The season may be suspended, but it’s not a vacation for NHL front offices. The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed college free agent Cam Lee to a two-year, entry-level contract that will kick in for the 2020-21 season. Penguins’ GM Jim Rutherford released a statement on the signing:
Cam is a good-skating, offensive-minded defenseman that fits the current style of play in today’s NHL. This signing adds more young depth at defense for us. We’re excited to have Cam as a member of the Penguins organization.
PuckPedia reports that the deal will carry a $925K average annual value and includes up to $425K in performance bonuses for the 2021-22 season.
Lee recently finished his senior season at Western Michigan University, where he recorded 85 points in 137 games. The 23-year old is actually the nephew of former goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere and has been on NHL radars for quite some time. Lee had previously attended development camp with the Montreal Canadiens and represents another potential addition to the Penguins defense corps, one that has been rebuilt almost entirely through trades or free agency.
This is also just the latest example in a long history of the Penguins combing the college free agent ranks, which also led them to Drew O’Connor just a week ago. For a team that is always trading away draft picks to compete for the Stanley Cup, the college system has become a pipeline of sorts for Rutherford and his staff.
No draft picks, no problem