittsburgh Penguins simply had to re-sign him after his star-making performance in HBO "24/7," in which he won our hearts by humanizing Sidney Crosby has his hotel room buddy and greeting Evgeni Malkin with the most memorable non-Boudreau line of the series:
"Mornin' boys … [expletive] you, Geno."
How can you let that walk away?
The Penguins couldn't, signing Dupuis to a 2-year deal that will keep him from unrestricted free agency. From Rob Rossi of the Tribune-Review:
Dupuis has agreed to a two-year contract to remain with the Penguins, sources told the Tribune-Review. The deal, which will be announced this afternoon, is worth $3 million total — meaning Dupuis will count $1.5 million against the salary cap each of the next two seasons.
Dupuis, 32, counted $1.4 million against the cap each of the previous three seasons. Over that span, he produced 47 goals over that span — including 35 the last two years, missing only two games over that period.
For a team that's struggled to remain healthy at the forward spot in the last two seasons, they have to value that stability. Plus he's also Sid's boy; and if you don't think keeping your star happy factors into personnel decisions then you should check out how many jobs Brutus Beefcake was given as Hulk Hogan's friend back in the day. (This analogy may or may not be targeted at our boys at The Pensblog.)
The financials on this deal, according to Rossi, leave GM Ray Shero with enough cap space "to sign Tyler Kennedy and reach a tentative agreement with Jaromir Jagr before free agency opens Friday at noon." As the JagrWatch rolls on …
So, in summary: Marian Hossa is in Chicago, Colby Armstrong is in Toronto, Erik Christensen is with the Rangers, Angelo Esposito is with Chicago Wolves … and Dupuis is still a Penguin. Trades are funny that way.