Veteran center Brian Boyle signs with Penguins on one-year, $750,000 deal

The Pittsburgh Penguins open the 2021-22 NHL season Tuesday night at the two-time defending Stanley Cup-champion Tampa Bay Lightning and will do so without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the lineup as those stars are dealing with injury setbacks. 

Pittsburgh added some needed attacking depth ahead of that matchup. 

Per the NHL's website, veteran center Brian Boyle put pen to paper on a one-year, $750,000 contract with the Penguins on Tuesday. Boyle, 36, spent time with Pittsburgh on a professional tryout during training camp after he didn't play in the NHL last season. He tallied two goals and one assist featuring as the captain for the United States squad at the 2021 IIHF World Championship, and he recorded six goals and nine assists across 39 regular-season games with the Florida Panthers in 2019-20. 

Boyle first entered the NHL when the Los Angeles Kings selected him in the first round of the 2003 draft, and he's accumulated 130 goals and 101 assists in 805 regular-season contests during his lengthy career. Coincidentally, 2003 was the last time Pittsburgh played a season opener without both Crosby and Malkin. 

Crosby had surgery on his left wrist back on Sept. 8 but recently said his return could come in "a week or two." Malkin, meanwhile, had knee surgery in early June and is on long-term injured reserve. He's expected to be sidelined for at least the campaign's first two months.