Pittsburgh Penguins: Rob Scuderi Trade Rumors Continue to Surface
By Mike Necciai
Many believed that last season would be Rob Scuderi‘s last in a Pittsburgh Penguins jersey after a year that highlighted his age and inability to keep up in today’s NHL. It was a foregone conclusion that he would be bought out earlier this summer and the Pens would move on.
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However, the buyout period came and passed with no movement on that front. In fact, Pittsburgh didn’t use any buyouts, despite Jim Rutherford making it a point to tell the media he had full permission to use one if deemed necessary. So, knowing that Scuderi doesn’t fit the mold that this team is aiming for and that his cap hit provides a huge challenge when trying to build on this already star-studded cast of players, why keep him around?
At this point, it’s unclear if anything concrete is in the works to move him. It was quite obvious that trading Scuderi would prove to be difficult and Rutherford knew that. But, he still willingly took that chance. Recently though, folks started visiting this discussion once again and it seems that another possible rumor has surfaced on a viable destination for the 36-year old defenseman.
Will the Pittsburgh Penguins Take a Page From Toronto’s Book?
The Maple Leafs are a team with an endless amount of money. I’m not talking about salary cap dollars but actual currency. So, unsurprisingly, they’re more than willing to take on contracts for players that will sit on long-term injured-reserve in order to offload someone they no longer want in their organization. It’s simple logic. The player on LTIR opens up cap space and they’re able to fill that spot with whoever they see fit. The other team, likely not as profitable as Toronto, gets a player that can fill a role and no longer have dead money on the books.
The Leafs and Blue Jackets made a trade for this exact reason when they swapped Nathan Horton and David Clarkson. Clarkson is now in the Blue Jackets’ lineup, while Horton will collect a check from the Leafs on LTIR. Makes sense, right?
The Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t exactly the Toronto Maple Leafs but they are quite profitable in their own right. They could very well pull off a move like this and according to the guys at InsidePittsburghSports.Com, there may be some validity to it. The deal that’s being discussed is Rob Scuderi and a draft pick for Ryan Clowe, who was recently told by doctors that he can no longer play hockey due to his multitude of concussions.
Why This Deal Makes Sense for Both Parties
Ryan Clowe is owed roughly $14.5 million over the next three years of his contract. But, considering that he’ll remain on LTIR, his annual cap hit will not impact Pittsburgh’s ceiling. And, though I don’t know the specifics behind how it works, I’d assume that part of that total is paid by insurance. In turn, the Pens free up Scuderi’s $3.375 million and give themselves some much-needed flexibility.
The Devils aren’t going to be a competitive team for a few more years. So, adding Scuderi’s veteran presence and a high draft pick to assist in their rebuild can benefit them. I would assume that the second round pick we received in the Brandon Sutter for Nick Bonino swap would be the one dangled as bait.
The challenge here is that both players have some type of no movement clause. While I can’t imagine Clowe would care, Scuderi may not want to willingly leave for a team that has no hope of winning before his contract expires. Especially considering that this is likely his last contract in the NHL.
I’ve touched on trading Scuderi a few times over the last few months and mentioned that Jim Rutherford will likely have to get very creative. This rumor fits that mold and could workout well for both teams. I personally have no sources relaying this information so I can’t confirm the validity of this rumor but it’s the first Scuderi rumbling that actually holds water and makes sense. Kudos to the team at InsidePittsburghSports.Com.
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Next: Looking Ahead: Players That May Be Traded in 2015-16