The Penguins have added some low-cost defensive depth as TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that they’ve acquired Nathan Beaulieu from the Jets. In return, Winnipeg receives a conditional seventh-round draft pick.
It has been a tough year for the 29-year-old as Beaulieu has played in just 24 games this season while being scratched 21 times. His role has been diminished when he has been in there as he’s averaging just under 11 minutes per game in those contests, nearly five minutes below his career average while picking up just four assists in that stretch.
On top of that, Beaulieu is currently on LTIR with an undisclosed injury with his placement coming back on March 9. That means that he’s out for the rest of the month at a minimum and potentially longer. His $1.25M AAV will slide into Pittsburgh’s current LTIR space with Jason Zucker still on there for the time being although he is expected to be activated in the coming weeks. If Beaulieu does return between now and the end of the season, the Penguins would have to make some roster moves to get cap-compliant. But if he’s only able to return for the playoffs, they won’t have to worry about the cap, then, and they’ll have themselves a veteran of over 400 career NHL games for next to no cost.
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