The Penguins have signed their first free agent of the summer. Forward Nick Johnson, who missed the final 23 games of the season and playoffs with a concussion, signed a one-year two-way deal with the team that will pay him $550,000 at the NHL level. The Calgary, Alberta native notched 3-points (1G-2A) in four games with the Penguins last season.
Johnson (6-foot-2, 196 pounds) spent the majority of the year with Pittsburgh’s top-minor league affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. He posted 20 goals, 39 points, 10 power-play goals and a plus-12 rating in 48 games with WBS.
Johnson, Pittsburgh’s third-round pick (67th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, has played 10 games with Pittsburgh in his career, notching two goals and five points. He’s played three-plus seasons with WBS after turning pro in 2007-08. He’s totaled 50 goals, 94 points and a plus-46 rating in 169 career games with WBS, adding 15 postseason points (8G-7A) in 26 contests.
