Staal

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins ended any debate about whether they should re-sign Jordan Staal, locking up the 20-year-old center with a $16 million, four-year contract Thursday.

The deal starts next season and runs through the 2012-13 season. Staal, who recently became the youngest player to appear in 200 NHL games, will play the rest of this season under the three-year entry level contract he signed after being the No. 2 pick in the 2006 draft.

Staal will make $3.5 million in each of the first two seasons and $4.5 million in each of the final two. The contract will count $4 million against the Penguins' salary cap each season.

Staal has 53 goals and 39 assists for 92 points in 205 career games, counting the goal he scored Thursday night as Pittsburgh gave up a three-goal lead and lost 5-3 in Nashville. He scored 29 goals as a rookie in 2006-07 and finished second to teammate Evgeni Malkin in the Calder Trophy rookie of the year voting.

Since that season, Staal has been inconsistent — one reason there was some debate whether the Penguins should wait until the end of this season to begin negotiations with him.