Ex-Penguin Mike Rupp says new acquisitions must make strong early impressions

It’s been all Penguins hockey all week long on the “Breakfast with Benz” podcast.

Why wouldn’t it be? Given the Penguins’ recent trade activity and their four-game losing streak, there has been a lot to discuss.

I recently interviewed former Penguin Mike Rupp on 105.9 the X. He’s now an analyst on AT&T SportsNet and the NHL Network.

He told an interesting story about the importance of switching teams midseason and how crucial it is to make a good first impression on your new coaching staff.

At one point in Rupp’s career, that didn’t go well for him.

He and Jason Chimera were once traded together from the Coyotes to the Columbus Blue Jackets. As Rupp describes the experience, he had been used in higher-leverage situations in Phoenix than Chimera. But when the deal was done, Chimera got to Columbus, scored twice in their debut, and Rupp didn’t have a great game. From there on out, Chimera got more ice time in more high-profile spots.

“Next thing you know, Jason Chimera for the rest of that season is playing second line,” Rupp said. “And I’m playing fourth line. I dont think that was the plan the whole time, but you have to take advantage of the opprotunity when you get them. I didn’t. He did. And that’s how it is.”

LISTEN: Mike Rupp discusses importance of performing well after midseason trade

The reason I asked Rupp about that topic is that I feel the Penguins have been a little too quick when it comes to giving up on new players.

Or, at the very least, they see the negatives in those guys awfully fast and tend to avoid giving them the optimum chance to succeed. It’s almost as if the coaching staff and/or management focus on what new players can’t do, as opposed to how they hoped those new skaters would aid the team when they were acquired in the first place.

Word was the coaches started souring quickly on Derick Brassard. Like, within the first few weeks.

Apparently, they did with Dominik Kahun as well since he has already been traded to Buffalo.

And despite offseason prose a few years ago from general manager Jim Rutherford about the importance of acquiring Ryan Reaves and playing Daniel Sprong in a high-leverage role, it’s obvious Mike Sullivan couldn’t dust those experiments fast enough.

That’s to say nothing of the likes of Alex Galchenyuk and Tanner Pearson.

Hey, maybe all those guys stunk and Sullivan and Rutherford were right to bury them and move on as quickly as possible.

But as was the case with Brassard at the end of 2018, the Penguins are going to ride with Jason Zucker, Conor Sheary, Patrick Marleau and Evan Rodrigues for better or worse.

They have to at this point.

So Rupp tells us the importance of those players winning the faith of management and coaches immediately.

Maybe that conversation extends to Zucker playing on Sidney Crosby’s wing, too?

In the portion of the interview, Rupp and I dive into those theories.

Other topics include:

• Is Rodrigues really more of a center than a wing? And, if so, what becomes of the notion of moving Jared McCann back to the middle?

• We attempt to figure out who will flank Crosby by the time the playoffs start.

• If the answer to that debate isn’t Sheary or Dominik Simon, what do those players have to offer at all?

• And we get Rupp’s view on other Metro Division moves.