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NHL Trade Deadline: Golden Knights acquire forward Teddy Blueger from Penguins

The Vegas Golden Knights have acquired center Teddy Blueger from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for prospect defenseman Peter DiLiberatore and a 2024 third-round draft pick.

The deal was first reported by Shayna Goldman of The Athletic and has since been confirmed by the team.

Blueger, 28, is in the final year of a two-year contract carrying an AAV of $2.2 million. The move leaves Vegas with roughly $5 million of cap space with which to work.

Blueger is known for his defensive play and penalty killing and served as the fourth-line center for the Penguins prior this season.

He is having a particularly dry offensive campaign with just two goals and 10 points in 45 games courtesy of a 3.2 percent shooting percentage, a career low.

That being said, Blueger recorded a point in two out of his final three games with the Penguins and could benefit from the change in scenery. He is coming off a career-best 28-point season last year.

Blueger will play a shutdown role in the Golden Knights’ bottom six, giving Vegas additional depth up the middle and likely on the top unit of the penalty kill.

He has two points in 18 career postseason games, all with Pittsburgh.

Originally a second-round pick (No. 52 overall) in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Blueger has had a down year overall but has been very effective defensively over the last three seasons, as you can see by the one- and three-year player cards below via Evolving-Hockey.

Diliberatore was Vegas’ sixth-round draft selection (No. 180 overall) in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He recorded three assists in 22 games with the Henderson Silver Knights this season but has played 18 games with Vegas’ ECHL affiliate, the Savannah Ghost Pirates, where he’s tallied three assists.

The 2024 third-round pick included in the deal leaves Vegas with first-, second-, fifth-, sixth- and seventh-round selections in that draft. Vegas’ 2024 fourth-round pick was moved to San Jose in the Adin Hill trade last summer.