The 2022-23 season was a disappointing one for the Pittsburgh Penguins. They were inconsistent all season, in the playoffs and then out again down the stretch, and finally in the final week of the regular season they were eliminated from the postseason for the first time since 2006.
In this series, we will look at groups of players, grade their season performance, and look at their future with the team, as the incoming general manager (GM) to be named assesses the situation. For this final installment, we look at Drew O’Connor, Josh Archibald, and Jan Rutta.
Every team needs role players, and this trio did just that. They put in their minutes and played hard, but there was still something missing, especially in the last quarter of the season. Over that time period, the Penguins’ offense was concentrated in the top two forward lines, at times seemingly coming from Jason Zucker and Jake Guentzel exclusively.
Still, it wasn’t all bad, as part of O’Connor and Archibald’s lack of production came from a dearth of talent among the bottom-six. And Rutta, likewise, did his job of preventing goals, though the speed of the game appears to have caught up with him.
Restricted Free Agent O’Connor Deserves a Look in 2023-24
O’Connor was one of the Penguins’ three youngest forwards with Alex Nylander and Ryan Poehling, all aged 24 in 2022-23, and while it was good that he was able to get his young legs into an aging lineup, it also meant he would find himself with limited playing time behind the top six.
As a result, he only managed to contribute five goals and 11 points in 46 games averaging under ten minutes of ice time. Granted, he played on the third- and fourth-line with Jeff Carter and Mikael Granlund. Carter of course endured three separate 11-game goalless droughts, and Granlund’s scoring vanished upon his arrival in Pittsburgh after the trade deadline.
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However, O’Connor piled up 22 points in 20 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season, so it might be time for him to stick around the NHL for good. At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, he has good size to go with decent tools, and he saw his ice time increase to over 16 minutes a game by season’s end. Depending on what the management team of Kyle Dubas and Jason Spezza does with the young free agent this summer, O’Connor might be a player worth bringing back in 2023-24.
Final Grade: C+
Archibald Likely to Hit Free Agent Market
Like O’Connor, Archibald played just under ten minutes a game in 2022-23, though he was in a different role. At only 5-foot-10, he is small but feisty, and he put up 195 hits for the Penguins, second on the team only to Zucker. But being that small and physical took a toll on him, and Archibald was limited to only 62 games.
In those games, he chipped in six goals and six assists and logged some time on the penalty kill unit. But also like O’Connor, his offensive contributions were limited by playing with Carter and Danton Heinen, another player whose production has seen better days.
As a 30-year-old unrestricted free agent (UFA) this summer, Archibald might be someone like Granlund and Heinen who finds himself out of Pittsburgh. Though Archibald was useful, the new management team may want some turnover following the debacle of this past year.
Final Grade: C
Rutta’s Future Uncertain
Former Penguins’ general manager (GM) Ron Hextall signing Rutta in July 2022 from the Tampa Bay Lightning made perfect sense at the time. After all, he had just played in his third-straight Stanley Cup Final after winning back-to-back rings in the first two trips in 2020 and 2021. He was supposed to provide good size, a right-hand shot, and stability to the Pittsburgh blue line.
But neither Rutta nor the Penguins expected the season that followed. Though he did provide the defense with that size, he went from being paired with perennial Norris Trophy candidate Victor Hedman in Tampa Bay to the third defense pairing in Pittsburgh. Down the stretch, his partners were minor league call-up Mark Friedman and trade deadline rental Dmitry Kulikov.
Rutta played fine, throwing hits and blocking shots, but he ended up on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) from the wear. He is another Penguin who looks to have lost a step against younger, faster Eastern Conference rivals. Though he has two years left on his contract, he may find himself as trade bait this summer.
Final Grade: C
Bottom Line
The NHL Entry Draft is now less than a week away with free agency starting on July 1. As with Heinen and Poehling in the previous article, here we find forwards in O’Connor and Archibald who may find themselves on the market. Perhaps the Penguins will have the opportunity to select a defenseman like Axel Sandin-Pellikka with their first-round pick, making Rutta expendable and tradeable.
There is considerable intrigue surrounding the Penguins, making them one of the more interesting teams in the East to follow this offseason as they look to battle their way back into the playoffs in 2023-24. With the uncertainty hovering over the team and each of these three players, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they didn’t return.