The Pittsburgh Penguins have lost their marbles

Has Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutheford lost his mind? It sure seems like it after he acquired Erik Gudbranson at the NHL trade deadline.

The portion of Pittsburgh Penguins fans who realized how progressive and important that Sabres general manager Jason Botterill was to the Penguins front office had significant worries about the future of the Pens following his departure in June of 2017. People laughed and downplayed Botterill’s role.  “The Penguins will be fine,” they said. Newsflash – the Penguins are a gosh darn mess.

Following Monday’s Erik Gudbranson acquisition, general manager Jim Rutherford has officially lost his marbles. This is a fireable offense. The Penguins were heading in this direction following the asinine Jack Johnson signing on July 1. And now they are speeding down it.

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Mark February 25, 2019, down as the day that Rutherford has slammed the Penguins Stanley Cup window shut. Pittsburgh’s front office has developed an obsession for employing below-average defenders. The Penguins will now combine to pay Gudbranson and Johnson $7.25 Million for (at least!) the next two seasons.

Over the last two years, Ron Hainsey, Matt Hunwick, Jack Johnson, Erik Gudbranson, and now Chris Wideman have all walked through the door.

The Penguins have changed their team identity numerous times over the last two seasons. They now employ a trio of below-average defenders. Only three you say? There is still room to add to this disgraceful trio.

Gudbranson has been even worse than Johnson this season. Courtesy of Natural Stat Trick, with Gudbranson on the ice, the Canucks generated 43% of the even-strength shot attempts and shots on goal. Even worse, Vancouver generated just 38% of the scoring chances. Only six NHL skaters have been on the ice for more goals against than Gudbranson (59) this season.

Gudbranson does not suppress shots. He does not drive possession. Gudbranson does nothing well. Micah Blake McCurdy’s excellent chart and tweet say it all below.

In the offensive zone, you want to see red near the net. Red would represent Gudbranson’s team generating high-quality offensive scoring- chances. In the defensive zone, dark blue in the defensive zone suggests that a player can limit chances against and suppress shots. With Gudbranson, it is backwards. He does neither.

There are eight years (and a decade in Johnson’s case) worth of data to suggest Gudbranson is a below-average defender. Both of these players are former third-overall draft selections. If paired together, Johnson and Gudbranson will be amongst the worst defensive pairs in the NHL.

There is no long-term plan or sense of direction for this franchise right now. Sergei Gonchar is not “fixing” this player. The fanbase does not need to “give him a chance.” That is a crock of crap. The local media will try and brainwash the fans. Do not feed into it. The Penguins have become a defensive circus. They are in significant trouble.

The bottom line is that the Penguins have essentially replaced Carl Hagelin with yet another below-average defender with significant money and term. Gudbranson stinks. Jack Johnson stinks. Jim Rutherford stinks.

Thanks for reading!