Chad Ruhwedel: 'I want to be a Penguin. This is where my heart is for sure'

Last week, the Penguins ensured a piece of their future.

They re-signed a dependable veteran defenseman who, even if he is in his 30s, still figures to have a few more years left as a viable NHLer.

As a puck-mover, he is a perfect fit for the up-tempo, aggressive style the Penguins prefer. Having helped the franchise win the Stanley Cup, he has been an ideal component to the scheme of coach Mike Sullivan.

Also, he is right-handed, and, for a variety of reasons no one seems to understand, those defensemen are a precious commodity in the NHL.

And by most measures, he is in the midst of a career season.

As a pending unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason, the Penguins were in no way interested in allowing him to leave their nest.

So that’s why they signed him to a contract extension.

While negotiations with All-Star Kris Letang continue to unfold, the Penguins on Saturday inked Chad Ruhwedel to a two-year contract that carries a salary cap hit of $800,000.

Currently working on a one-year deal worth a league-minimum $750,000, Ruhwedel surely could have gone on the market and received a more lucrative deal this summer, at least one worth seven figures.

Why did he opt to ignore that temptation and remain with the Penguins for a relatively small — by the bloated standards of being a professional athlete — raise?

“It didn’t really come down to that for me,” the 31-year-old Ruhwedel said Tuesday. “It’s just I want to be in Pittsburgh. I want to be a Penguin. This is where my heart is, for sure. So I’m glad we could get something done to stay.”

Ruhwedel’s tenure with the Penguins began in 2016 when he was signed to a one-year, two-way contract. A castoff who had trouble staying on the roster of some terrible Buffalo Sabres teams, Ruhwedel carved a role as a reliable reserve for the Penguins and contributed to their Stanley Cup title in 2016-17 during his first year with the organization.

Since then, he has signed four contract extensions with the Penguins — including the deal he agreed to Saturday — all hovering at or slightly above the league minimum.

Clearly, he enjoys his station with the franchise. And that comfort is, obviously, mutual.

“His overall game has developed immensely in his time here in Pittsburgh,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s a more polished version of himself. His mobility, his puck skills, his first pass in helping us get out of our end zone, his ability to get pucks through on the offensive blue line, all of those things I think have grown with his own respective game here in his time here in Pittsburgh. That’s a credit to him and his professionalism.

“He takes a lot of pride in his game, and he works hard at all those little subtleties that I think are so important to our overall team game, but in particular in his individual game in helping us become the team that we’re trying to become.”

This season, Ruhwedel has become a regular in the lineup for the first time in his 10-year career. Having already appeared in a career-best 48 games, Ruhwedel has six points (one goal, five assists) while averaging 15 minutes, 26 seconds of ice time per contest.

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The vast majority of his season has unfolded on the team’s third defensive pairing alongside Mike Matheson. According to Natural Stat Trick, they have logged 505:37 of common five-on-five ice time this season.

“He’s an extremely talented guy,” Ruhwedel said of Matheson. “He plays hard. He can do a lot of stuff on his own. He can be a one-man breakout machine sometimes. He’s great to play with. A lot of great offensive skill. Him and I have been working pretty well defensively. I don’t think it’s a matter of me just trying to figure out how to work with him. I think we’ve complemented each other well.”

The Penguins wanting to keep Ruhwedel as a part of their future certainly speaks well of him.

“Over the years, just kind of understanding my role,” Ruhwedel said. “It’s something that I’ve had a pretty good grasp on, whether I was in the lineup or out of the lineup. Staying ready, adhering to the system and just being ready on a nightly basis. Fortunately, this year, I was able to be in the lineup and just trying to make the most of it.”