Penguins re-sign Aston-Reese to 1-year, $1.725M deal

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed restricted free-agent forward Zach Aston-Reese to a one-year deal worth $1.725 million, the team announced Thursday.

Aston-Reese had filed for arbitration.

The 26-year-old had offseason shoulder surgery last August and made his 2020-21 season debut in February. He went on to post a career-high nine goals in 45 games, while Pittsburgh scored 59% of the goals with Aston-Reese on the ice at five-on-five. His 84 minutes of shorthanded ice time ranked second among all Penguins forwards.

"Zach is a versatile forward that brings energy and edge to our lineup," Penguins general manager Ron Hextall said. "He is a responsible, two-way player, and we're glad we were able to re-sign him."

Aston-Reese has 51 points in 161 NHL games, all with Pittsburgh.