The Pittsburgh Penguins signed defenceman John Marino to a six-year, $26.4 million US contract extension on Sunday.
Marino, 23, is coming off a breakout rookie season, putting up 26 points (six goal, 20 assists) in 56 games – fourth best among rookie defenceman last season.
“We are very fortunate to have a young, skilled defenceman like John in our organization,” said Penguins GM Jim Rutherford.
“His rookie season proved he is a top-four defenseman with great hockey sense. We were impressed with his strong defensive play and look forward to watching him develop offensively.”
The kid is a beast.<br>And he’s signed through the 2026.27 season.<br>2021 is lookin’ mighty fine already! <a href=”https://t.co/thfaLQO8rN”>pic.twitter.com/thfaLQO8rN</a>
—@penguins
Marino’s deal, which caries an average annual value of $4.4 million, will begin in the 2021-22 season, after he plays out the remained of his entry-year contract.
The deal caps a meteoric rise for the 6-foot-1, 181-pound blueliner who was acquired from the
Edmonton Oilers in July 2019 in exchange for a sixth-round pick