With the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2022-23 season coming to an end without any postseason action, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 49 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until next season — with the organization, from mid-level prospect Corey Andonovski to top-six winger Jason Zucker.
This series will publish every weekday leading into the NHL Draft on June 28 and 29.
(Note: All contract information courtesy of Cap Friendly.)
Chad Ruhwedel
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Right
Age: 33
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 191 pounds
2022-23 NHL statistics: 47 games, five points (one goal, four assists)
Contract: In the first year of a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $800,000. Pending unrestricted free agent in the 2024 offseason.
Acquired: Unrestricted free agent signing, July 1, 2016
Last season: For the first time in his decade-long existence as an NHLer, Chad Ruhwedel was regular in a lineup during the 2021-22 campaign as he appeared in 78 of a possible 82 regular season games.
As he entered the first year of a new contract, it looked as though he was set to open the 2022-23 campaign with a secure place in the lineup once again.
But former general manager Ron Hextall ended up reshuffling the defense last offseason and stocked up the right side of the blue line with veterans Jeff Petry and Jan Rutta, leaving Ruhwedel on the outside looking in as a reserve.
Ruwhedel opened the season as a healthy scratch for four games then got into the lineup as a seventh defenseman in a 6-3 road win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 22 when salary cap limitations didn’t allow the team to dress a traditional lineup with 12 forwards and six defensemen.
Through the first six weeks of the season, Ruwhedel appeared in only six of a possible 22 games. When top defenseman Kris Letang, a fellow right-hander, was sidelined due to a stroke in late November, Ruhwedel began to see steadier ice time. A suspected left arm injury suffered by Petry in mid-December then an undisclosed injury that hobbled Rutta in mid-January allowed Ruwhedel to stay on the ice for most of the next two months while primarily skating on a pairing with rookie defenseman P.O Joseph.
By mid-February, Ruhwedel was a healthy scratch once again and was a spectator for 11 consecutive games.
But more injuries cratered the Penguins’ blue line by mid-March as Petry and Rutta as well as left-handers Marcus Pettersson and Dmitry Kulikov were all waylaid by various maladies. That prompted a return for Ruhwedel who played in 10 consecutive games between March 8 and April 4.
During that stretch, he scored his lone goal of the season in a 4-3 overtime home win against the rival Washington Capitals on March 25.
As the Penguins’ playoff hopes slipped away in the final days of the regular season, Ruwhedel was a healthy scratch for the team’s last four games.
The future: The Penguins’ defense will need to undergo something of an overhaul this offseason, particularly with the guys above Ruhwedel on the depth chart.
Plenty of problems ailed the Penguins’ blue line in 2022-23, but it’s hard to pin many of them on Ruwhedel. He’s a reserve who only got into the lineup when injuries created openings.
His place on the roster is hardly guaranteed, but he remains a good fit as a seventh or eighth defenseman. He has a cheap contract, he has sufficient skating for the modern game and he generally makes safe decisions with minimal risks. Plus, right-handed defensemen are always a bit more scarce than left-handers.
Perhaps most importantly, he has complete trust from the coaching staff when he’s called upon given his fastidious approach to his vocation.
Some much bigger things need to be sorted out on the Penguins’ roster, but it’s safe to assume Ruhwedel will be ready for any role.
Seth Rorabaugh is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Seth by email at srorabaugh@triblive.com or via Twitter .