Another defenseman has turned a PTO into a full contract as the Ducks announced that they’ve inked Nathan Beaulieu to a one-year contract. Eric Stephens of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Beaulieu receives a one-way deal worth $850K.
The 29-year-old spent last season in a limited role with Winnipeg where he played in 24 games, recording four assists while logging just 10:46 per game, well below his career average of 16:26 per contest. Pittsburgh acquired him at the trade deadline to give them extra depth for the playoffs once he recovered from his lower-body injury but he never suited up for the Penguins.
Beaulieu has played in 419 NHL contests spanning a 10-year career between Montreal, Buffalo, and Winnipeg, picking up 12 goals and 82 assists. With Urho Vaakanainen being injured in yesterday’s game against San Jose, it certainly looks as if he’ll be out for a little while at least so Beaulieu will have a shot at landing a full-time spot on the roster on what is a new-look back end with John Klingberg and Dmitry Kulikov being added earlier this offseason.
Hooray for Nathan Beaulieu! Always love to see the ultimate meritocracy that is training camp result in a contract offer for a stand-up chap.