“Highly mobile defenseman who strengthens our back end” – John Marino traded to New Jersey Devils by Pittsburgh Penguins for Ty Smith
Follow Us
John Marino and Ty Smith
American ice hockey defenceman John Marino was traded to the New Jersey Devils by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday for Canada’s Ty Smith and a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
The 25-year-old Marino had 25 points (one goal, 24 assists) in 81 regular-season games and one assist in seven Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Penguins last season. Notably, he has five seasons remaining on a six-year, $26.4 million contract (average annual value of $4.4 million) he signed with Pittsburgh on January 3, 2021.
“John is a competitive, highly mobile defenseman who strengthens our back end,” Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said, as quoted by NHL.com. “He takes pride in his game away from the puck and his puck management and ability to transition play will fit in nicely with our style and the strengths of our forward group. This is another move focused on improving our club today, while also providing certainty and stability for roster flexibility as we continue to build.”
Also Read | “It’s super special” – J. T. Compher celebrates Stanley Cup victory at hometown arena in Illinois
“We have high hopes for Ty as we gave up Morino”
The Massachusetts native Marino is the latest in a flurry of offseason moves by the Devils, who were 27-46-9 last season and have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs once (2018) since 2012.
“We have high hopes for Ty,” Penguins general manager Ron Hextall said. “We gave up John Marino for him, who’s a very, very good NHL player. There’s a little risk on our part there, but we feel pretty good about it. We’ve got a lot of defensemen (nine) right now, so we’ll see how things play out with Ty. But until training camp comes and we see what we have and how guys perform, we’ll make those decisions when they’re appropriate.”
Stay Updated!
Sachin Arora
(2527 Articles Published)