Pascal Dupuis (undisclosed) is confident that he'll play Saturday. Dupuis left Wednesday's game before its conclusion and then skipped Thursday's practice for "maintenance" reasons. He has two goals and 11 points in 16 games this season.

Pascal Dupuis (undisclosed) didn't participate in Thursday's practice for "maintenance" reasons. Dupuis exited Wednesday's game in the second period. Consider him day-to-day for now.

Pascal Dupuis jumped at the chance to re-sign with Pittsburgh earlier this summer. He chose not to enter free agency in July and inked a four-year contract worth $3.75 million per season to remain with the Penguins. "I wanted to come back," Dupuis said. "So did my wife and kids. Everybody surrounding me kept telling me, 'Yes, it's a great situation for you.' I knew I wanted to come back and play with what I believe is the best team in the NHL for another four years." He will probably skate alongside Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz again in 2013-14.

Pascal Dupuis reached a four-year contract extension worth $15 million with the Pittsburgh Penguins late Tuesday night. After a number of reports saying that the two sides were far from reaching a deal, Dupuis has surprisingly come to terms on a new contract that runs through the 2016-2017 season and avoids free agency. The 34-year-old winger was a top priority for GM Ray Shero, as he was coming off a 20 goal, 38 point season for the Pens. He earns a sizeable raise, after making just $1.5 million annually each of the past two seasons. Now that they've made a financial commitment to him, expect Dupuis to continue playing the same key role for Pittsburgh, making him a viable fantasy option for next season.

Contract talks between Pascal Dupuis and the Penguins are still ongoing, but they aren't believed to be close to reaching a new deal. Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero wants to keep Dupuis in the fold, but he doesn't have much time before the winger can start talking to other teams before becoming an unrestricted free agent on Friday. The Montreal Canadiens are thought to be a contender for his services if he hits free agency.

Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero admitted that Pascal Dupuis is "certainly deserving of a raise." "He's gotten better as he's gone on," said Shero. "Usually, it works the opposite. Whatever he gets, he'll deserve, whether it's from us or someone else." Dupuis made $1.5 million the past two seasons with the Penguins. He hit the 20-goal mark both times during that span and recorded a career-high 59 points in 2011-12. He would like to return to Pittsburgh and negotiations have already started, but if new terms cannot be agreed to then he could end up testing the market as a free agent.

Pascal Dupuis's agent Allan Walsh and Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero have started discussing a new contract. Dupuis has re-signed with the Penguins twice since he joined the team via a trade in February 2008 and both times he agreed to a two-year deal. The 34-year-old winger would like a contract that he can retire on, but getting a long-term contract from GM Ray Shero may be tough. The Penguins haven't given a four-year deal to a player in his 30s since Shero received the job in May 2006. Dupuis can become an unrestricted free agent on July 5 if something isn't worked out with Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ray Shero and the agent for Pascal Dupuis are expected to start contract talks next week, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Rob Rossi. According to Rossi, Shero wants to find out whether Dupuis is willing to re-sign with the Pens prior to free agency opening July 5. Dupuis is a top priority for Shero due to his scoring (45 goals over the last two seasons), place in the locker room and status as the preferred right winger of Sidney Crosby. However, Dupuis made just $1.5 million each of the last two seasons and will likely be seeking a hefty raise. With Crosby and Evgeni Malkin locked up to long-term, big-money deals and defenseman Kris Letang seeking one of his own, Shero is likely going to have to make some tough choices this summer.

Pascal Dupuis is believed to be seeking a four-year deal. That's probably longer than the Penguins want to commit to with the 34-year-old forward, but they might do it if it means he'll take less money annually. Fitting Dupuis in under the salary cap will be difficult for the 2013-14 campaign, but not impossible if they can shed salary elsewhere. He had 20 goals and 38 points in 48 games this season.

Soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Pascal Dupuis said he hopes to return to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2013-14. To state the obvious, that would require the team handing him a significant raise from his previous $1.5 million cap hit. The organization has some big questions to answer, as it'll be interesting to see if they want to bring back his frequent linemate Matt Cooke back, too. Dupuis was unexpectedly the mainstay of the Marian Hossa trade.