Dec 23, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman
Radko Gudas(7) chases down Pittsburgh Penguins center
Rob Klinkhammer(20) in first period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
#4 Do Not Make Bad Trades
This point also ties back into the previous slide and rightly so. The Pittsburgh Penguins will be shopping for a top six winger before the playoffs but they need to make sure they do not overpay.
More from Penguins News
- Welcome To The Burgh: Lars Eller
- Penguins Waddle Toward The Season
- Farewell Carl Hagelin
- Penguins Line-up Breakdown vs Stanley Cup Champs Vegas
- Ryan Graves Solid Signing For The Pittsburgh Penguins
Rutherford’s biggest mistake, in my opinion, was trading for Rob Klinkhammer. You can argue that Philip Samuelsson was never going to get a fair shot with the Penguins, which really is true. However, what people fail to realize is how bad this trade was for the Penguins. You can look at Klinkhammer’s size and think he would be a good addition but at a time when the Penguins need scoring, Rutherford traded for a player who had 19 career goals in five seasons. Additionally, he was playing for the Arizona Coyotes which is one of the worst teams in the league and Klinkhammer was routinely a healthy scratch.
I am not trying to rehash an old point, but when trading for a top six wing the stakes are much higher and Rutherford cannot make another blunder like this.