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Penguins sign Kunitz to three-year, $11.5 million deal

Chris Kunitz, Sidney Crosby

UNIONDALE, NY - MAY 05: Chris Kunitz #14 of the Pittsburgh Penguins scores the overtime game winning powerplay goal at 8:44 against the New York Islanders and is joined by Sidney Crosby #87 (L) in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on May 5, 2013 in Uniondale, New York. The Penguins defeated the Islanders 5-4 in overtime. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that they have inked forward Chris Kunitz to a three-year contract extension worth $11,500,000.

Kunitz still has a season left on his current contract, so the Penguins have now locked him up through 2016-17. Kunitz’s new deal will come with only a mild annual cap hit increase of $125,000 annually.

That’s a nice break for the Penguins considering the 33-year-old had 61 points in 2011-12 and then took another step forward with 22 goals and 52 points in 48 games last season. Given what they have already committed to paying Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and James Neal, the Penguins didn’t have the cap flexibility to give Kunitz a contract more reflective of the numbers he’s put up over the last two campaigns.

With Kunitz inked, the next big question for the Penguins is if they can re-sign Pascal Dupuis. He’s coming off a two-year, $3,000,000 deal and will be looking for a sizable raise after recording 38 points in 48 contests in 2013.

The Penguins would also probably love to re-sign midseason acquisition Jarome Iginla, but getting such a contract under the cap would be very difficult for Pittsburgh.