Hornqvist’s 5-year extension done deal
When Jim Rutherford first approached Patric Hornqvist about a contract extension around Christmas, Hornqvist knew it was something the Penguins general manager didn’t do often.
Rutherford almost never signs players to extensions in the middle of the season, always preferring to wait until the summer. Hornqvist’s case required an exception.
The Penguins and Hornqvist finalized a five-year contract extension Tuesday, running through the 2022-23 season, with an average annual value of $5.3 million.
“It feels great,” Hornqvist said. “This is the city I want to be in. I’m really happy to stay here for five more years. We always have a chance to win and we have a great core group in here. That was obviously the key situation for me, too. I want to win, and I think we have a great chance to.”
Since joining the Penguins in a trade for James Neal in the summer of 2014, Hornqvist has made himself an indispensable part of the team, on and off the ice. His net-front presence, particularly on the power play, makes life exceedingly difficult for opposing goalies. Teammates and coaches also rave about his vocal leadership style on the bench and in the locker room.
“He deserves every penny of it,” Tom Kuhnhackl said. “He’s been a great leader in this locker room. Maybe I should start yelling more at the refs. Maybe that gets me a new contract, too. Obviously, it’s well-deserved for him.”
“He’s been such a big part of this team and what it’s been able to accomplish over the last couple of seasons,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan added. “I think it’s obvious what he brings to our team, both on the ice and off the ice. He brings so much energy, he’s a positive guy. He really brings a dimension to our dressing room, I think, that’s unique.
“I think everyone that’s part of our dressing room is appreciative of what Patric brings, so there’s no one more deserving of the contract that he signed and we’re thrilled to have him.”
Conventional wisdom held that the Penguins would have a tough time resigning Hornqvist, who seemed poised to cash in on one final big contract as an unrestricted free agent this summer. But the cap hit of his new deal is just $1.05 million more than his current contract, and with the salary cap set to rise next season, Rutherford was able to make it work.
From Hornqvist’s perspective, he said he never really felt a strong desire to test the free-agent market, even though he almost certainly could have gotten more money elsewhere.
“For me, it was not hard,” Hornqvist said. “In my mind, my family, we all want to stay here. I think we have a great chance to win here every single year, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Murray has concussion
The Penguins goaltending depth will face a significant test over the next few games.
Matt Murray has been diagnosed with a concussion, Sullivan announced Tuesday, and will be out of the lineup indefinitely. Murray was hit in the head with a puck Monday in practice, off a shot from defenseman Olli Maatta, and left the session early.
This is the second diagnosed concussion of Murray’s career. His previous one came in the final game of the 2015-16 season in a collision with Philadelphia forward Brayden Schenn. That concussion kept Murray out for the first two games of the postseason, but he returned 10 days later to lead them on the first of back-to-back Stanley Cup runs.
The timetable for returning from a concussion is notoriously fickle, though, and there’s no way of knowing how much time Murray will miss this time around. For as long as he is out, the Penguins will turn to the combination of rookies Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith.
Jarry is 10-4-2 in 20 appearances this season, with a 2.58 goals-against average and .916 save percentage. DeSmith, called up Monday from AHL Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton, is 3-3-0 in seven appearances with a 2.23 goalsagainst average and .926 save percentage.