Penguins A to Z: Chad Ruhwedel is the perfect No. 7 defenseman
As the NHL prepares for a new season scheduled to start in mid-January, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 48 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.
Chad Ruhwedel
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Right
Age: 30
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 191 pounds
2019-20 NHL statistics: 41 games, six points (two goals, four assists)
Contract: Second year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $700,000. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2022
(Note: On Aug. 28, 2020, Ruhwedel signed a one-year contract extension with a salary cap hit of $750,000 for the 2021-22 season.)
Acquired: Unrestricted free agent signing, July 1, 2016
Last season: On the surface, appearing in 41 games isn’t anything remarkable. In fact, it’s perfectly average as a typical regular season is 82 games long.
But when your team’s season is limited to 69 games due to a worldwide pandemic, getting into 41 contests is a pretty solid accomplishment.
Also, when you consider you were a healthy scratch for the first 21 games of the regular season and didn’t get into the lineup until late November, 41 games are a lot given the circumstances.
And finally, when you were barely even on the roster of the wretched Buffalo Sabres of the mid-2010s, 41 games is something you probably never lose appreciation for.
Such is the case of Chad Ruhwedel.
Always ready and reliable, Ruhwedel filled in for the Penguins on the blue line when he was needed. After a fairly healthy run for the team’s other defensemen through the first month and a half, Ruhwedel was pressed into service for the first time on Nov. 21. And he rarely left the lineup until early March when most of them got healthy.
During that time, Ruhwedel offered his typical brand of safe, steady play. Rarely taking an unnecessary chance, he usually made the conservative, fundamentally sound play, rarely putting his team in danger when he had the puck. Additionally, with fellow defensemen Brian Dumoulin and John Marino each sidelined for significant periods of time, Ruhwedel even carved out a role on the penalty kill, averaging 1:17 of short-handed ice time per game.
The high point of Ruhwedel’s season came in a 5-3 road win against the Detroit Red Wings when he had a goal and an assist.
After being a healthy scratch for all four of the Penguins’ postseason games in August, he signed a one-year contract extension in late August.
The future: Things appear to be status quo for Ruhwedel so far through training camp. He’s back with Juuso Riikola on what might be the best “fourth” pair of defensemen in the NHL.
With the departure of defenseman Justin Schultz this past offseason, there was some thought that Ruhwedel would inhabit the right side of the third pairing but the signing of fellow right-handed defenseman Cody Ceci put that notion to the side for the time being.
Given Ceci’s shortcomings as well as the likelihood of the Penguins missing players on a regular basis due to coronavirus-related concerns, it’s probable that Ruhwedel will have a regular spot in the lineup, even if it comes at irregular junctures.
A smooth skater who can get the puck up ice, he’s the perfect No. 7 defenseman for the Penguins in many ways.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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