Blackhawks Re-Sign Jan Rutta for 2018-19

  

The Chicago Blackhawks announced this morning that they had re-signed Czech defenseman Jan Rutta to contract for the 2018-19 season at a reported annual cap hit of $2.25 million.

Rutta was signed last June, and has played 43 games with the Blackhawks this season. He also leads all Blackhawks defenseman with six goals, despite missing 24 games with injuries and Joel Quenneville healthy scratches.

After signing Erik Gustafsson earlier in the week, this announcement comes as a bit of a head scratcher. With Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Connor Murphy, Jordan Oesterle, Erik Gustafsson, Carl Dahlstrom, Gustav Forsling, and now Jan Rutta all coming back next season, the Blackhawks defensive corp is once again going to be dragging along, what looks to be, some dead weight.

The optics of recent moves would tell you that a rough cap hit next season of $3.5 million for Jan Rutta and Erik Gustafsson is a bit of an over payment. If either of these players do not work out, they will need to pass through waivers and the Blackhawks will only be able to bury $1.025 million of each player’s contract. The remainder of the balance would still count against the cap. Not only does this seem like and over payment, but this announcement also seems very premature.

It has been widely speculated that the Blackhawks would need to either need to upgrade through trade or sign a free agent defenseman in the off-season. Bringing back the entire defensive corp of a team that is currently last in their division and fourth worst in the western conference does not seem like a winning formula for next season.

The cap is expected to increase significantly next season, but that is not a free pass for Stan Bowman to be loose with Rocky’s wallet. The Blackhawks are already suffering the consequences of Brent Seabrook’s bloated contract, which has him counting for $6.875 million against the cap until, seemingly, the apocalypse.

adsense

About Jeff Osborn

Jeff has covered the Blackhawks since 2009 with his former website www.puckinhostile.com and podcast The Puckin Hostile Shoutcast until 2017, when he moved over to The Rink. After a short hiatus to cover the inaugural Seattle Kraken season, he came back to Blackhawks coverage and started "The Net Perspective" podcast to discuss goaltending and goaltender development.

     

Center Ice Forums Blackhawks Re-Sign Jan Rutta for 2018-19

Viewing 13 posts - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #5936
    Jeff Osborn
    Keymaster

    The Chicago Blackhawks announced this morning that they had re-signed Czech defenseman Jan Rutta to contract for the 2018-19 season at a reported annu
    [To continue reading full article, click here: Blackhawks Re-Sign Jan Rutta for 2018-19]

    #5939
    hawkeytalk
    Participant

    Not even sure what to make of this move. My gut reaction was ‘WTF?’  But as much as it takes up a roster space and cap hit, Rutta has been okay and will probably be better (especially defensively) next season than he is now. Also expecting Stan to move one of the d men on the roster, so this won’t look so bad. I don’t know, time will tell.

    #5940
    Jeff Osborn
    Keymaster

    [quote quote=5939]Not even sure what to make of this move. My gut reaction was ‘WTF?’ But as much as it takes up a roster space and cap hit, Rutta has been okay and will probably be better (especially defensively) next season than he is now. Also expecting Stan to move one of the d men on the roster, so this won’t look so bad. I don’t know, time will tell.

    [/quote]

    Honestly, I like Rutta. But then let Gustafsson go. Shit, Gus is/was an RFA. All you have to do it qualify him with a offer of $715,000. They are just over paying mediocre defensemen for nothing

    #5942
    Hank_Greenberg
    Participant

    [quote quote=5940]

    Honestly, I like Rutta. But then let Gustafsson go. Shit, Gus is/was an RFA. All you have to do it qualify him with a offer of $715,000. They are just over paying mediocre defensemen for nothing

    [/quote]

    Unless there’s a significant move coming among the defensemen that we don’t know about, tying up $3.5M AAV for those two defensemen makes absolutely no sense.

