Perhaps Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford read my last article on PenguinPoop. Or…more likely…got tired of watching his stars get beat up.
Whatever his rationale, I was pleased to learn GMJR had acquired defenseman Erik Gudbranson from Vancouver today for left wing Tanner Pearson.
In terms of toughness, the 6’5″ 217-pound rearguard is the real deal. According to Dropyourgloves.com, the 27-year-old Ottawa native owns an impressive 16-4-10 record (with one fight rated unfair) in 31 NHL tilts. In other words, he can throw ’em.
Among his conquests? Washington marauder and noted Penguins pounder Tom Wilson.
Nor is Gudbranson shy about using his body to punish the opposition, as his 132 hits with the Canucks this season will attest. His career high…an impressive 212 with Florida back in 2014-15.
What else does Gudbranson bring to the table? That’s a little more fuzzy. A former third overall pick in 2010, the big defenseman obviously possesses some pedigree. Yet he’s a minus-97 over his eight NHL seasons, although to be fair he’s skated almost exclusively for non-playoff teams.
Mark Madden aptly describes him as an old-style defenseman in a new-style NHL. In other words…a project. Still, The Hockey News speaks highly of the Pens’ latest acquisition:
Has great size, physicality and leadership qualities. Can play a shutdown role with aplomb. Displays untapped all-around ability, as well, especially because of a good point shot. Must prove capable of staying healthy over the long haul, since he has battled both injury and illness during his formative years. Will drop the gloves but needs more work in that area.
How much ice time he’ll receive with the locals remains to be seen, since Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin don’t figure to be out long term. Especially given coach Mike Sullivan’s preference for stick-on-puck defense and seeming aversion to players who employ a physical style, the departed Jamie Oleksiak being the most recent example. However, Gudbranson is a coveted right-handed shot. And we desperately need his muscle and backbone.
Erik’s signed through 2021 at a cap hit of $4 million.
The Pens also added defenseman Chris Wideman in a trade with Florida for Jean-Sebastien Dea. The 29-year-old St. Louis native has 181 NHL games on his resume with Ottawa, Edmonton and Florida. Another right-handed shot, Wideman plays with a bit of an edge, despite being undersized at 5’10” and 183 pounds. A point producer in the AHL, he’s shown flashes at the big-league level.
As for the outgoing players?
Pearson’s stay in the Steel City was brief…44 games to be exact after being acquired from Los Angeles on November 14 for Carl Hagelin. He did some good things, netting nine goals for the black and gold…roughly a 17-goal pace over a full season. But Tanner never established himself as a bona fide top six-forward and slumped badly in recent weeks, tallying a single goal in his past 14 games.
Buried on the Pens’ crowded depth chart at center, the speedy Dea never received an opportunity to fully display his wares in the ‘Burgh. Perhaps he’ll get a shot in Florida.
Great read as always! To quote Mike I to am relieved that they addressed the toughness issue yet again. My hope is that Sully doesn’t just sit him as soon as he has the chance. It’s funny because my wife, daughter and I just watched the documentary Ice Guardians ( might be a little late to the game since it came out a while back) the other night and it was excellent. I found it refreshing to see a movie that gave you a look at both sides. My wife was shocked that they had some well-known hockey stars saying how much having a “tough guy” on the team helped them. If anyone hasn’t had a chance to see it please do it will give you a great perspective of both sides of the argument.
Rick
Hope all is well. Like you I’m relieved the Pen’s finally have addressed
at least partially the toughness issue.
I know everyone including the Pen’s fan base are crushing Rutherford
for picking up a guy who has the worst plus/minus in the league. Personally
that doesn’t bother me if Sully uses him correctly. He’ll become more
important come playoff time “Can you say Tom Wilson”?
Also, maybe it’s me but I’m at a loss as to why fan’s continue to beat up on
Jack Johnson – I think he’s been solid especially over the last month or so.
He’s reduced his plus/minus from -12 to -3 – Leads the team in hits and I
believe 2nd among Pen’s defensemen in blocks. He’s also durable.
I understand the terms of his and Gudbranson’s contract – 5 yrs for JJ is
definitely a couple two many and Gudbranson’s 4 mil seems high for a
spot defenseman. Rutherford in my opinion has really boxed himself in
by not moving either Letang or Kessel. “Your thoughts”
One last thing – Gudbranson although with a -27 this year was a -7 last
season and a +3 the season before that. To me it appears as though he’s
been inconsistent but may not be as bad defensively has people would
like us to believe. “Again your thoughts”
Keep the posts coming.
Hey Mike,
Great comments, as always.
