Newcomer provides flexibility
But GM insists ex-Duck not tied to Brassard plans
Pittburgh Post-Gazette
GLENDALE, Ariz. — While Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford likes Joseph Blandisi as a player, the expectation for the forward acquired from Anaheim in an early Thursday morning swap is not for him to replace Derick Brassard. Or even for Blandisi to back-fill a spot and let someone else slide up to third-line center.
“It’s totally separate,” Rutherford told the Post-Gazette by phone Thursday.
The biggest reason, Rutherford explained, has to do with roster flexibility. The Penguins feared losing Derek Grant — whom they traded to Anaheim to get Blandisi — for nothing via waivers if they tried to re-assign Grant to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, which is why Grant was a healthy scratch nine times in a 10-game stretch from Dec. 19-Jan. 8.
“Part of the deal, aside from us liking this younger player, was to have more flexibility on that 13th forward,” Rutherford said. “Derek ended up being the healthy scratch for a long time. Now, we have the flexibility of bringing whoever we want up from WilkesBarre.”
First, however, Blandisi will play at least a game with the Penguins — Friday against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena. After that, Rutherford said, “We’ll make a decision going forward.”
There’s a couple of balls in the air with that, starting with Patric Hornqvist, who’s back in Pittsburgh, skating and recovering from his fifth concussion since 2014.
Once Hornqvist returns, whether it’s Blandisi or someone else, that guy is going to be out of the lineup, barring other injuries.
Secondly, pay attention to Garrett Wilson. Rutherford likes him a lot, and what Wilson has done with the NHL club has not gone unnoticed.
“We like the role that Wilson plays,” Rutherford said. “This opens the door for him.”
Wilson hasn’t added much offense, but he has been solid on the penalty kill, throws his body around, and his Penguins teammates like him a lot. If there’s a situation where a fight is warranted, Wilson isn’t the least bit shy about doing that, either.
“Probably Wilson is the key guy we talk about,” Rutherford said. “He brings special elements to our team, the leadership, the physical play and whatnot that we really like.”
Grant, 28, had two goals and five points in 25 games with the Penguins after signing as a free agent over the summer. It’s a far cry from the 12 goals he scored with the Ducks in 2017-18, although Rutherford said he has no problem with how everything worked out.
“We added him as another center for depth. I think it worked out exactly the way we expected,” he said.
“We get him for nothing and end up with a 24-year-old center/left wing. Whether [Blandisi fits] or he doesn’t, the purpose is to have that flexibility.”
Blandisi (5-11, 187) carries a cap hit of $680,000 at the NHL level and will be a restricted free agent this summer. He had eight goals and 23 assists in 27 games with the Ducks’ American Hockey League affiliate in San Diego this season and did not record a point in three games with Anaheim.
Blandisi broke into the NHL with New Jersey and joined the Ducks in the trade that sent center Adam Henrique to Anaheim. He had five goals and 12 assists in 41 games with the Devils during his rookie season.
Despite his relatively modest size, Blandisi can play a gritty, agitating game.
“He’s young, can play wing or center, and he has energy,” Rutherford said of Blandisi, who was taken in the sixth round (162nd overall) in the 2012 NHL draft in Pittsburgh.
As for other business, Rutherford said activity around the league has been “pretty standard” for this time of year.
With Justin Schultz set to come back in the next couple of weeks, Rutherford knows he’ll need to trade a defenseman. There’s also continued speculation around the Penguins potentially moving Brassard, although Rutherford said he doesn’t understand where that’s coming from.
“Nothing’s changed,” Rutherford said of his previous stance that he’d be looking at things closely to ensure Brassard is the right guy for the job.