The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defenseman Mark Eaton to a one-year contract, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Ray Shero.
The deal has an average annual value of $725,000.
Eaton, 35, rejoins the Penguins for his second stint after previously playing four seasons with the team between 2006-10. He was a member of the Penguins’ 2009 Stanley Cup championship squad and he helped the team reach the ’08 Cup Final.
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound blueliner appeared in 218 regular-season games with Pittsburgh, tallying seven goals, 24 assists and 31 points with a plus-eight rating. He added 10 points (4G-6A) in 42 playoff contests.
A native of Wilmington, Delaware, Eaton spent time this season playing with the Penguins’ top minor-league affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL), collecting one assist in six games.
Eaton, who originally signed with Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent, has played 12 seasons in the NHL with the Flyers, Nashville, Pittsburgh and the NY Islanders. He has amassed 85 points (24G-61A) in 627 career regular-season games. Eaton has added 10 points (4G-6A) in 60 career postseason contests.
His best season came with the Penguins during the 2009-10 campaign when he established career highs in games played (79), assists (13) and points (16). During the Penguins’ Cup run in ’09, Eaton tallied seven points (4G-3A) and had a plus-4 rating in 24 playoff games.