Few relish the give and take of the NHL's trade deadline day more than Jim Rutherford. Since coming to Pittsburgh in the summer of 2014, Rutherford has been active in January and February in each of his first four seasons. Two of his teams went on to win the Stanley Cup in large part due to his deadline deals.
Whether that continues today remains to be seen, but here’s guessing Rutherford will make at least one move.
Below, I rank Rutherford’s first four deadlines in Pittsburgh (includes trades made January through March):
1. 2016
Jan. 16: When Mike Sullivan took over as coach for Mike Johnston, his up-tempo system called for team speed. They got plenty in December when they swapped Rob Scuderi to the Blackhawks for Trevor Daley. Then the Penguins got even faster when they traded David Perron and Adam Clendening to the Ducks for Carl Hagelin. If he wasn't the fastest skater in the league, Hagelin was on the shortlist.
The speedy Swede proved to be a perfect fit in Pittsburgh under Sullivan. During the 2016 postseason, he formed the HBK Line with Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel. Not only did the trio become folk heroes, they helped the Penguins to their first Cup in seven years.
Perron finished out the season in Anaheim before returning to St. Louis where he played his first six seasons. After spending last season with the Golden Knights, Perron is now in his third tour of duty with the Blues. Clendenning has since played just 66 games in the NHL, including four of them this season for the Blue Jackets.
• Feb. 27: Justin Schultz had been one of the most sought after free agents coming out of the University of Wisconsin in 2012. But after signing with the Oilers, Schultz never quite realized his potential on some bad Edmonton teams. That explains why Rutherford was able to acquire the defenseman for just a third-round pick. In hindsight, it's one of Rutherford's best trades. With the Penguins, Schultz has become one of the best second-pair defensemen in the NHL. When Kris Letang underwent neck surgery in 2017, Schultz took on the No. 1 role and even garnered some Norris Trophy votes while helping the Penguins to consecutive titles.
Between Hagelin and Schultz alone, 2016 was unquestionably Rutherford's best work.
2. 2017
• Feb. 23, 2017: Two days before the Penguins hosted the Flyers in a Stadium Series game at Heinz Field, Rutherford acquired Ron Hainsey from Carolina for Danny Kristo and a second-round pick in 2017.
Though he had just three assists in 16 regular-season games, Hainsey tacked on two goals and six assists in 25 playoff games as the Penguins repeated as champs. Not bad for a 35-year-old who had never played in the postseason before. Kristo never played a game in the NHL but is now plying his craft for Rapperswil-Jona in the Swiss A League.
• March 1: Mark Streit had played over 700 NHL games for three teams his first 11 seasons. Then he was traded twice in the same day. After the Flyers dealt Streit to Tampa Bay, the Lightning flipped him to the Penguins in exchange for a 2018 fourth-round draft pick. Though Streit played just three playoff games, he added two assists to win the first Cup of his standout career. He played just two games the following season for the Canadiens before calling it a career at age 40.
That same day, Rutherford sent Eric Fehr, Steve Oleksy and a 2017 fourth-round pick to the Maple Leafs for Frank Corrado in a cost-cutting move. Toronto picked up all of Fehr's $2 million salary. He had scored three goals in 23 playoff games in 2016 to help the Penguins to the Cup. Corrado appeared in seven games with Pittsburgh but is now back in the Toronto organization.
3. 2015
Jan. 27: Rutherford's first deadline deal was to obtain Maxim Lapierre from the Blues for Marcel Goc. Lapierre had been one of the league's most notorious agitators during his time with the Canucks but was a shell of his former self by the time he arrived in Pittsburgh. He provided just two assists in 35 regular-season games and was a minus-13. He then was held without a point as the Penguins were eliminated in five games in the first round by the Rangers.
Following that season, the 29-year-old signed with Modo in Sweden. Lapierre has played the past four seasons for Lugano in Switzerland. Goc flamed out with the Blues after 31 games and is now playing with Manheim of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.
Feb. 25: In an attempt to add size and toughness, Rutherford picked up Daniel Winnik from the Maple Leafs for Zach Sill, a 2015 fourth-round draft pick (later traded to Ottawa) and a 2016 second-round draft pick.
Winnik registered just two goals and seven assists in 21 games and then went minus-6 in five games in the first-round loss to the Rangers. Winnik returned to the Leafs in the summer and then went on to play for the Capitals and Wild. The 33-year-old is currently playing for Geneve in the Swiss A League.
Sill played just 31 more games in the NHL with the Leafs and Capitals and now plays for HC Sparta Praha in the Czech Extraliga.
Oh, and that 2016 second-rounder? The pick was later traded back to Pittsburgh and became Kasper Bjorkvist, who is now one of the organization's top prospects. The 21-year-old is currently a junior at Providence College.
March 2: Though the Penguins didn't win the Cup in 2015, Rutherford helped lay the groundwork a year earlier by re-acquiring Ben Lovejoy and obtaining Ian Cole. Lovejoy came from the Ducks for Simon Despres while Cole came over from the Blues for Robert Bortuzzo and a 2016 seventh-round draft pick.
Lovejoy had played parts of five seasons with the Penguins earlier in his career and fit back in fairly seamlessly. He contributed two goals and four assists during the 2016 Cup run. Despres had been a former first-round pick, but played just 49 games with the Ducks after his career was derailed by concussions. He attempted a comeback last summer with the Canadiens but recently returned to Kolner Haie in DEL.
To be fair, the Cole deal was a true hockey deal. Cole, a physical shot-blocker, enjoyed the most productive season of his career in 2016-17 as he helped the Penguins defend the Cup. However, the outgoing Cole fell out of favor in 2017-18 and was shipped to Ottawa last February. After a brief stop in Columbus with the Blue Jackets, Cole is now in his first season with the Avalanche after signing a three-year, $12.75 million contract last summer. Meanwhile, Bortuzzo has been a reliable mainstay on the St. Louis blueline the past five seasons.
4. 2018
Feb. 23: With a chance to become the first team to lift the Stanley Cup three years in a row since the Islanders' dynasty of the early 1980's, Rutherford went all-in to try to make it happen. The only missing ingredient, he believed, was a third-line center. After acquiring Riley Sheahan from the Red Wings in October, Rutherford was desperate for an upgrade.
The Senators' Derick Brassard was the biggest name available and a proven playoff performer. To land him though, the Penguins sent Cole and top goalie prospect Filip Gustavsson, along with the team's 2018 first-round and a 2019 third-round draft pick to Ottawa in a complex three-team trade. As part of the deal, the Penguins sent enforcer Ryan Reaves and a 2018 fourth-round draft pick to the Golden Knights, who picked up 40 percent of Brassard's $5 million salary.
The blockbuster deal quickly backfired though when Brassard suffered a groin injury that rendered him ineffective in the playoffs. This season he struggled to adapt to a bottom-six role and was subsequently dealt to the Panthers earlier this month. Gustavsson is currently in his first full season with Belleville in the AHL. By the time of the trade, Reaves' role had been reduced in Pittsburgh. However, Reaves found a soft landing spot in Vegas where he helped the Knights to the Stanley Cup Final last spring.
Feb. 26: On the actual deadline day, Rutherford worked his Carolina connection, acquiring center Josh Jooris from the Hurricanes for journeyman center Greg McKegg. Jooris appeared in nine games last season before signing with Toronto as a free agent last summer. McKegg, who made the Penguins' opening night roster last year, has appeared in 23 games with the Hurricanes this season.