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Ruhwedel has consistently filled a depth role on Pittsburgh's blue line for the last seven years. Last season, he scored a goal and five points while averaging 14:24 of ice time in 47 games. The veteran defenseman also collected 90 hits with 18 PIM and a minus-4 rating. Ruhwedel will fill the same role with the Penguins during the 2023-24 campaign. He'll see bottom-pair minutes and could spend a chunk of the year as a healthy scratch. However, Ruhwedel won't see any power-play minutes or have much fantasy value.
Ruhwedel appeared in 41 games for the Penguins last year, but the 30-year-old blueliner contributed just six points and 74 hits. A defensively-minded player by nature, Ruhwedel has never had more than 10 points in a single season, and that's probably not going to change in 2020-21. He's also going to have a tough time making the lineup with Cody Ceci in the fold -- fantasy managers can easily leave the low-scoring Ruhwedel on the waiver wire even if an everyday job opens up due to injuries.
After playing in just 18 games and spending much of the season in the press box, in part due to injury, it was somewhat surprising to see Ruhwedel re-up with the Penguins for another two years in May. With a logjam of defender's ahead of him, including Juuso Riikola, it's difficult to see a path for Ruhwedel to get regular playing time in 2019-20. Even if he's somehow able to secure an every-night role this year, the San Diego native won't have enough offensive upside to warrant consideration in any fantasy format.
Following the re-signing of Jamie Oleksiak and the addition of Jack Johnson, the 28-year-old Ruhwedel is firmly cemented in the seventh defenseman role and figures to only slot into the lineup in the event of an injury. Fortunately for the puck-moving blueliner, there are not many youngsters within the Penguins system that will challenge him for his place on the 23-man roster. Without a clear path to ice time, the San Diego native offers little in terms of fantasy value -- especially when you consider he tallied just five points in 44 contests last season.
Ruhwedel, an undrafted UMass-Lowell product, was named AHL Rochester's MVP last season for his steady two-way play and ability to log heavy minutes. He appeared in 72 games and scored 36 points, both career highs, and enters this season as an impending restricted free agent. The 25-year-old is on a one-way contract, which means he is poised to make the team, though that is certainly not a guarantee. Even if he does make the team, Ruhwedel is expected to play a low-key role on either the second or third defensive pairing. He's a rather unexciting player, but gets the job done in his own zone and can provide offense when asked.
An undrafted two-way defenseman out of UMass-Lowell, Ruhwedel will play a supporting role for the Sabres, either on the bottom pairing or as depth player. Ruhwedel scored 28 points in 47 games in the AHL and, in 21 games with the Sabres, he recorded one assist. The young defenseman has a good chance of making the opening night roster, but the Sabres may feel his development would be better served logging big minutes in the minors.
Ruhwedel signed as a free agent in April after finishing a collegiate career with UMass-Lowell. He immediately joined the Sabres and suited up for the season’s final seven games, failing to reach the score sheet. He is among a large group of blue liners vying for a depth role on the Sabres, and will need to show well at training camp to avoid starting the season with the Sabres’ AHL affiliate in Rochester. There is a bit of offensive upside (23 points in 41 games in his final year of college), but he is a long way from hitting the fantasy radar at the onset of his first full season as a pro.