Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Former Division Rival Anthony Beauvillier

The Pittsburgh Penguins added to their bottom six on the first day of free agency by signing former division rival Anthony Beauvillier to a one-year pact worth $1.25 million. 

Long-time fans will remember Beauvillier from his days with the New York Islanders, where he played seven seasons before bouncing around to the Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks, and most recently with the Nashville Predators.

In eight seasons, he's skated in 550 games, scoring 116 goals and compiling 246 points with a minus-20 rating. 

Splitting time between three franchises last season, Beauvillier finished the season with just five goals and 17 points while averaging 13:35 in ice time, including a career-low 12:17 with the Predators.

Since being dealt away on Jan. 30, 2023, in the Bo Horvat deal, he's returning to the Metropolitan Division, where he's had the most success, especially against the New York Rangers (25 points) and Philadelphia Flyers (19 points).

A former one-time 20-goal scorer with a career-high of 21 in 2017-18, Beauvillier has been a constant 18-goal scorer, reaching the mark three times in the past six seasons. 

In the proper role, there's a chance he rebounds and gets his scoring touch back. Since the Penguins only had five forwards who scored more than 15 goals last season, adding a veteran like Beauvillier gives him a clean slate on a contending team to be more creative offensively.

As the 28th overall pick from the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, he'll be one of the many first-round picks in the Pittsburgh lineup for the 2024-25 season, including Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson, Kevin Hayes, Jesse Puljujarvi, and Lars Eller.