Penguins sign 26-year-old Russian blueliner Nikolai Knyzhov to tryout contract
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The Pittsburgh Penguins signed 26-year-old Russian defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov to a professional tryout contract Thursday, with the club’s preseason camp in September growing closer.
Knyzhov, a 6-foot-3 left-handed shot, has played 81 career NHL games, all with the San Jose Sharks, over parts of four seasons from 2019-21 and 2022-24, scoring three goals with nine assists.
Over the last two years, he appeared in 22 total games with San Jose during a period when new Penguins assistant David Quinn was head coach of the Sharks.
His most complete NHL season came in 2020-21, when he played in 56 games, scoring two goals with eight assists while averaging 16 minutes, 44 seconds of ice time.
At the end of June, the Sharks placed Knyzhov on unconditional waivers, after which his contract was mutually terminated.
Knyzhov had signed a two-year deal with San Jose worth $1.25 million annually during the 2022-23 campaign.
A native of Moscow, Knyzhov also has played in three games for SKA Saint Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).