The Pittsburgh Penguins and forward Patric Hornqvist are "very close" to agreeing on a contract extension, general manager Jim Rutherford said Monday.
The 31-year-old was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but the deal is expected to keep Hornqvist in Pittsburgh for five more years with an average annual value of $5.3 million, TSN's Bob McKenzie reports.
"Over my career, I've done very few contracts in the middle of the year," Rutherford said following Monday's NHL trade deadline. "I think it says a lot about what Patric Hornqvist means to us to do this now... If everything goes well, the deal should be done tomorrow."
The gritty, two-way forward has 17 goals and 32 points in 51 games this season.
