Penguins trade winger Bennett but remain content with team's makeup

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford hasn't shown much interest in making major changes to his roster in recent days.

No, he isn't trading Evgeni Malkin, as some far-fetched rumors have suggested.

Yes, he is perfectly happy not making a deal involving a goalie and starting next season with Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray as his tandem in net.

The reason for his affinity for the status quo is pretty obvious: His team won a Stanley Cup less than three weeks ago.

It's a good thing they're starting from a position of strength, though, because if major changes were required, the Penguins didn't make them at this weekend's NHL draft in Buffalo. They won't be making many when the free agent signing period opens July 1, either.

The one trade they consummated at the draft was a subtraction, sending oft-injured winger Beau Bennett to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday for a third-round pick, the 77th overall. They used that pick to select physical defenseman Connor Hall.

Even after moving Bennett, a restricted free agent due to make about $1 million next season, Rutherford said the Penguins have only about $1 million in wiggle room under the salary cap to potentially make additions to the roster.

The Bennett trade was not wholly unexpected. Over the past three seasons, the 24-year-old California native was hurt more than half the time, playing 103 of a possible 246 regular-season games. In the recently completed run to the Stanley Cup, Bennett played through a shoulder injury for one game, a Game 5 loss to Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference finals, then returned to the press box for the rest of the postseason.

“It's been a rocky four years, I'd say, other than that first year, which was pretty good,” Bennett said earlier this month, assessing his tenure with the Penguins heading into an uncertain summer. “This year, I'm a lot better off, playing-wise, than I was last year leaving. That's what gives me the confidence going into the offseason, and whatever happens, happens.”

The emergence of Conor Sheary, Bryan Rust, Tom Kuhnhackl and Scott Wilson pushed Bennett down the depth chart. The impending arrivals of Daniel Sprong and Jake Guentzel in future seasons marginalized him even more.

“We have guys ahead of him and guys that can skate, puck-pressure guys,” Rutherford said. “He plays a little different style.”

Rutherford said the Penguins made the decision to move Bennett a few days before the draft. He said the Devils were the most aggressive of several teams who inquired about making a deal.

“After we looked at our team and talked to the coaching staff about who fits, it became more apparent that Beau wasn't going to fit with us going forward,” Rutherford said.

The trade reunites Bennett with Devils general manager Ray Shero, the former Penguins GM who picked him in the first round, 20th overall, in the 2010 draft.

Bennett's arrival gives the Devils a needed dose of offensive creativity at a minimal cost, as long as he can stay out of the trainer's room.

“He can play a pace game,” Devils coach John Hynes said. “He's still a young guy. He hasn't played a lot of hockey. When you look at the upside, it's really encouraging. The character of person is real important. He fits the direction we want to go.”

Because the Penguins have a large crop of young wingers who can play the up-tempo style coach Mike Sullivan prefers, their lack of cap space won't be a problem when replacing Bennett.

Defense might be another story.

With so little money to spend, free agents Ben Lovejoy and Justin Schultz are almost certain to walk after July 1, and the Penguins don't have the flexibility to replace them with free agent additions.

The third defense pair looks to be Ian Cole and Derrick Pouliot, both lefties, with one of the two playing on their off side. The seventh defenseman will be an untested young player or a free agent willing to work for close to minimum wage.

“I don't know if it's a hole,” Rutherford said. “We are going to have to watch to see how that goes.”

Jonathan Bombulie is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jbombulie@tribweb.com or via Twitter at @BombulieTrib.