I think you and I are the only two people associated with PenguinPoop who like Jack Johnson. Since Pettersson arrived back in December, Johnson’s been a plus-10 in 38 games. Toss out a minus-4 outing against Vegas on January 19, and he’s a plus-14 over that span.
I, too, like the way he blocks shots and plays the body. I also think he displays a nice touch on his passes. As for durability…he kind of reminds me of a old war horse. He never seems to wear down or shy away from getting involved in the dirty areas.
Regarding cap issues, I heard a rumor…totally unsubstantiated…that this might be Kessel’s last season in the ‘Burgh. Perhaps JR will try to deal him this summer to free up cap space. I wouldn’t trade Letang. The turnaround in his game has been nothing short of remarkable.
The general consensus is Gudbranson was a serviceable defenseman for Florida, but the wheels fell off the wagon in Vancouver, where he transformed into “Badbranson.”
My very limited opinion…based solely on watching him against the Pens? I was very impressed with his physical play…he takes the body pretty consistently and with a bit of a hard edge. I really didn’t pay attention to the other elements of his game.
He made a comment after practice today that he’s already much more comfortable with the Pens’ defensive scheme (didn’t know we had one). Hopefully that translates into game action.
Rick
Hey Mike & Rick,
Did you happen to notice that the Pens played one of their best defensive games the other night in Columbus? Trotman looked good. Heck, they all looked good. Just a little bit weird that one of their best games was when they were missing the defensive guys that they were, they held Columbus to 23 shots.
I have no idea how they are going to fit in Gudbranson when all of the Pens defenseman are healthy. Sullivan will probably be ridiculed for not playing him, but you can’t play them all. Plus, you know Sullivan will hate him if he puts himself out of the play to hit someone.
I really hope Gudbranson works out sort of like a Hal Gill.
Moving Kessel to keep Gudbranson doesn’t seem like it would be the best move, but if it was to grab another top talent I wouldn’t have any trouble.
Rick, I would be interested in seeing Johnson’s home vs. away +/-. In the home games I see Sulli matching him up against 3rd/4th lines. Away games he can’t do that as well, and I can’t really tell the matchups as well either.
My main problem with Johnson now is his puck play. He seems to lose the puck in his feet at the worst times and can’t keep a puck in the zone.
Phil & Rick
Not sure how you guys feel but i think the Kessel trade if JR goes that route this summer needs to involve 3 or 4 players.
Kessel, Maata, Simon & a prospect / pick. Free up 11 + mil – try to bring in a couple of players in the 3.5 to 4.5 range.
Your thoughts?
Phil on JJ – i know this comes off like I’m a Letang hater but when he’s out of the lineup we tend to play better defensively. He’s having a great year but he still vulnerable to poor decisions and his passing can be erratic. Phil Bourque gets after him when he’s botching routine passes. He is playing great offensively but the majority of his minutes are with Crosby & Malkin’s line.
Great talking hockey with you guys!!
Hey Phil,
You got me curious so I did some digging. Johnson’s a minus-8 on the road and a plus-5 at home.
There’s a disparity for other guys, too. Letang is plus-8 at home; plus-2 on the road. Dumoulin is plus-17 at home, plus-10 on the road. Not as significant a swing as Johnson’s, though.
Pettersson is plus-12 at home; minus-2 on the road. That figures…he and Johnson were frequent partners.
Good eye, Phil.
Speaking of, here’s an eye-opener. Maatta’s plus-14 on the road…minus-7 at home!
Rick
Hey Rick,
My main problem with Gill er I mean Gudbranson, other than trying to figure out how to spell his name, is his +/- -27 worst in the league. The last thing the Penguins need is another bad defenseman signed for a few more years.
Well see how he does tonight against Columbus.
Wideman was looking at one point like he was going to be a great defenseman for Ottawa right up until Malkin took him out at the beginning of the 17/18 season. He was out that whole season and never really recovered.
Wideman’s been on four teams this year but is possibly a great reclamation project.
Well see how they end up but I believe these guys are the best JR could do last minute. The Pens should just decline the outdoor games, too many big injuries.
Hi Rick,
Gudbranson was, of course, an “Oops! What were we thinking?” kinda deal. They needed some stop-gap D anyway, might as well get a big ‘un.
My guess is, unfortunately, he won’t see much ice time once the fallen have risen. He’ll be just one more guy Sully won’t play unless he has absolutely no choice. However, the irony in this trade is so thick we’d have to blast to get through it.
— 55
Hey 55,
Like the “after the fallen have risen”! I agree that Sulli won’t play him. Though he may be of better use than Jack Johnson.
