Did the Pettersson Trade Turn the Penguins’ Season?

GM bashing. It’s a favorite pastime among hockey fans everywhere, from snowy Saskatoon to sunny San Jose.

If your team’s riding high? Your GM’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. If your team’s scraping bottom? Fire da bum!

I’ve done my share of carping and complaining about Penguins GM Jim Rutherford…especially during the first year of his tenure over the then-hated Robert Bortuzzo–Simon Despres deals. Trades that, in hindsight, wound up benefiting the locals.

Last spring I bemoaned the trade deadline swap that saw the plucky 69-year-old exec part with defensive stalwart Ian Cole and fourth-line hammer Ryan Reaves in exchange for Derick Brassard. Although the deal looked good on paper…at least initially…Brassard’s been about as useful as a bag of cracked and crumbling pucks.

Meanwhile, the black and gold could desperately have used Cole’s shot-blocking and gritty brand of defense, not to mention “Reavo’s” considerable muscle during last spring’s physical postseason set-to with Washington.

Nor does the trade look any better at this juncture of the season. Reaves has outscored Brassard, seven goals to six, while piling up a decided edge in hits and Tom Wilson tramplings. Cole currently leads the league with 105 blocked shots.

However, give Rutherford credit where credit is due. One thing he’s very good at is remedying his mistakes. He’s found a way to mitigate this one, too.

When JR shipped Daniel Sprong to the left coast on December 3 for defenseman Marcus Pettersson, there were howls of derision aplenty…many from this very blog. Understandable in a way, given Sprong’s pedigree and potential to score a lot of goals and Pettersson’s comparatively modest skill set.

But you sure can’t argue with results. Since the deal was done, the hereto flightless waterfowl have rolled to a sparkling 9-2-1 record…including our present four-game winning jag. Goal production is up during the 12-game run (3.42 vs. 3.32 per game) and goals against are down…markedly (2.33 per contest vs. a bloated 3.36).

So how could a guy with such innocuous numbers…Pettersson’s a plus-three with one assist since joining the team…have such an impact?

It’s the Cole effect, in reverse. I observed when the Ann Arbour native was dealt last spring it was a lot like plucking an apple from the middle of a neatly stacked supermarket display. Yank out an important “apple” or supporting piece…which Cole most assuredly was…and the whole display (team) comes tumblin’ down.

To illustrate my point, in the 21 games prior to Cole’s trade the Pens were 16-4-1. Not only was Ian playing superb stay-at-home defense…plus-13 over the 21-game stretch…he’d helped partner Jamie Oleksiak (plus-11) emerge as well.

Following the trade, the “Big Rig’s” performance took an immediate and discernible tumble (minus-6 in his next five games). You could successfully argue the Cole trade robbed the team of two defensemen…Cole and an effective Oleksiak.

Not surprisingly, the Pens were a pedestrian club from that point on, literally up till the Pettersson swap (22-17-7 during the combined regular seasons, 6-6 in the playoffs).

And now? The acquisition of Pettersson restored a key supporting apple and allowed the team to properly re-stack. More to the point, the rangy 6’3” 177-pounder’s helped transform marquee off-season pick up Jack Johnson from flub to…well…if not fantastic, at the very least decent.

Prior to being paired with the lanky Swede, Johnson was a minus-13…dreadful in anyone’s book. Since, he’s a plus-5 with 32 hits and 24 blocked shots.

Blessed with long arms, a longer stick and exceptional mobility for a bigger guy, Pettersson covers an awful lot of ice, which has enabled Johnson to play more within himself. We’ve essentially gained two defensemen, Pettersson and an effective Johnson. It’s had a domino effect on the rest of the team, too.

Are the duo solely responsible for the Pens’ improved play of late? Of course not. Casey DeSmith’s continued excellence and Matt Murray’s dynamic re-emergence has much to do with it, although their success is at least partly attributable to the team’s improved defensive play.

In classic lead-from-in-front fashion, Sidney Crosby’s skating like a man possessed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Sid display such steely-eyed intensity and focus on a nightly basis, in all phases of the game. If anybody can will this group to another Cup, it’s No. 87.

It doesn’t hurt that Jake Guentzel, Phil Kessel and Bryan Rust have taken turns heating up, or that the supporting cast is showing at least occasional flashes, not to mention more cohesion.

Still, the Pettersson-Sprong deal provided the spring board as well as the foundation for the turnaround.

Kudos to Rutherford for having the vision and brass to make the move.