Penguins acquire defenseman Nathan Beaulieu from Jets
The Penguins were busy overnight.
In the early hours of Monday, they acquired defenseman Nathan Beaulieu from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a conditional seventh-round draft pick in this year’s draft.
According to Cap Friendly, the conditions of the trade require the Penguins to win three playoff rounds and for Beaulieu to play in at least 50 percent of those postseason games for the Jets to retain draft pick.
Beaulieu was designated to long-term injured reserve (LTIR) on March 9 due to an undisclosed ailment. He last played a game on March 4. In a release, the Penguins indicated Beaulieu “will remain on LTIR” but offered no details on a potential return to the lineup.
Players on long-term injured reserve must be sidelined a minimum of 10 games and 24 days on the NHL calendar. Beaulieu has already missed eight games and 16 days.
On March 6, Jets interim coach Dave Lowry indicated Beaulieu would be out “longer than day to day.”
The Penguins could potentially keep him designated to long-term injured reserve until the conclusion of the regular season then activate him for the postseason without any ramifications on their salary cap.
The 29-year-old is currently in the final year of a two-year contract that carries a salary cap hit of $1.25 million and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason.
A left-handed shot, Beaulieu (6-foot-2, 200-pounds) has appeared in 24 games this season and recorded four assists while averaging 10:46 of ice time per contest.
Beaulieu offers something of a physical presence few others on the Penguins’ roster can provide. According to Hockey Fights, he has three fighting majors this season.
During a 2-1 home shootout win by the Penguins on Jan. 23, Beaulieu fought Penguins forward Brian Boyle after Beaulieu shook up Penguins forward Brock McGinn with a hit on the boards.
“He brings a different dimension,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He has an edge to his game, he’ll bring us some physicality back there. He adds more depth to the group that we already have. It just gives us more flexibility and more depth which is critically important with some of the hockey that we have in front of us. He certainly, without a doubt, just makes us stronger back there with a little bit more versatility.”
This season, Beaulieu has been a healthy scratch for 21 games and has missed 18 additional games due to various medical issues.
In addition to the Jets, Beaulieu has also played for the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres. He was a first-round pick (No. 17 overall) of the Canadiens in the 2011 draft.
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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