Did the Penguins Overreach?

Call Jim Rutherford the ‘Miracle Man’. As he’s done so often throughout his brief but remarkable tenure as Penguins GM, the Yoda-esque exec marshalled all of his considerable experience, savvy and negotiating skill (perhaps ‘the Force’ too) to acquire center Derick Brassard—arguably the most sought-after player at the NHL trade deadline.

The fact that the Pens have a legit shot at a Stanley Cup three-peat stands as a glowing testimonial to ‘JR’s’ work. Patric Hornqvist, Phil Kessel, Nick Bonino, Trevor Daley, Carl Hagelin, Justin Schultz, Ron Hainsey and now Brassard…the names of his key pickups reads like an honor roll of recent black-and-gold heroes.

It took an incredible amount of conviction and plain old-fashioned guts on Rutherford’s part to even attempt a move like the Brassard deal, let alone have the ability to pull it off. As the old saying goes, you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet. No one understands that better than JR.

Still, it begs the question. Did he overreach?

One could argue the Pens were a more complete team before the trade. They were on a 10-1-1 roll. They were at long last playing sound defense, thanks in part to Kris Letang’s resurgence but also the solid, physical play of the Ian Cole–Jamie Oleksiak tandem.

Even the much maligned fourth-line was chipping in, due in no small part to the improved play of slugger Ryan Reaves. While it was no lock that “Reavo” was going to be a factor come playoff time, I liked having him around as a hard forechecker, not to mention his ability to neutralize loose cannons like Washington’s Tom Wilson.

Yes, an injury to Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin would’ve exposed depth issues down the middle and had a crippling effect. But all-in-all, the Pens looked really solid. I’m not even factoring in the potential long-term impact of dealing another first-round pick.

And now?

I’m not gonna lie. I’m worried about our defense. Really worried. To my eye, the Pens were probably a reliable d-man short before they dealt Cole. Let’s just say that signing Ian’s replacement, Matt Hunwick, to a three-year deal last summer was one of Rutherford’s few mistakes and leave it at that.

We all know injuries happen, especially come the postseason. Cole played last spring with a broken hand and broken ribs. Justin Schultz had a broken rib…Brian Dumoulin a broken hand. Daley’s knee acted up. Chad Ruhwedel sustained a concussion.

Factor in Letang’s checkered health history, and…well…it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see where I’m going with this. A couple of injuries, and we’re flying in reinforcements from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at crunch time. Which, depending on your perspective, may actually be favorable compared to a few of our present options.

Clearly, the Penguins are built to outscore teams. In fact, it’s safe to say they’re counting on it. Given the way they broke many an opposing goalie during their back-to-back Cup runs—including Vezina winners Sergei Bobrovsky and Braden Holtby—there’s a really good chance they’ll do it again.

Still, I can’t help but remember last spring, when we spent huge chunks of time having to stand and defend, especially against Columbus and Washington. Bulwarks like Cole and Hainsey helped weather the storm.

This year? I fear when all is said and done and the sun sets on our Stanley Cup hopes, we’ll be a man short.