     

    #5945
    hawkeytalk
    Participant

    For some reason, I cannot quote still – I see people quoting all the time but can’t seem to get it to stick when I try. I try to quote it, type up the response and then when I submit, it doesn’t hold. Has anyone else run into this and gotten it worked out? Anyway, my response to you guys…

    Totally. Willing to give this one until the start of next year to see what Bowman ends up doing with the backend. The defensive woes are so universally accepted as the Hawks’ biggest issue, I have a hard time imagining Bowman doesn’t make one bold-ish move this offseason and/or swap Gustafsson/Rutta as part of a deal for something bigger. No way he can actually think that the defense will improve significantly going into next year as-constructed. Not to say there isn’t some growth to be tapped into with some of the current d men, but they need real stability there, not banking on leaps and bounds progress from 25+ year-old d men.

    #5946
    hawkeytalk
    Participant

    Also, I’ll be at the game tonight – wish me luck…

    #5953
    Chico Maki
    Participant

    With this signing you gotta believe there’s going to be a trade –during the summer–of someone on the blue line.

     

    #5954
    DK002
    Participant

    Hey Hawkey I tried to quote as well – it disappeared…but who knows if this is your defense Bowman shouldn’t be the GM once the season ends…again both of the signings are overpays and all of those add up and cost you players…but Stan knows all about that.

    As far as a trade I’ll believe it when I see it Chico…nobody is taking the Seabrook deal unless you’re going to throw in DeBrincat…

    Meanwhile Ron Francis is available if McD had a clue Francis would be on the first plane to Chicago and new GM of the Hawks.  But McD remains clueless.

    #5956
    Chico Maki
    Participant

    I don’t expect Seabrook to be moved. That contract is a non starter.

    But with signing Gustafson and now Ruuta, and you gotta think Forsling is gonna be in the mix, maybe Murphy is the guy that gets moved out.

    Unless….. Bowman really wants to tank–collect draft picks, and moves Keith.

     

    #5958
    Chico Maki
    Participant

    I fully expect Stan to announce the signing of Rosival–to a 2 year ( no movement) contract.

    Makes perfect sense.

     

    #5943
    CTBLACKHAWKFAN
    Participant

    [quote quote=5936]The Chicago Blackhawks announced this morning that they had re-signed Czech defenseman Jan Rutta to contract for the 2018-19 season at a reported annu[To continue reading full article, click here: Blackhawks Re-Sign Jan Rutta for 2018-19]

    [/quote]Hopefully some writer asks Bowman his thought process, I least it’s a one year deal, I just don’t get this and the 2 yr deal EG got , same thing , EG should have gotten 1yr at 750K , Rundbald all over again .

    #5944
    hawkeytalk
    Participant

    [quote quote=5942]

    Honestly, I like Rutta. But then let Gustafsson go. Shit, Gus is/was an RFA. All you have to do it qualify him with a offer of $715,000. They are just over paying mediocre defensemen for nothing

    Unless there’s a significant move coming among the defensemen that we don’t know about, tying up $3.5M AAV for those two defensemen makes absolutely no sense.

    [/quote]

    Totally. Willing to give this one until the start of next year to see what Bowman ends up doing with the backend. The defensive woes are so universally accepted as the Hawks’ biggest issue, I have a hard time imagining Bowman doesn’t make one bold-ish move this offseason and/or swap Gustafsson/Rutta as part of a deal for something bigger. No way he can actually think that the defense will improve significantly going into next year as-constructed. Not to say there isn’t some growth to be tapped into with some of the current d men, but they need real stability there, not banking on leaps and bounds progress from 25+ year-old d men.

    #5949
    DK002
    Participant

    [quote quote=5942]

    Honestly, I like Rutta. But then let Gustafsson go. Shit, Gus is/was an RFA. All you have to do it qualify him with a offer of $715,000. They are just over paying mediocre defensemen for nothing

    Unless there’s a significant move coming among the defensemen that we don’t know about, tying up $3.5M AAV for those two defensemen makes absolutely no sense.

    [/quote] Well you’re talking about Stan Bowman here…really no need to say more.   I like Rutta as well.  But a 3.5 cap hit for those two combined…there’s dumb and then there’s Bowman.

Viewing 13 posts - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.