The Pittsburgh Penguins’ new management team made its first external player acquisition, claiming defenseman Mark Friedman off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old, right-handed-shooting Friedman appeared in four games for the Flyers this season and 11 games since his NHL debut in April 2019. He has one career assist.
New Penguins general manager Ron Hextall was general manager of the Flyers when the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Friedman was drafted in the third round in 2014. Friedman was waived Tuesday after playing in his most recent game Sunday in Lake Tahoe. That was Friedman’s first game for the Flyers in more than 3½ weeks.
The Penguins have used 11 defensemen this season because of a spate of injuries. Their depth chart on the right side includes Kris Letang, John Marino, Cody Ceci, Chad Ruhwedel and recent veteran acquisition Yannick Weber.
Considered a good skater, Friedman is signed through next season at an annual salary cap hit of $725,000 whether he plays in the NHL or in the minors.
The hirings of Hextall and president of hockey operations Brian Burke were announced Feb. 9.
