The Pittsburgh Penguins dipped into their past on Monday, signing Mark Eaton -- a member of the 2009 Stanley Cup championship squad -- to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
Eaton, 35, recently completed a professional try out with Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and was practicing with the Pens, speculating a deal might be in his future.
A veteran of over 600 regular-season contests, Eaton spent four years with the Penguins (2006-10), playing a vital role in their ’09 Cup victory. He tied for the team lead for goals by a defenseman (four) and finished third behind Sergei Gonchar and Kris Letang for d-man scoring (seven points).
Eaton also posted his finest NHL season in Pittsburgh, posting career-highs in games played (79), assists (13) and points (16) during the 2009-10 campaign.
He left Pittsburgh following the ’10 season, signing a two-year, $5 million deal with the Islanders. During his time in New York, Eaton posted one goal, six assists and 18 penalty minutes in 96 games.