Penguins sign Caleb Jones to two-year contract

Caleb Jones is on the move again.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed the 28-year-old defenseman to a two-year contract with a cap hit of $900,000. Jones will be a UFA once the deal expires in 2027.

Jones, 28, spent most of the 2024-25 season with the OHL’s Ontario Reign. He had two goals and 21 points in 44 regular season games, and had one assist in two post-season contests. He skated in six games with the Los Angeles Kings, but failed to register a point.

Throughout most of this career, Jones – the younger brother of Stanley Cup champion Seth Jones – has bounced between the NHL and AHL. He has 55 points in 248 career NHL regular season games and another 84 points in 181 AHL contests. The two-way defender isn’t much of an offensive driver, but Jones can rush the puck and is willing to get physical whenever possible.

Before turning pro, Jones won gold at both the U-18 World Championship and the World Juniors with the United States, and he also led all WHL rookies with 45 assists in 2015-16.

According to PuckPedia, the Penguins have $17.541 million in projected cap space this summer. The team has focused on depth signings today, with the most notable deal potentially coming to Justin Brazeau. Matt Nieto, Matt Grzelcyk and Pierre-Olivier Joseph are three players the team have not signed as UFAs, while Vasily Ponomarev is a restricted free agent.

The Penguins finished the 2024-25 NHL season seventh of eight teams in the Metropolitan Division with a 34-26-12 record and 80 points over 82 games. It was the third straight season Pittsburgh has missed the playoffs. Of note, veteran Evgeni Malkin is set to enter the final year of his contract at the age of 38, while Sidney Crosby is still signed until 2027.