Penguins Sign Defenseman Wagner to One-Year Contract

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced today that they have signed defenseman Steve Wagner to a one-year, two-way contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. He would have been a free agent on July 1. The Penguins acquired the 26-year-old defenseman in February from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Nate Guenin. In 66 games last season with Peoria and Wilkes/Barre-Scranton of the AHL, Wagner had four goals and 18 assists for 22 points. He did not appear in any NHL games last season. This is really just a depth signing for the Penguins. Wagner has good size and decent offensive instincts, but needs some work at bettering his game in the defensive zone. He will likely spend most of next season in the minors, and if he does play with the Penguins, it will likely be as a sixth or seventh defenseman, and only if their blueline becomes ravaged with injuries.