Penguins sign trio of depth players to contracts

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed a trio of depth players on Sunday, signing forwards Radim Zohorna and Marc Johnstone, and goaltender Magnus Hellberg.

Both Zohorna and Johnston were part of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization last year under new Penguins GM Kyle Dubas.

Johnstone received a two-year deal worth $775,000 per season, the same rate Zohorna will have on his one-year deal. Hellberg will have the highest cap hit of $785,000 for one season.

Zohorna, 27, started his NHL career with the Penguins in 2020-21, scoring two goals and four points in eight games. He split the following year between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the AHL, where he proved to be a solid dual-threat forward as a center and a winger. He split last year between Calgary and Toronto, with the big 6-foot-6 forward scoring his lone goal of the NHL season against Ottawa on April 1. He would also go on to represent Czechia at the IIHF World Championship, recording no points in a depth role.

Johnstone, 27, completed his first full season in the AHL, recording nine goals and 22 points in 69 games with the Marlies. He spent most of the previous season with the ECHL’s Newfound Growlers after graduating from Sacred Heart University in the NCAA the year prior. This is Johnstone’s first NHL deal after playing on a minor league contract last season.

Hellberg, 32, has been around the block over his career. He was part of the Ottawa Senators, Seattle Kraken and Detroit Red Wings last year, and also played four games with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. The 6-foot-6 goaltender was drafted 38th overall by the Nashville Predators in 2011 and has seen some spot duty throughout his career, but has spent most of his pro career splitting time between the AHL and KHL.

Hellberg is the third goaltender the Penguins have signed since free agency opened, with Tristan Jarry (five years) and Alex Nedeljkovic (one year) inking new deals.

All three of Pittsburgh’s new players are expected to play in the AHL with the WBS Penguins. The Penguins are over the salary cap by $2.301 million, but if Hellberg and Nedeljkovic are sent down to the AHL, that will clear almost all of the cost. The Penguins also have to sign pending RFA Drew O’Connor.