Penguins Acquire Gudbranson and Wideman at Deadline

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.