Chad Ruhwedel's status as regular Penguins defenseman hits snag with covid protocol

Chad Ruhwedel’s resume certainly is limited.

A Stanley Cup ring in 2017? OK, that’s pretty nice.

After that, it drops off.

Especially when you consider in his first nine years as an NHLer, he almost was strictly a reserve, asked to jump on the ice whenever another defenseman was injured or unavailable.

That’s what makes his 10th year all the more significant.

Having played in all eight of the Penguins games so far in 2021-22, Ruhwedel is doing something he never has done before in his career.

Before this season, Ruhwedel never opened a season among a team’s top-six defensemen.

But considering the 31-year-old still has more career AHL games (211) than NHL games (195) on his resume, he is not taking his current good fortune for granted.

Being a regular in a NHL lineup is not something he views as an accomplishment or milestone to tout.

“I would say I look at it more as an opportunity,” Ruhwedel said. “It’s nice to get some quality minutes in early on in the season, kind of get your legs under you, get into a rhythm instead of having to come into the lineup at random times of the year. I’m just trying to seize this opportunity.”

That opportunity was interrupted Sunday when the team announced Ruhwedel and fellow defenseman Marcus Pettersson were placed into the NHL’s list for covid-19 protocol. The Penguins did not specify if either player had tested positive for the virus.

With Ruhwedel and Pettersson removed from the active roster, defenseman P.O Joseph was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and could be in the lineup for Thursday’s home game against the rival Philadelphia Flyers.

As for Ruhwedel, he has justified his place in the lineup most of the season.

While he has no points, he has been in the black in terms of puck-possession metrics. According to Natural Stat Trick, Ruhwedel has been on the ice for 112 shots for and 99 shots against during five-on-five situations.

Surprisingly, Ruhwedel is second on the team with four drawn penalties while averaging a fairly mundane 15 minutes, 16 seconds of total ice time.

“When Chad’s at his very best, you don’t notice him because he’s just very positionally sound,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “He makes simple plays. He defends well. There’s no aspect of Chad’s game that I think jumps out at you with any sort of a ‘wow’ factor. He’s not blazing fast, or dynamic, explosive (on) offensive or he doesn’t have bone-crushing body checks.

“The best aspect of his game is simplicity. He knows what his role is, and he plays it extremely well for us. That’s the value that Chad brings to this team.”

Initially joining the Penguins as a free agent signing in 2016 after four seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, Ruhwedel’s greatest value with the Penguins has been his steadfast readiness in the event a defenseman above him on the depth chart was unavailable.

The devotion he has shown to his craft —even when the reward of playing time wasn’t always there — has made him one of the team’s most respected players.

“He’s super steady,” forward Sidney Crosby said. “He knows his game. And when he’s not playing, he does an unbelievable job of just making sure he is when he goes in. There’s a lot of things that go into that.

“His mentality, his preparation. He’s just really steady. It doesn’t matter how long he goes without being in the lineup. He always comes back and it looks like he’s been paying for a while. It’s a credit to him. It’s not easy to do that and he’s been doing it for a while.”

For the most part this season, Ruhwedel has been paired with Mike Matheson as they have averaged 55:28 of common five-on-five ice time together.

Blessed with hiccup-quick skates but cursed the occasional defensive miscue, Matheson seems to appreciate what the steady and safe Ruhwedel can offer him.

“We’ve been reading off each other well,” Matheson said. “Communicating well. We’re getting more and more used to the way each other plays and where each other (is) in certain situations. The more that we play together, the more seamless that will be.”

His partner concurs.

“(Matheson is) a talented player,” Ruhwedel said. “Fun to play with. He definitely makes it easy on his (defensive) partner.”

What has also made life easier for Ruhwedel and all the team’s defensemen has been the ability to work more directly with assistant coach Todd Reirden, who oversees the team’s blue line and has gained a reputation for helping defensemen improve their games through detailed one-on-one meetings and video sessions

Last season, because of covid-19 restrictions, face-to-face interactions between players and coaches were limited. Today, fewer of those barriers are in place.

“Todd’s a real pleasure to work with,” Ruhwedel, a right-hander, said. “He’s got a lot of positive energy for the (defensive) corps. His video sessions are really good. Definitely brings out the best in all the (defensemen). Being able to work a little more with him this year has been a treat.”

Being a regular part of the lineup to open a season for the first time has also been a treat.

“It’s definitely preferred,” Ruhwedel said. “Just being in a rhythm, being able to play every night, it definitely gets your confidence up. It gets you acclimated to the speed, you just naturally stay in shape, stay in that right hockey mindset. Just going to do best to my best to be ready for whatever happens.”

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