Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford indicated with the Phil Kessel trade that he was serious about upgrading his team and making a run at a Cup next season. Rutherford's further moves on Tuesday made clear the veteran NHL personnel executive's desires. Shortly after signing forward Eric Fehr, most recently of the Washington Capitals, to a three-year deal, Rutherford shipped Brandon Sutter and a third-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a 2016 second-rounder, forward Nick Bonino and defenseman Adam Clendening.
It was an odd trade for the Canucks, who seemed to lose a bit of secondary scoring - Sutter did tie his career-high in goals last year, with 21, but managed just 33 points overall - especially considering Bonino, still just 27, managed 49 and 39 points the last two seasons. Of course, the 26-year-old Sutter likely represents a bigger potential upside for the Canucks considering he was a former first-round pick and Bonino a meager sixth.
For the Pens, Rutherford shored up his forward depth with two players, Bonino and Fehr, who will wind up costing Pittsburgh only slightly more than they'd be paying Sutter in 2015-16. Sutter, entering the final year of a two-year bridge deal signed prior to the 2014-15 season, is slated to make $3.3 million next year. Bonino's cap hit for the 2015-16 season is $1.9 and Fehr's new pact carries an average annual value of $2 million.
Fehr, 29, has played most of his decade-long NHL career with the Capitals. Last season he managed 19 goals and 33 points total for the league's Washington-based franchise. He was also a key part of the Caps penalty-kill unit. He is recovering from elbow surgery and is facing a timetable of 4-6 months before a return to health.
Clendening, just 22, was a former high second-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks. He saw his first taste of NHL action just last year, appearing in four games for the Hawks and 17 for the Canucks. He's mostly just potential at this point and adds yet another body to Rutherford's collection of young, possibly ready to make the jump NHL blueliners.
In short, for just $600,000 more, Rutherford increased the Penguins cache of high draft picks for next season and added 39 points to the bottom-six on his roster. Not bad for a GM many were questioning in the wake of his decision to add to his already top-heavy lineup via the Kessel trade.
