Welcome to the sixth and final installment of Rating Rutherford’s Moves, this one covering the 2019-20 season.
It’s fair to say Jim Rutherford’s work was more or less a continuation of the previous season. Indeed, he seemed to master the art of the circular transaction, i.e. bringing players in only to shuffle them out of town a short time later.
Dominik Kahun, Alex Galchenyuk, Andrew Agozzino and Stefan Noesen all arrived and departed. Expanding the scope, Erik Gudbranson and Joseph Blandisi both were dealt away within a relatively short time frame.
Some may view it as a knack for fixing his mistakes. After all, these guys weren’t all-stars. However, there’s an element of tossing darts at a dart board to see which ones stick that hints at a lack of forethought.
More worrisome was his continued penchant for dealing first-round picks to sweeten the pot.
Still, Rutherford did some fine work. On July 1, he inked feisty, heart-and-soul free-agent Brandon Tanev, albeit for six years at a rather pricey AAV of $3.5 million. The inspirational winger played stingy defense while dishing out 244 hits…fourth-best in the league.
JR’s deal with Chicago to bring in Kahun for Olli Maatta was likewise a good one, benefiting both teams. FYI…with the Czech Republic native on the ice, his teams have outscored the opposition 87-64 at full strength. Pretty impressive.
At Kevin Steven’s behest, JR absolutely stole defenseman John Marino…a coveted right shot…from Edmonton for a sixth-round pick. Arguably the club’s most solid defender this side of stalwart Brian Dumoulin, the 22-year-old rookie displayed incredible poise and coolness under fire while notching six goals and 26 points in 58 games. He finished eighth in the Calder Trophy voting while averaging over 20 minutes of ice time and logging and impressive plus-17.
Some may argue that JR’s Phil Kessel-for-Galchenyuk swap was a flop, but I beg to differ. Yes, “Phil the Thrill” was a huge contributor to our two Cups. But he’d worn out his welcome in the ‘Burgh and his numbers were less than inspiring in the desert (14 goals, 38 points, minus-21).
True, Galchenyuk hardly shone in limited ice time. But he netted speedy goal-scorer Jason Zucker in a follow-up trade with Minnesota, a long-time Rutherford target. The Pens also received Pierre-Olivier Joseph in the Kessel deal, a promising defensive prospect and former first-round pick.
If JR only had dropped anchor following the Zucker trade, I would’ve rated his season a B+. Alas, his dander up due to an ugly pre-covid slide, JR swung a couple of deals at the trade deadline of questionable pedigree.
In both instances, I see his logic. Honored veteran and future Hall-of-Famer Patrick Marleau promised to provide leadership and depth scoring, along with some inspiration. Unfortunately, one-out-of-three ain’t so hot.
Seeking forward depth and a right wing to skate with Sidney Crosby, GMJR saved his worst trade of the season for last, one that dropped his final grade to a B- (or maybe C+). He peddled Kahun to Buffalo for ex-Pen Conor Sheary and Evan Rodrigues.
As a general rule, the team that gets the best player wins the deal. Sheary and Rodrigues had their moments, but the Sabres got the best player, hands-down.
The proof is in the pudding. For the second year in a row the Pens endured an opening-round kayo at the hands of an inferior opponent.
TRADES
| Date | Team | Acquired | Traded | Rating |
| Jun. 15, 2019 | Chicago | Dominik Kahun (lw) | Olli Maatta (ld) | A-: Maatta solid, but Kahun fine second-tier scorer. |
| Jun. 29, 2019 | Arizona | Alex Galchenyuk (lw), Pierre-Olivier Joseph (ld) | Phil Kessel (rw), Dane Birks (rd), 4th round pick 2021 | B-: Joseph (and Zucker) make deal more palatable. |
| Jul. 26, 2019 | Edmonton | John Marino (rd) | 6th round pick 2021 | A+: Maybe JR’s best swap ever. |
| Oct. 25, 2019 | Anaheim | Andreas Martinsen (lw), 7th round pick 2021 | Erik Gudbranson (rd) | C-: Pens shed salary, but lost physical presence. |
| Feb. 10, 2020 | Minnesota | Jason Zucker (lw) | Alex Galchenyuk (lw), Calen Addison (rd), 1st round (conditional) pick 2020 | B: Steep price to pay, but JR finally got his man. |
| Feb. 20, 2020 | Montreal | Riley Barber (rw), Phil Varone (c) | Joseph Blandisi (c), Jake Lucchini (c) | C: Shuffle of minor-leaguers. |
| Feb. 24, 2020 | San Jose | Patrick Marleau (lw) | 3rd round (conditional) pick 2021 | D: Honored vet a non-factor. |
| Feb. 24, 2020 | Buffalo | Conor Sheary (rw), Evan Rodrigues (rw) | Dominik Kahun (lw) | C-: Pens got bodies; Buffalo got the best player. |
FREE AGENT/WAIVERS
| Date | Old Team | Free Agent | Contract | Rating |
| May 23, 2019 | Pittsburgh | Chad Ruhwedel (rd) | 2 years, $700 thousand (AAV) | B: Solid No. 7 d-man. |
| Jun. 26, 2019 | Pittsburgh | Zach Trotman (rd) | 2 years, $700 thousand (AAV) | C-: Depth defender struggled to adapt to portside. |
| Jul. 1, 2019 | Winnipeg | Brandon Tanev (lw) | 6 years, $3.5 million (AAV) | B: Feisty role player a hit…literally. But contract an issue. |
| Jul. 1, 2019 | Colorado | Andrew Agozzino (lw) | 2 years, $700 thousand (AAV) | C: Smurfish depth forward, took playing time away from the kids. |
| Dec. 3, 2019 | New Jersey | Stefan Noesen (rw) | 1 year, $700 thousand | C+: Tore up the AHL, but got little chance with the Pens. |
| Dec. 19, 2019 | Pittsburgh | Stefan Noesen (rw) | Claimed on waivers by San Jose | NA |
| Feb. 24, 2020 | Pittsburgh | Andrew Agozzino (lw) | Claimed on waivers by Anaheim | NA |
OVERALL GRADE: B-
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