NHL – Penguins: 6-year, 4 26.4 million contract extension for John Marino

Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh offers Penguins defenseman a six-year contract extension John Marino, CEO Jim Rutherford said in a press release Sunday morning.

The contract extension will take effect from the 2021-2022 season and will allow Marino to earn an average annual salary of $ 4.4 million. The 23-year-old defender is completing the first year of his first professional contract this season.

Marino came out of the shadows in 2019-20 – his first season in the NHL – scoring six goals and 20 assists in 56 games, with a plus-17 defensive ratio. Marino added an assist in the qualifying round against the Montreal Canadians in 2020.

One six-foot, 181-pound U.S. The defenseman brought up those figures despite losing 11 games with broken facial bones.

His 26 points put him fourth among rookie defenders in the NHL Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Conkes, Adam Fox, New York Rangers and Kale Maker, Calder Trophy winner as top rookie with Colorado Avalanche.

Northeast, Mass., Marino sixth round pick, ranked 154th overall, with the Edmonton Oilers in 2015. On July 26, 2019, he traded to the Penguins for a conditional sixth round pick. In 2021.

“We are very fortunate to have a young and talented defender like John in our organization,” Rutherford said in an official team statement.

“His rookie season has proved that he has a great sense of hockey and that he can play in our first two defensive tandems. We are impressed with his excellent defensive play and look forward to his dangerous development.”