The Penguins set out to improve their top-six forwards this offseason.
Phil Kessel is the big get. Days before trade talk centering on Kessel picked up steam, however, reports surfaced that the Penguins would be signing KHL defector Sergei Plotnikov once free agency opened up.
Plotnikov signed a one-year ELC last Wednesday, one that carries some hefty performance bonuses. It's a good starter deal for a player who wanted to make his first trip to the NHL.
Really wanted to, apparently.
Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said Friday that Plotnikov, the Russian winger the Penguins signed on Wednesday, has informed the team he could arrive in Pittsburgh as soon as August to "get adjusted to the surroundings, the culture and work out.