Penguins add to depth with pair of former NCAA champs

The Penguins shored up the bottom of their NHL depth chart with a handful of free-agent signings Sunday, adding two NCAA champions and bringing back one of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's top defensemen from last season.

They signed winger Jimmy Hayes, goalie John Muse and defensemen Zach Trotman and Stefan Elliott to one-year, two-way deals that will pay $650,000 at the NHL level.

Hayes and Muse were teammates with Brian Dumoulin on Boston College's 2010 NCAA championship team.

Trotman, 27, had seven goals and 17 points in 49 games for the Baby Pens last season. The 6-foot-3, 219-pound righty was called up for three games.

Hayes, 28, was a second-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs who has bounced around the NHL, playing for Chicago, Florida, Boston and New Jersey during a seven-year career. A 6-foot-5, 215-pound right wing, he topped out with 19 goals in 72 games with Florida in 2015-16. Last year, he had three goals and nine points in 33 games with New Jersey. He's the brother of New York Rangers center Kevin Hayes.

Muse, 29, is a 5-11 minor-league journeyman who went 11-2-1 with Lehigh Valley in the AHL last season. He slots in behind Matt Murray, Casey DeSmith and Tristan Jarry on the organization's goaltending depth chart.

Elliott, 27, is a right-handed offensive defenseman with 84 games of NHL experience with Colorado, Arizona and Nashville. Last season, he had 21 points in 34 games in Sweden.

Jonathan Bombulie is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jbombulie@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BombulieTrib.