PITTSBURGH – For the better part of eight seasons, Chad Ruhwedel has been one of the most reliable depth defensemen on the Pittsburgh Penguins roster. At the most recent trade deadline, the Penguins traded Kyle Dubas to the New York Rangers to relieve some of the congestion at the position.
While the Penguins are moving forward with younger faces on their third pairing, they honored Ruhwedel in his return to Pittsburgh. During the first commercial break, the Penguins played a welcome-back video for Ruhwedel.
In his first season with the team in 2016-17, Ruhwedel helped support the Penguins to their second of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. Ruhwedel played 34 games with 10 points (2G-8A) in the regular season before suiting up for six playoff games.
Over the years in Pittsburgh, Ruhwedel became known for his ability to spend long periods of time out of the lineup yet return without missing a beat. In 326 games with the Penguins, he scored 13 goals and 34 assists for 47 total points.
Although Ruhwedel has yet to play a game with the Rangers, he is in a similar position as the team’s seventh defenseman.
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