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The Pittsburgh Penguins envisioned a defensive shutdown pairing anchored by Stanley Cup champion Jan Rutta when they signed him to a three-year contract in the summer of 2022. Fresh off of playing 17+ games in the postseason for two straight years, Rutta offered a vast departure from the former team's smaller and less physical makeup, while still being able to contribute to a mobile offensive team. His season started strong, delivering on all that was promised as he averaged over 17 minutes of ice time per game.
After being a source of consistency for the first half of the season, his season took a turn for the worse. Injuries derailed his season, keeping him out of the lineup for 25 of the final 39 games down the stretch. Frustration mounted, as he recovered from one injury and found himself dealing with another. During an interview this past April, Rutta didn't mince words when discussing it.
“The injuries have been (expletive) this year,” he said using a bowel related curse word. And his statement couldn't be more accurate, as the injury bug hindered him from excelling in his first season with his new team. Going into the 2023-24 season, Rutta and the Penguins are looking to rectify that.
Find Your Inner Beast
Looking at this past season for Rutta, it stands out how much his physicality was stifled due to injuries. The scouting report on him is pretty clear: he's a stay at home defender that outmuscles you down low, clears the crease, and strips pucks. Two-thirds of his game was taken away from him and was visibly absent from his second half performance, and his performance suffered. He lacked his usual ability to bully the opposition in his zone and he struggled to be an impact defender on the penalty kill. These issues certainly seem to be an effect of his multiple injuries, especially the core muscles he had surgically repaired this past April.
Take a look at this fighting clip between Jan Rutta and Nick Cousins from 2022, when Rutta was still a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The fight itself is a display of his strength as he clearly is the stronger combatant. What really stands out about this clip, however, is what precedes the scuffle. As the play begins to exit the zone, Rutta steps in after Cousins slashes another Lightning player. He notices the dirty play and instantly intervenes. Even as the puck and camera move up ice, Rutta stays engaged, jousting with Cousins until the two drop the gloves.
In the video, we see a side of Jan Rutta that was hardly present last season. He brought that gritty, thorn in your side kind of physicality every night during his Tampa Bay tenure. He needs to unlock that inner rage and let it loose for the Penguins.
Penalty Killer
Between November 1 and December 31st 2022, the Penguins sported the league's best penalty killing unit. They killed off nearly 93% off all power plays during that time. A huge reason why was the defensive play of Rutta. Over those 27 games, he blocked more than one shot per game and averaged over a hit per game as well. Simply put, Rutta was the defensive presence he was advertised to be. He ate pucks and was seeing a steady increase in ice time each game, giving the Penguins a consistent and steady presence on the back end.
By January, he was emerging as the team's top penalty killing defenseman. In six games during the new year, he played just a hair over 20 minutes a night before the injuries started.
Moving forward, the penalty kill will depend on the play of Rutta. With the revamped group of forwards equipped to play on the kill, the onus shifts to Rutta and Marcus Pettersson to be the shutdown pair when killing penalties. He has the positional awareness and shot blocking abilities to get back there, and a clean bill of health will be crucial.
The Penguins are currently operating out a position of depth. They have five goalies, 15 forwards, and nine defenders with NHL games played, but only 23 spots available. With Rutta's contract being a bit expensive for what he provides, he could be a possible trade candidate to reduce the salary cap crunch. If he stays and remains healthy, however, he will be pivotal to the Penguins' defensive renaissance next season.
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