Penguins Muscle Up, Acquire Ryan Reaves

Say this about Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford. He ain’t afraid to be bold.

A fortnight after hinting at reinforcing his quicksilver Cup-winners with a much-needed physical presence, JR backed up his words with deeds.

Upset with the way foes took liberties with his players—Sidney Crosby in particular—with little-to-no protection from the league or referees, the Pens’ plucky GM took matters into his own hands.

Starting the summer off with a bang—quite literally—he acquired heavyweight right wing Ryan Reaves from St. Louis last night in exchange for prospect Oskar Sundqvist and a swap of draft picks.

Regarded as the capo dei capi of NHL enforcers, the burly 6’1’’ 225-pound Reaves is tougher than…well…just about everybody. That includes Washington bad boy Tom Wilson, who regularly terrorized the black and gold over the past few seasons and during the playoffs in particular.

Reaves beat Wilson with ease back in 2014-15, along with nearly everyone else he’s squared off against.

Indeed, not since Big Georges Laraque cut an exceedingly wide swath through opposing thugs have the Pens boasted such an imposing skater. Regarded by many as the NHL heavyweight champ, the Winnipeg native has beaten the toughest of the tough, including former Pen Deryk Engelland and Blackhawks buzz saw Jordin Tootoo, whom he kayoed.

Although physical play clearly is his stock in trade, Reaves is far from one dimensional. In addition to his 239 hits with the Blues last season (10th highest in the league), he flashed a little offense, notching a career-best seven goals in 80 games.

“He can play,” Rutherford said when announcing the deal. “He skates very well for a big guy. He gets in on the forecheck, which is what we like. He can certainly fit into our system and play.”

“We know first and foremost that he is a really good person,” added Pens coach Mike Sullivan. “We think he’ll fit into our locker room extremely well. He’ll help our veteran leadership. He’ll help our team chemistry. For a lot of reasons, we’re thrilled to have him.”

Reaves is smart about the physical side of the game. He brings to mind a Pens enforcer from the distant past, Bob “Battleship” Kelly. One of the most feared fighters of his day, Kelly didn’t drop the gloves too often. He fully understood that the threat of retribution is often enough to keep an unruly foe in line.

The burly newcomer possesses the same sensibility when it comes to his policing duties. Makes him a perfect fit for a team that prefers to stay out of the penalty box.

Given the Pens’ lack of depth at center, especially with Nick Bonino and Matt Cullen poised to become free agents, parting with Sundqvist was a bit of a surprise. Yet while the rangy Swede appeared to take a step forward last season, notching 20 goals for the Baby Pens, he faltered during brief cameos in the ‘Burgh.

The Pens also swapped their first-round pick (31st overall) for the Blues’ second-round pick (51st overall), which they’ll use today barring further trades.

Welcome Aboard

In other news, Rutherford signed defenseman Chad Ruhwedel to a two-year deal on Thursday worth $1.3 million.

Signed last summer to provide depth on the blue line, the former Sabre proved to be a pleasant surprise with his mobility and all-around efficient play. He tallied 10 points in 34 games, to go with a plus-9. Chad also appeared in six playoff games before being sidelined with a concussion.

The team also signed Frederik Tiffels—a sixth-round pick in the 2015 Entry Draft—to a two-year entry contract. Possessing good speed and decent size (200 pounds), the German-born left wing tallied 27 goals during three seasons at Western Michigan University.

Around the League

There’s been plenty of trade activity over the past few days as teams seek to gain an edge for the upcoming season.

Former Cup champ Chicago has been surprisingly active. In perhaps the most shocking swap of all, the Blackhawks reacquired Pittsburgh native Brandon Saad from Columbus for First-Team NHL All-Star Artemi Panarin. The Hawks also dealt longtime defensive stalwart Niklas Hjalmarsson to Arizona in exchange for rearguard Connor Murphy and forward Laurent Dauphin.

Here’s a quick summary of recent deals through Friday:

June 23—St. Louis acquired center Brayden Schenn from Philadelphia for center Jori Lehtera, a 2017 first-round pick (No. 27) and a conditional 2018 first-round pick June 23—Chicago acquired a 2017 first-round pick (No. 29) and a 2017 third-round pick (No. 70) from Dallas for a 2017 first-round pick (No. 26) June 23—Columbus acquired center Jordan Schroeder from Minnesota for center Dante Salituro  June 23—New York Rangers acquired defenseman Anthony DeAngelo and a 2017 first-round pick (No. 7) from Arizona for center Derek Stepan and goalie Antti Raanta June 23—Columbus acquired left wing Artemi Panarin, left wing Tyler Motte and a 2017 sixth-round draft pick from Chicago for left wing Brandon Saad, goalie Anton Forsberg and a 2018 fifth-round draft pick June 23—Arizona acquired defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson from Chicago for defenseman Connor Murphy and center Laurent Dauphin June 22—Montreal acquired defenseman David Schlemko from Vegas for a 2019 fifth-round pick June 22—New York Islanders acquired center Jordan Eberle from Edmonton for center Ryan Strome June 22—Carolina acquired defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk and a 2018 seventh-round pick from Vegas for a 2017 second-round pick