Pittsburgh Penguins sign defenseman Jan Rutta to three-year contract with $2.75 million AAV
The Pittsburgh Penguins brought a two-time Stanley Cup winner to their blueline on Day 1 of NHL free agency, inking right-shot defenseman Jan Rutta to a three-year, $8.25 million contract carrying a cap hit of $2.75 million.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>The Penguins have signed defenseman Jan Rutta to a three-year contract worth $8.25 million.<br> <br>The contract will begin in the 2022.23 season and runs through the 2024.25 season, and carries an average annual value of $2.75 million.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) July 13, 2022
Rutta, 31, had spent the past few seasons playing on the Tampa Bay Lightning’s mini dynasty. He was acquired in a January 2019 trade, re-signed that summer for a year and signed another contract for two years carrying him through the end of the 2021-22 season. Rutta played for the 2018-19 Bolts, who tied an NHL record with 62 wins; the 2019-20 and 2020-21 Bolts, who captured consecutive Stanley Cups; and the 2021-22 Bolts, who lost to the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final, falling just short of a three-peat.
Rutta was merely a big-bodied depth contributor on those squads, of course, playing 15:58 per game in the regular season with the Lightning and 14:21 in the postseason during his tenure. His three goals and 18 points in 2021-22 were more than he had in his previous two seasons combined. He profiles as more of a bottom-pair defenseman but technically has a fair amount of top-pairing experience. His most common partner by far is future Hall of Famer Victor Hedman. Rutta’s impact on 5-on-5 playdriving declined significantly when Hedman wasn’t on the ice with him – though one could argue almost anyone would be worse without Hedman than with him.