The Pittsburgh Penguins are inviting Sergei Gonchar back. Well, for a tryout at least.
Defenseman Sergei Gonchar has signed a try-out contract and will join the team for its training camp in September, multiple sources said.
The contract does not guarantee him a roster spot, although the Penguins are open to signing Gonchar to play for them this season.
Gonchar, 41, played last season with Dallas and Montreal. He previously played with the Penguins from 2005-10, serving as their top defenseman and alternate captain for a majority of that tenure.
I guess the word would be....Interesting.
The Penguins presumed depth chart is:
Olli Maatta - Kris Letang
Derrick Pouliot - Ian Cole
And then they have 3rd pairing options in: Ben Lovejoy and Rob Scuderi. Also Brian Dumoulin and Tim Erixon would require waivers to be sent down (and Adam Clendening) so on the surface adding Gonchar doesn't make much sense.
The Penguins have had a bit of success in the past with tryout contracts - most notably Mark Eaton in 2013. Adam Hall and Chuck Kobasew have also made the NHL roster in recent years after coming to training camp with a tryout contract.
Will Gonchar be the next? Well, I guess it doesn't hurt to see.
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