Sergei Plotnikov Comes to NHL, Penguins

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed 25-year-old KHL forward Sergei Plotnikov to a one-year entry-level deal.

Plotnikov, a six-year KHL veteran, spent the last three seasons playing for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, where he scored 44 goals and 57 assists through 159 games over the last three years.

He’s a two-time KHL All-Star and has been on the last two Russian National Teams for the IIHF World Championships. This year he scored one goal and one assist in 10 games en route to a silver medal while playing with new teammate Evgeni Malkin. The prior year he helped Russia capture the gold when he posted six goals and six assists in 10 games and was named to the tournament All-Star team.

Plotnikov is an elegant piece of the puzzle as the Penguins attempt to solve cap issues with Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel, Malkin, Kris Letang, and Marc-Andre Fleury all on big, long-term contracts. They’ll need young players on cheap or entry-level deals to help piece the team together and convincing Plotnikov to come to the NHL could make a big difference for the team.

Here are a few of Plotnikov’s KHL highlights:

Track all the day’s signing with the The Hockey Writers’ Deal Tracker.

RELATED: Phil Kessel Traded to Pittsburgh Penguins

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