Hey 55,
Yeah, Rutherford could’ve saved himself some fuss…not to mention perhaps a touch of embarrassment…by not trading Jamie Oleksiak in the first place. I still don’t know what happened there. “The Big Rig” fell behind Riikola, who fell behind Ruhwedel (?). Go figure.
Looking at things from a purely physical standpoint, I think Gudbranson plays a more consistent physical game and brings more of an edge to the proceedings. Watching him play against us, I noted how consistently he took a piece of our guys…and with a touch of old-school nasty to boot. Kind of like Deryk Engelland did a few years back. Plus, he can flat-out fight. Great balance and strength on skates.
Too, he’s supposed to be a genuine character guy and a strong voice in the locker room. Whether that runs him afoul of Mike Sullivan, who has a penchant for eliminating that very type of player from the mix (Reaves, Cole) remains to be seen.
In my mind, the Pens absolutely had to do something. They were getting mauled. Hopefully, Gudbranson will make the team a little braver and more confident in physical encounters. Kind of a “having a big guy walk beside you in the alley” type of thing.
At least that’s what I’m hoping…
Rick
Hey Rick, and Phil,
I have no problem with the trade. It isn’t a barn burner but it might help. I like that Gudbranson took Wilson to task, and did it well. I just find it funny that JR keeps running these types of players in front of Sullivan and Sully always finds a way to dispense of them. If I recall correctly, what JR said about the Gudbranson deal is approximately what he said about the Reaves deal – basically being tired of star players being mauled. It’s like this is a team/organization that never learns.
Two more players were felled tonight, Rust and Ruhwedel. They’re dropping like flies. The Pens have been an easy mark for a long time. The playoffs last year, and most all of this season have made that more evident. This team should have stayed muscled up when they actually tried it last season, and left it be. They make everything harder than it needs to be.
I’m eager to see not only what Gudbranson brings, but how he’s treated by the coach. I’m eager to see if Sullivan is finally going to give in and say this is what we need. I don’t care if this move get them to the playoffs, or to a cup. I do care that it takes the need to get into scrums from the shoulders of those we least want to get into them.
My thought has always been the damn coach should feel that way too, and do something about it. It’s the hypocrisy of saying one thing and doing another. You can’t keep jettisoning the tough guys while repeating that you’re putting your guys in the best position to be successful. No one on injured reserve is being successful at anything but healing.
– 55
I agree, 55.
More and more, it seems Sullivan’s the culprit here. Rutherford does his part, bringing in guys who are more than capable of standing up for the team…Reaves, Oleksiak and now Gudbranson.
Sullivan will say the right things, “We think so-and-so can help us…” Then he plays them three minutes a game, if at all.
Rumor has it Rutherford reached out to Reaves last summer when the big guy became a free agent. And “Reavo” said, “Thanks, but no thanks.” He wanted to play for a coach who’d actually allow his skates to touch the ice.
He’s having a pretty good season in Vegas…eight goals, 17 points and 239 hits. My guess is, his teammates rest easier at night knowing he’s got their backs.
There’s no question the Brassard trade screwed up our chemistry and accelerated us on our present downward course…that of a fading former champion. And I agree…Sullivan needs to get over himself in terms of personnel (and personal) preference and do what’s best for the team and his players.
Rick
Hey Rick,
That isn’t a rumor, Reaves did say that. I file him in with the Brassard Syndrome guys. He thinks he’s better than he is therefore wasn’t happy with how Sullivan played him. He averaged 6:45 mins a game in Pittsburgh and was a -9.
Reaves has 78 career points in 561 games. He is a 4th liner. His ice time is dwindling in Vegas, I wonder what he has to say about their coach now.
I wish Reaves was happy with 4th line, I would love to still have him on the team.
I’m not a fan of Sullivan’s preferences sometimes, but he has proven he knows what he needs on the ice to win Cups.
Hey Phil,
I don’t think Reaves has a problem playing on the fourth line. That’s where he’s slotted with Vegas. I think he had a problem with the 6:45 ATOI he got under Sullivan, his lowest since he first entered the league.
For the record, “Reavo’s” averaging 11 minutes of ice time with the Golden Knights this season. Judging by the numbers, I think he’s proving his worth.
I like Sullivan, too. What I don’t like is his aversion to physical players. Reaves, Oleksiak and Cole all found their way to the press box under “Sully” for reasons that didn’t appear to be warranted. It’ll probably happen with Gudbranson, too.
I don’t care if it’s the “new NHL” or not…you’ve got to protect your guys. By shunning anyone who plays a traditional physical game, Sully’s virtually compelling his stars and leaders like Crosby, Malkin and Letang to fight the team’s battles. That’s not what you want at all.
This isn’t on Rutherford…he gets the horses. His coach just doesn’t play ’em.
Rick