Pascal Dupuis foregoes free agency, re-signs with Penguins for four years, $15 millio

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Ray Shero continues to establish his reputation as this summer's Oprah of extensions. Only hours after signing Kris Letang to a whopping eight-year deal, the Penguins have announced a much more reasonable four-year pact with Pascal Dupuis worth $15 million.

From the Penguins, who are excellent for disclosing the financial details in all their releases, by the way:

The deal runs through the 2016-17 campaign, and has an average annual value of $3.75 million.

Dupuis, 34, was one of the Penguins’ top offensive threats in 2012-13, ranking third on the team in both goals (20) and points (t-38), while placing first with 140 shots and a plus-31 rating. Dupuis’ plus-31 rating led the NHL, making him the first Penguins player to accomplish that feat since Ron Francis in 1994-95. His 17 even-strength goals tied for sixth-most in the NHL.

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Slightly more important than all that stuff: Dupuis plays on Sidney Crosby's line, and he's effective there. The Penguins now have both of his 2013 linemates in Dupuis and Kunitz signed through 2017, and each for under $4 million.

Shero got great value here, especially after previous reports that the negotiations with Dupuis were going poorly enough that the winger might hit the free agent market.

He could probably have made over $4 million there, but instead he chose to take less to stay in Pittsburgh, perhaps because Shero is on a extension roll, having locked up Letang, Kunitz, Evgeni Malkin, and now Dupuis in the last few weeks. He's got the touch.

The real question, of course, will be whether he still has it next season, when he has to fill out the rest of his lineup with $44 million already invested in just nine players.

But that's later. For now, this is a good deal.