Penguins acquire Beaulieu to kick off NHL trade deadline day

The Pittsburgh Penguins shored up their depth at defense by acquiring Nathan Beaulieu from the Winnipeg Jets to open the NHL’s final day of trading on Monday.

The Jets acquired a conditional seventh-round pick in this year’s draft for Beaulieu, who is in the final year of his contract.

The Penguins, who opened the day third in the Metropolitan Division standings, made the move with an eye on the playoffs, with Beaulieu sidelined by a lower-body injury sustained earlier this month. He will remain on long-term injured reserve.

He has four assists in 24 games this season. Overall, Beaulieu has 12 goals and 94 points in 419 career NHL games over 10 seasons, which included stops in Montreal and Buffalo.

The move was Winnipeg’s second leading up to the trade deadline, after acquiring forward Mason Appleton from Seattle on Sunday.

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