The Penguins took care of one of their restricted free agents and locked up some depth at the center ice position on Wednesday, when they signed center Teddy Blueger to a two-year contract extension.
The new deal carries a $2.2 million average annual value and runs through the 2022-23 season. It’s a significant pay raise from the $750,000 Blueger made in each of the last two seasons.
“Teddy has proven to be a versatile, two-way center, as well as a fixture on the penalty kill,” Penguins general manager Ron Hextall said in a statement. “He is a valuable player for our team.”
The Penguins selected Blueger in the second round of the 2012 draft. However, it took the Latvia native several years to ascend to the NHL ranks, as he developed more slowly than some prospects. He admitted this season that there were times in college at Minnesota State and in the minors that doubt began to creep in.
“Being drafted in the second round, it almost seemed like it really wasn’t going to work out,” Blueger said during a video conference earlier this season. “… I started figuring out that maybe I don’t have the most talent, but I can make up for it with a work ethic. That’s stuck with me.”
It sticks out in practice, too. Consistently, Blueger is the last player off the ice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. He’s always working on something small, whether it’s picking pucks off the boards, faceoffs or another skill. Because of that work ethic, Blueger earned the respect of his teammates and the trust of his coach.
“He’s a real driven kid,” coach Mike Sullivan said earlier this year. “You can see his work ethic in how he applies himself every single day.”
After playing 28 games in the NHL during the 2018-19 season, Blueger’s breakthrough came in 2019-20. He played in all 69 regular season games during the shortened season, tallying nine goals and 13 assists. He also centered a critical shut-down line, skating between Zach Aston-Reese and Brandon Tanev.
That line again stuck together this season. Sullivan often deployed them for defensive-zone starts and sometimes played them against an opponents’ top lines.
Blueger took another step forward during the 2020-21 season. As the season unfolded, he revealed some previously unseen offensive potential to go along with his steady defensive play. He scored seven goals and dished 15 assists in 43 games. It will be interesting to track how much more his game can evolve and if he can become more than a bottom-six center as the term on this contract unfolds.
Now that the Penguins have signed Blueger, the next question is, will they protect him in expansion?
Teams can only protect seven forwards. On a Penguins team full of quality forwards, there will be some tough decisions. Blueger figures to be one of the players right on the fringe.
The timing of this extension, however, may have tipped the Penguins' hand.
The team has to officially submit its protection list sometime on Saturday with the names scheduled to be released by the NHL publicly on Sunday.
