Pittsburgh Penguins trade for defeseman Ron Hainsey from Hurricanes
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford opted for familiarity and reliability when he acquired veteran Ron Hainsey Thursday to help his injury-depleted defense.
Rutherford dealt a second-round pick and minor leaguer Danny Kristo to the Carolina Hurricanes for Hainsey who signed in Carolina in 2013 when Rutherford was general manager there.
“He skates well, moves the puck well and he’s a good defender,” Rutherford told USA TODAY Sports.
Rutherford had been looking at adding a veteran defenseman to aid the Penguins’ quest to win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, but the need became more acute because of a rash of injuries on defense.
Olli Maatta will be out five more weeks after hand surgery, and it was announced that defenseman Trevor Daley will be out six weeks because of knee surgery. Defenseman Justin Schultz is also out with a concussion.
Hainsey, 35, has 891 games of regular-season experience and has been playing an average of 22 minutes per game. The Hurricanes are retaining 50% of Hainsey’s salary cap hit.
“He can play up and down the pairings,” Rutherford said. “He can play in the top pairing even – it just depends on how (coach Mike Sullivan) wants to use him. There’s a lot of flexibility.”
The familiarity Rutherford has with Hainsey was important because Rutherford wanted someone he was sure would fit well with his group. The scouting on Hainsey is that he is a cerebral player who can mold his game to fit what a team is trying to accomplish.
“He’s done a good job killing penalties and that’s an area we have to tighten up,” Rutherford said.
An oddity about Hainsey is that he has never played in a playoff game, even though he has been in the NHL since 2002.
“That isn’t a concern,” Rutherford said, “because I had five or six guys last year who hadn’t played a playoff game and they all contributed to our Stanley Cup.”
Rutherford is one of the NHL’s most aggressive traders, and has a history of not waiting until trade deadline day. Last season, Rutherford acquired Daley early in the season and Schultz two days before the trade deadline. The Hainsey deal comes six days before Wednesday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline.
Rutherford had motivation to act early because defensemen are in short supply in the trade market. Others who could move before the deadline include Kevin Shattenkirk, Mark Streit, Kyle Quincey, Brendan Smith, Dmitry Kulikov and Michael Del Zotto.
General managers seem more willing than usual to part with draft picks this year because the 2017 NHL draft crop is considered below average.
Are the Penguins’ considering other moves? “Right now we are going to digest what we have and where we are at,” Rutherford said. “I’m not going to rule out anything at this point.”
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