Penguins sign Ehrhoff: '[Pittsburgh] was really my preference'

When the Pittsburgh Penguins came calling on July 1, defenseman Christian Ehrhoff had already been through a plethora of emotions for a of couple days.

He retreated to his summer home in Germany at the end of his season with the Buffalo Sabres and received a call from his agent at 7 a.m.

"My initial thought was I might have been traded," Ehrhoff told NHL.com.

That was the call he had been bought out by the Sabres as they feared an early retirement would punish the team by penalty under the CBA.

His next phone call was one he hoped would come, "I had a few other [offers] I was thinking about but when Pittsburgh came up it was really my preference."

After spending three seasons with the Sabres, missing the playoffs and watching the team regress each year, Ehrhoff is ready to move on.

"I'm happy with the new start."