CHICAGO _ Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said last week he felt the Penguins needed to bulk up and add some physicality as they prepare to defend the Stanley Cup for a second consecutive season. At the NHL draft Friday night, Rutherford did just that.
The Penguins acquired winger Ryan Reaves from St. Louis, as well as a second-round pick, in exchange for the 31st overall pick in the first round and center Oskar Sundqvist.
"When you want to get the guy that's the best at doing what he does, then you have to pay a price," Rutherford said. "Regardless of what we paid, we're very happy to have him."
Reaves is under contract through next season, and his cap hit will be $1.125 million.
At 6 feet 1 and 225 pounds, Reaves certainly will add some of that physicality to the Penguins forward group. He finished 10th in the NHL with 239 recorded hits last season, and has picked up more than 100 penalty minutes in three of the last four years. He also has 56 career regular-season fights.
Rutherford wanted to add some muscle this offseason because of the way he felt the Penguins star players were treated over the course of their Stanley Cup defense this season, particularly the treatment Sidney Crosby got in the playoffs.
"We won the Cup two years in a row, and teams played us even harder than they usually do," Rutherford said. "Now, we expect it to come again this year. It was important to get him.
"We recognize that Oskar's a good young player, but we also recognize that we're getting a little bit tired of getting beat up game after game."
Coach Mike Sullivan also noticed more aggression.
"I felt like one of the tactics teams try to deploy to play against us is they try to be physical, they try to bang us, they try to slow us down," Sullivan said.
"That's one aspect that we noticed a little bit more this year. I think Ryan can help us with a little bit of pushback in that regard."
Rutherford and Sullivan both stressed, though, that Reaves is more than just an enforcer.
"I think obviously Ryan is guy that, when he's in your lineup, people take notice," Sullivan said. "I think he adds that element to our team. But he's a good player. He can really skate. I think he's good on the forecheck, I think he's a sound two-way player that we know we can put on the ice. I really think he's going to help our team. We're thrilled to have him."
Reaves' fighting has actually decreased over the past few seasons.
He has 11 fights in the last two years after getting into 20 the two seasons before that. He is also coming off the best offensive season of his career, with career highs in goals (7) and points (13).
Sullivan, too, specifically praised Reaves' skating ability, saying it might be an underrated aspect of his game.
It could be the key to Reaves walking that delicate line between being the physical player the Penguins want, while also fitting into their up-tempo system.
Sullivan is also optimistic the Penguins can help Reaves, 30, develop his game. He'll be a bottom-six winger for the Penguins, but Sullivan said finding the right combination could help him out.
"We think there's more to his game and if we can put him with the right people, then we think we can really help him grow his game, as well," Sullivan said.
Every acquisition comes with a cost, of course, and for the Penguins, that meant parting with Sundqvist, 23, who was the front-runner for one of the vacant bottom-six center spots next season.
"It's real tough," Sullivan said. "This is the reality of the business that we're in.
"Jim has to make some difficult decisions on how he's going to improve our hockey team, help us continue to our winning track."
Rutherford now faces a few more big decisions in front of him.
With the loss of Sundqvist, the Penguins may have to acquire two NHL centers before next season starts.
Nick Bonino is an unrestricted free agent _ who Rutherford has expressed interest in resigning _ and Matt Cullen is expected to retire.
There's plenty of time to address those issues, though.
The trade also meant the Penguins did not make a first-round draft choice for the third consecutive season.
