Martin, Michalek sign with Penguins

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

The Pittsburgh Penguins, long built around some of the NHL’s top offensive players, are paying a lot of money to get better on defense.

The Penguins committed $45 million on Thursday to sign defensemen Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek to five-year contracts after failing to reach terms with Sergei Gonchar and Dan Hamhuis.

Martin, who made $4.5 million with Atlantic Division-rival New Jersey last season, will make $25 million over five seasons with Pittsburgh — the kind of money the Penguins normally pay only to premier offensive players.

Michalek will make $20 million over five seasons, a major upgrade from the $1.5 million he made with Phoenix last season.

Martin, 29, was viewed as the top two-way defenseman available in free agency, except for Gonchar. He had two goals and nine assists in 22 games with the Devils last season, missing most of the year and the Olympics after breaking his left arm Oct. 24 in Pittsburgh.

His most productive season was 2005-06, when he had five goals and 32 assists in 80 games.

Michalek doesn’t man the point on the power play like Gonchar — he had three goals and 14 assists in 72 games with Phoenix last season — but plays a lot of minutes, is strong in the defensive zone and is an excellent outlet passer. His deal runs though the 2014-15 season and averages $4 million per year.

Michalek, at 27, is nine years younger than Gonchar, who missed more than three-quarters of the Penguins’ 2008-09 Stanley Cup-winning season while injured. Gonchar also missed 20 games last season.

After the Penguins were eliminated by Montreal in the second round of the playoffs, general manager Ray Shero put an emphasis on upgrading the defense.

He also traded a third-round pick in 2011 to Philadelphia for the negotiating rights to defenseman Hamhuis, but he didn’t come to terms on a deal before the NHL free agent signing period began Thursday.

Last week, the Penguins also re-signed forward Matt Cooke, one of the league’s top agitators, to a $5.4 million, three-year contract.

Gonchar signed a three-year contract with Ottawa after the Penguins refused to budge from their offer of two seasons. Gonchar played for Pittsburgh for five seasons, and was second to Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom in points per game among defensemen during that time.