Penguins Sign Ville Koivunen to 8-Year, $32 Million Deal After 47 NHL Games
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 7
Penguins Sign Ville Koivunen to 8-Year, $32 Million Deal After 47 NHL Games
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 7
Summary
Pittsburgh committed eight years and $32 million to forward Ville Koivunen on Thursday, locking up the 21-year-old after just 47 NHL games.
Koivunen scored 7 points in 39 NHL games last season, but the Penguins appear to be betting on stronger underlying development than his top-level production shows.
His case rests largely on the AHL, where he posted 41 points in 34 games last year for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after earlier solid production in Finland's top league.
At a $4 million annual cap hit, the contract could become a bargain if Koivunen breaks out, but it also leaves Pittsburgh carrying long-term risk if his NHL scoring does not accelerate.