Pascal Dupuis



The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed forward Pascal Dupuis to a four-year contract, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Ray Shero.

The deal runs through the 2016-17 campaign, and has an average annual value of $3.75 million.

Dupuis, 34, was one of the Penguins’ top offensive threats in 2012-13, ranking third on the team in both goals (20) and points (t-38), while placing first with 140 shots and a plus-31 rating. Dupuis’ plus-31 rating led the NHL, making him the first Penguins player to accomplish that feat since Ron Francis in 1994-95. His 17 even-strength goals tied for sixth-most in the NHL.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Dupuis reached the 20-goal mark for the second-straight year and third time overall in ’12-13. He has recorded four of his top-five highest point totals over the past four seasons.

One of the Penguins’ most-versatile performers, Dupuis finished third among team forwards with 36 blocked shots and 1:55 shorthanded minutes per game. During the past three seasons, Dupuis’ eight shorthanded goals are tied for most in the NHL.

The Laval, Quebec native continued his strong play during the 2013 postseason, tying for the team lead with seven goals and totaling 11 points in 15 games. His two shorthanded goals tied for the league lead.

Dupuis had his best NHL season in 2011-12, establishing career highs across the board in goals (25), assists (34), points (59), game-winning goals (2) and shots (214) while appearing in all 82 regular-season contests. He finished the ’11-12 season riding a league-best and career-high 17-game point streak – the second-longest streak in the NHL over the previous three years behind only linemate Sidney Crosby (25 games; 2010-11).

Dupuis, who was acquired by the Penguins from the Atlanta Thrashers on Feb. 26, 2008, was a key member of Pittsburgh’s 2009 Stanley Cup championship squad, appearing in 16 playoff games that spring. He also helped the Penguins advance to the Stanley Cup Final in ’08 following his acquisition from the Thrashers.

In five-plus seasons with Pittsburgh, Dupuis has tallied 212 points (94G-118A) and a plus-75 rating in 379 regular-season games. Dupuis has also proven to be plenty dependable, playing in 292 of a possible 294 games over the previous four seasons. He has added 33 points (14G-19A) in 77 postseason contests.

Originally signed by the Minnesota Wild as an undrafted free agent, Dupuis has played in 798 career NHL regular-season games with Minnesota, the NY Rangers, Atlanta and Pittsburgh, totaling 175 goals, 199 assists and 374 points. Dupuis has 44 points (19G-25A) in 97 career playoff contests.