Penguins ink Recchi, Roberts to new pacts

The two veterans players agreed to one-year contracts.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Penguins’ two oldest players are sticking around for one more season.

Gary Roberts, 41, and Mark Recchi, 39, agreed to one-year deals Friday.

General manager Ray Shero had said he hoped to keep both veterans on a team with a nucleus of young stars including NHL MVP Sidney Crosby, Evgeny Malkin and Jordan Staal.

“Mark and Gary are talented veteran forwards who can provide essential experience and leadership to our young team,” Shero said. “They made significant contributions last season, both on and off the ice, and we’re looking forward to having them back in 2007-08.”

Agent Rick Curran, who represents both players, did not immediately return a message left at his office Friday afternoon. Recchi earned $2.28 million last season, and Roberts $2.25 million.

The Penguins acquired Roberts at the trading deadline last season for defenseman Noah Welch. Roberts had 13 points in 19 regular season games with Pittsburgh.

18-year veteran

Recchi, an 18-year veteran, played in all 82 games with the Penguins last season, scoring 24 goals and 44 assists, including his 500th career goal and 800th career assist.

Recchi was the team’s fourth-leading goal scorer, behind Crosby (36), Malkin (33) and Staal, who had 29 goals, including a rookie record seven short-handed, as an 18-year-old.

The 6-2, 215-pound Roberts provided physical play for the Penguins. He dished out several big hits and had 2 goals and 2 assists as the Penguins were eliminated in five games in the first round of the playoffs by Ottawa.

Recchi and Roberts would have been unrestricted free agents had the Penguins not re-signed them by July 1.

The Penguins also traded Chris Thorburn to the Atlanta Thrashers for a third-round pick. The Penguins will make that selection — the 78th overall — today in Columbus.

Thorburn scored 3 goals and 2 assists in 39 games centering the team’s fourth line.