Pittsburgh Penguins Trade Grades: Assessing Each Transaction in 2014-15

Grade: D

Rob Klinkhammer was a very underwhelming acquisition for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Yes, he played pretty solid defensively. He even chipped in a couple points. But, I can’t understand why Rutherford saw this as a necessary move when the Pens have players in the AHL that could fill a depth role just as well as Klinkhammer.

Also, the conditional pick that was included was dependent on whether Samuelsson played at least 40 games with the Coyotes. He ended up playing in 4.

I understand that Klinkhammer was packaged with a first-round pick for David Perron, so he was useful in some aspect. But, I have a hard time believing that Klinkhammer was a staple in that deal. It likely happens whether he’s involved or not.

In this case, Rutherford essentially gave the Coyotes a decent young defensive prospect.