On 1 July 2010, the first day of the NHL free agency period, Michálek signed a five-year, $20 million contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an unrestricted free agent.[2] Prior to his signing, Michálek was described as "The Defenseman Every Team Wants" by AOL Fanhouse due to his strong defensive skills, durability and shot-blocking.[3] In 2010–11, Michálek scored his first goal for the Penguins in a 3–1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on 8 March 2011.[4]
Zbyněk Michálek, April 2011.
Return to Phoenix, St. Louis Blues, second return to Arizona
On 22 June 2012, during the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Michálek was traded back to the Coyotes in exchange for Harrison Ruopp, goaltender Marc Cheverie and a 2012 third-round draft pick (81st overall).[5] Michálek played two further seasons in the Coyotes organization, whereupon in 2014–15, as a pending unrestricted free agent, he was traded at the NHL trade deadline on 2 March 2015, to the St. Louis Blues, along with a conditional third-round pick in 2015, in exchange for prospect Maxim Letunov, despite Michálek recovering from a concussion at the time.[6] On 1 July 2015 Michálek was re-signed by the Coyotes as a free agent.[7]
After the 2016 preseason, Michálek was cut from the Arizona Coyotes, and thus placed on waivers by the Arizona Coyotes.[8] On Sunday 19 March 2017, he was called up by the Coyotes from the Tucson Roadrunners to play the following day.[9] He ended up playing two games after that one, accumulating a total of no points, no minutes spent in the sinbin, and a plus-one rating in three total games.[10]
Michálek is married to Helena (born in 1979 in Bosnia and Herzegovina) and they have three children together, a son and two daughters.[12][13][14] Michálek's younger brother Milan formerly played in the NHL.
