Why Chad Ruhwedel signing was smart move by Rangers
Though not a sexy move, the New York Rangers made a smart one Friday when they brought Chad Ruhwedel back on a a League-minimum one-year, two-way contract that pays him $775,000 at the NHL level.
This move is not flashy by any means, but it’s a smart play by Rangers general manager Chris Drury because the 34-year-old defenseman gives the Blueshirts increased security and maneuverability on the blue line. That he’s familiar with the system, players and coach Peter Laviolette is an extra plus.
Seeking depth at defense, the Rangers traded for Ruhwedel ahead of the 2024 trade deadline, sending a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Despite injuries to Jacob Trouba, Ryan Lindgren, and Eric Gustafsson, Ruhwedel didn’t see much playing time, appearing in just five regular-season games with Zac Jones the first option to fill in on the blue line down the stretch.
Since the top-six defensemen were able to each play all 16 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, neither Jones nor Ruhwedel played in the postseason and Ruhwedel entered the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. Still unsigned nearly two weeks after the beginning of NHL free agency, Ruhwedel returned to New York on the team-friendly deal.
Ruhwedel is likely the seventh defenseman on the depth chart now that Gustafsson signed a two-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings and Jones is expected to replace him on the third pair. Adding him to the roster is a savvy move by Drury that gives the Rangers increased flexibility through the offseason and into next season.
Related: Rangers bring Chad Ruhwedel back to add depth on defense
Chad Ruhwedel could play important role for Rangers next season
Ruhwedel didn’t play a major role for the Rangers this past season, and to be quite honest, they didn’t need him to. It quickly became evident that Jones would be the first defenseman called on if anyone went down, and deservedly so after the way he performed over the course of his 31 games. So, that put Ruhwedel eighth on the depth chart.
But that doesn’t mean Ruhwedel can’t be trusted to take on a larger role. Ruhwedel played in 47 of Pittsburgh’s 61 games prior to the trade, almost exclusively in a bottom-pairing role. He ended the season with 52 games between Pittsburgh and New York, averaging 12:42 TOI.
His underlying metrics were excellent for a depth defenseman. Ruhwedel ranked in the 83rd percentile defensively and finished with the 47th-best GAR at even-strength defense among NHL defensemen (per Evolving Hockey).
It’s not to say that he’s anywhere close to a top-50 defenseman in the League, but rather that he wouldn’t be a liability if the Rangers need to use him in the bottom pairing.
He doesn’t bring much to the table offensively, notching four points last season and topping double digits just twice in his 12-year career. In fact, Ruhwedel was one of the worst defensemen analytically at even-strength offense.
But the Rangers don’t need him to generate offense. Adam Fox, K’Andre Miller, Braden Schneider, and Jones are more than capable from the blue line when it comes to that side of the game. They just need someone who can reliably fill in and play sound defense.
Ruhwedel can do that plenty. He’s finished above average in defensive percentile for the past seven seasons, per Evolving Hockey’s charts.
With Jones moving up into a full-time role in the top six, Ruhwedel is a nice veteran safety net behind the 23-year-old.
Trouba’s future remains uncertain as rumors of a trade continue to circulate, albeit at a much slower rate now that the free-agency frenzy has passed.
It certainly seems much more likely that Trouba will start the 2024-25 season with the Rangers than it did a few weeks ago. However, if the Rangers send him somewhere else this offseason, Ruhwedel is now the prime candidate to slot in on the bottom-pair righthand side. It’d be a downgrade physically and in other ways, but it’s a role the 2017 Stanley Cup champion can handle.
Ruhwedel can also play the left side, another plus. So if something were to happen to Lindgren, for example, Miller and Jones could move up a slot, and Ruhwedel could easily play third-pair on the left side.
In fact, Ruhwedel shouldn’t be used as anything more than a bottom-pairing defenseman. He’s averaged over 15 minutes a game just once in the past five seasons so it would be best to keep him in a somewhat limited role if he does become an everyday player, particularly considering he’ll be 34 next season.
Nonetheless, he’s a valuable safety blanket to have, particularly with the questions surrounding Jones being a regular for the first time in the NHL, and Trouba’s future with the Blueshirts.
Ruhwedel grades out far better than Ben Harpur, who was likely the top option for seventh defenseman prior to this signing, so it’s a major upgrade for the Blueshirts in terms of depth. Plus, it gives them the freedom to move on from one or two players if they ultimately need to.
With cap space coming at a premium for the Rangers, that extra flexibility at a League minimum rate is invaluable.
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