Penguins re-sign defenseman Ty Smith
The Pittsburgh Penguins re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Ty Smith to a one-year contract worth $775,000.
Smith, 23, just completed a three-year entry-level contract.
Last season, Smith appeared in nine NHL games and scored four points (one goal, four assists) while averaging 20 minutes, 12 seconds of ice time per contest.
Salary cap limitations led to Smith, a left-handed shot, spending the bulk of the season at the American Hockey League level with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In 39 AHL contests, Smith had 24 points (seven goals, 17 assists).
A first-round pick of the New Jersey Devils (No. 17 overall) in 2018, Smith had never played in the AHL before last season.
The Penguins acquired Smith in July 2022 through a trade that sent defenseman John Marino to the New Jersey Devils.
With Smith under contract, the Penguins now have remaining unsigned restricted free agents in forwards Filip Hallander, Drew O’Connor and goaltender Filip Lindberg.
O’Connor and the Penguins have a salary arbitration hearing scheduled for Aug. 4, but each party is expected to come to an agreement before then.
Hallander and Lindberg signed with teams in Europe earlier this offseason and are not expected to be re-signed. The Penguins simply extended qualifying offers to them to formally retain their NHL rights.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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