Penguins sign Hunwick, Niemi, lose Bonino in free agency

The Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins will look a lot different when they go for a three-peat next season.

The Penguins signed defenceman Matt Hunwick and goaltender Antti Niemi and lost defencemen Trevor Daley and Ron Hainsey and centre Nick Bonino on the first day of free agency on Saturday.

Hunwick got a three-year deal worth $6.75 million for an annual cap hit of $2.25 million, while Niemi signed a one-year deal at $700,000. Hunwick, 32, will help replace Daley as a right-shooting defenceman and Niemi will back up Matt Murray with Marc-Andre Fleury now with the expansion team in Las Vegas.

Hunwick spent the past two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and is a veteran of 479 NHL games. Niemi, who won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, had been with the Dallas Stars before they bought out the final year of his contract.

Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford said recently he'd told all of the team's pending free agents to test the market and come back to him. The Penguins will have a salary-cap crunch with veterans Chris Kunitz and Matt Cullen also free agents, even after Fleury was selected by the Golden Knights in the expansion draft.

Bonino signed a $16.4 million, four-year deal with the Nashville Predators, Trevor Daley left for a $9.5 million, three-year deal in Detroit and Ron Hainsey for a $6 million, two-year deal in Toronto.

"Thanks Pitt for two unforgettable years," Bonino tweeted. "2 Stanley's, amazing. Thanks to teammates and awesome fans, you made it so fun for us."

The Penguins will be looking for a third-line centre to play behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and need to fill in their blue line around No. 1 defenceman Kris Letang, who missed the latest Cup run after neck surgery.

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Stephen Wyno, The Associated Press