Penguins sign Gonchar
On the third day of free agency, Penguins general manager Craig Patrick dipped into the pot by signing defenseman Sergei Gonchar to a five-year, $25 million deal on Wednesday.
"He brings a lot of offense, and he'll blend well with the type of people he'll be playing with," Patrick said. "When you have premier offensive people and they play together, they seem to lift each other to another level."
Gonchar was the first free agent signing by the Penguins, who promised to be active on the market. Thus far, though, they have lagged behind teams such as the Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Columbus Blue Jackets, Boston Bruins and rival Philadelphia Flyers in picking up big-name players.
Gonchar, 31, not only is the youngest of all Group III unrestricted free agents this year, but he also is the most prolific scoring defensemen over the last six seasons, with 74 goals and 167 assists for 241 points since 2000-01.
That's nine more goals than No. 2 goal scorer Rob Blake and 11 more points than No. 2 points scorer Nicklas Lidstrom.
Gonchar said he was surprised when Patrick contacted his agent, J.P. Barry, on Tuesday night.
"I didn't know they were interested in me," he said. "I was talking to another couple of teams, but as soon as they called, we just concentrated on talking to them."
He said that while he's looking forward to playing with Mario Lemieux, Mark Recchi and Sidney Crosby, other elements also factored into his decision.
"I knew what style of game they want to play -- an offensive, high-speed, high-scoring hockey game -- and I wanted to be a part of it," Gonchar said. "It helped me to make my decision to sign with Pittsburgh knowing the kind of hockey they play."
Gonchar played in the Russian Elite League last year for Metallurg Magnitogorsk, the same team that last year's No. 2 draft pick, Evgeni Malkin, plays for. Patrick said that didn't factor into his decision to sign Gonchar, "but it's a nice thing to have as a sidebar," he said.
Yesterday was the busiest day yet for free agent signings around the league, but Gonchar was the Penguins' lone pickup.
Patrick confirmed yesterday that the Penguins are looking for a goaltender but would not specify who.
Sources confirmed that the Penguins made veteran Sean Burke a multi-year offer.
Earlier rumors that a deal with Alexei Kovalev, 32, was complete turned out to be premature, as the former Penguins winger signed a four-year, $18 million deal with the Montreal Canadiens. Kovalev's agent, Scott Greenspun, said on Monday that there was mutual interest between Kovalev and Patrick and that the two promised to stay in touch.
Patrick is believed to have made Kovalev an offer.
"I'm not surprised," Patrick said of losing Kovalev to the Canadiens. "I think that's a good fit for Kovy."
Two players whose names were connected to the Penguins yesterday in rumors were Peter Forsberg, who landed on the other side of the Commonwealth, and Mike Modano, both centers.
Forsberg signed a two-year, $10.7 million deal with the Philadelphia Flyers, joining the team that originally drafted him. Modano, who rejected a five-year deal worth roughly $17.25 million from the Dallas Stars, was reportedly being courted by the Penguins, Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks, with the Bruins being the frontrunners.
Patrick didn't have a specific number in mind of how many free agents he still planned to add.
"We're going to keep talking and trying to improve every day," he said. "Whether it happens quickly or slowly, we're going to continue to try and talk."
