CRANBERRY, Pa. -- It was just four days ago that Jim Rutherford was telling DKPittsburghSports.com that he might be inclined to stand pat at the trade deadline. No, really.
"We’ll see if someone comes up with an idea that makes sense for us," Rutherford said glibly. "If not, we’ll go with what we have.”
Wonder what's happened since then that would possibly sway his opinion?
Hmm, let's see ... First came Thursday night's home game against the Sharks when the Penguins were soundly beaten, by a team that should be a top-end Cup contender. Then came Saturday's meltdown in Philadelphia that saw the Penguins blow a late, two-goal lead en route to an overtime loss to a non-playoff team. Each was an eye-opener in its own way.
"Our initial reaction to this is that we thought our overall team game was good," Mike Sullivan said after Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss at Lincoln Financial Field. "We're disappointed we didn't get the two points, but I thought our effort was really good. We made good decisions. We had complete control for the majority of that game, with the exception of maybe a two-minute span."
Such has been the problem with the Penguins of late. They are 4-4-2 in their last 10. They're like a box of chocolates from game to game and even period to period. You never know what you're going to get and, seemingly, neither do they.
Obviously, the general manager can't be too pleased with what he's seen. But is that enough to make Rutherford take further action? We shall find out sometime before 3 p.m. today.
Rutherford wasn't saying anything on Sunday but rest assured discussions were being had. His team's plight seems to have reached a critical point. They are currently on the outside of the playoff field in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with 72 points. Technically they are tied with the eighth-place Hurricanes, who have won nine of their last 12. But the Penguins have 20 games remaining in the regular season with a dozen of those games against teams currently holding playoff spots.
"We're in playoffs-mode right now," Sullivan was saying. "That's just the reality of the league, and the parity in the league, and the three-point games. There are a lot of teams that are in it. We just have to embrace this challenge, take each game as it comes."
That next challenge comes Tuesday when the Penguins will travel to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets in the first of three meetings against them in a 12-day span. The Blue Jackets are in third place in the Metro with 73 points, just one ahead of both Carolina and Pittsburgh. With the acquisitions of Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel from Ottawa, Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen appears to be all in, even if he risks losing Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky for nothing in free agency this summer.
That's the other side of the NHL trade deadline that Rutherford and Penguins management must weigh. It's not only what they do, but what the competition does. It's a lot to consider.
As Rutherford was saying this week, the Penguins believe they are as good — at least on paper — as any team in the East. Whoever he brings in might not be an upgrade over what he already he has. If two or three players can perform to their ability, it would cure a lot of ills. Rutherford didn't name names, nor did he need to. Phil Kessel has zero goals in 12 games, Patric Hornqvist has none in 15, and Matt Murray has been wildly inconsistent.
But can the Penguins bank on any of them rounding into form? Due to ineffective play, and now injury, Rutherford might feel he has to intervene, even as his hands are tied by the salary cap. According to capfriendly.com, the Penguins have a projected cap space of just under $500,000. Obviously, that's not going to cut it. But if past is precedent with this general manager and ownership group, they'll find a way to get something done.
The Penguins have a few weaknesses in their lineup that will need to be addressed. First and foremost, they might need a defenseman -- or two -- after the top pair of Brian Dumoulin (concussion) and Kris Letang (upper body) went down Saturday night. The extent of those injuries are not yet known but they come on top of the shoulder injury to Olli Maatta, who has been out since Feb. 11 and is a candidate to be placed on long-term IR. That is why the Penguins were already looking for some help along the blueline long before Wayne Simmonds' hit.
Juuso Riikola is the obvious in-house option, though Zach Trotman or Ethan Prow could earn a call from Wilkes-Barre if Rutherford chooses to go that route.
If he does look to go shopping, there are no great answers without losing their first-round pick. Alex Edler has a no-trade clause in Vancouver but with a $5 million cap hit, that would take some serious finagling of the books. Justin Faulk? Dougie Hamilton? Either of those right-handed shot defensemen would work great. But despite Rutherford's Carolina roots, yeah, that's not happening. Not this year, anyway.
The most intriguing option might be Adam McQuaid, formerly of the Bruins and now of the Rangers. OK, hear me out on this one. Obviously, the 32-year-old isn't the greatest skater but he's a high-character player who can defend, something the Penguins don't do particularly well. McQuaid's also big (6-4, 215), physical and would provide a legit deterrent to, say, Tom Wilson. Don't underestimate the Wilson factor. After watching the Penguins take abuse from the Sharks and Flyers, they could use some grit. McQuaid is a pending UFA after making $2.75 million this season. That's a lot, to be sure, but it might be doable.
A cheaper option could be the Oilers' Alexander Petrovic, another right-shot defenseman who also brings physicality. The Kings' Alec Martinez and the Senators' Cody Ceci would seem like the safer picks and could slot in that Ron Hainsey role from 2017. Both are also pending UFAs who bring veteran experience.
Above all, the Penguins need better goaltending from Murray, who has faltered at critical times. A team source told me on Sunday that Murray's performance has been hampered by the league-mandated smaller equipment, but most of the goalie's problems have been more mental than technical. His confidence has to be shaken after a loss like Saturday's, but the Penguins have to do a better job insulating him. So, help him out. Limit the shots. The Penguins are giving up the fourth-most shots-against per game at 34.7. They haven't held an opponent under 30 shots in their last 16 games.
After an emotional loss like Saturday's, the understandable temptation is to blow it all up today. Trade Murray, Phil Kessel or some other big-ticket player. While nice in theory, the reality is that Phil Kessel, who is owed $6.8 million each of the next three seasons, has a modified no-trade clause.
And as much heat as Murray is taking, there's no better option available. No. 1 goalies don't come on the market in February and the Red Wings' Jimmy Howard isn't one of them.
If Rutherford makes a move today, it's likely to be smaller in scale.
Besides, it's not like Rutherford hasn't made enough trades this season. In November, he dealt Carl Hagelin to the Kings for Tanner Pearson. In December, he sent Daniel Sprong to the Ducks for Marcus Pettersson. Just this month, he sent both Derick Brassard and Riley Sheahan to the Panthers for Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann.
That's a lot of turnover in a relatively short period of time. The team is already a mish-mash of players that are still trying to come together and establish defined roles. Any further moves could disrupt what chemistry they have and only create more inconsistency.
One message Rutherford could send: He’s going to stick with the team he created and let it sink or swim on its own.
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