I confess I was a bit surprised to read on Saturday that the Penguins had re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Juuso Riikola to a new two-year deal at an average annual value of $1.15 million.
Not that I don’t applaud the move. I do. I like Riikola…a lot. He’s mobile, plays with a bit of edge and possesses a hard if underutilized shot. It’s just that the coaching staff, or at least the former staff, didn’t seem too enamored of him.
Could this be another instance where there’s a disconnect between coach Mike Sullivan and general manager Jim Rutherford regarding matters of personnel?
Based on Rutherford’s comments when announcing the move, it’s very likely.
“He’s (Riikola’s) done a good job when he’s gone in,” JR said. “I like him. I like him as a person and a player. Maybe this year, he gets more playing time and we can assess him a little more. But he’s a capable NHL player.”
The knock on the 6’0” 189-pounder is that he tends to lose focus in his own end. Which is reportedly why the coaching staff soured on him to the extent that they occasionally played right-hand shots Chad Ruhwedel and Zach Trotman, journeymen both, over the 26-year-old Finn.
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