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Pittsburgh Penguins sign former Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Jan Rutta to 3-year, $8.25M deal

The Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday signed free agent defenseman Jan Rutta to a three-year contract worth $8.25 million.

Rutta's deal carries an average annual value of $2.75 million.

Rutta played the past four seasons with the Lightning, winning two Stanley Cups for Tampa Bay. He was the primary partner for star defenseman Victor Hedman.

The signing could pave the way for the Penguins to open up additional cap space this offseason by trading one of their defensemen.