{"id":40052,"date":"2019-01-12T11:36:39","date_gmt":"2019-01-12T16:36:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=40052"},"modified":"2022-10-23T07:15:07","modified_gmt":"2022-10-23T11:15:07","slug":"tampa-bay-trade-koekkoek-to-chicago-for-rutta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2019\/01\/12\/tampa-bay-trade-koekkoek-to-chicago-for-rutta\/","title":{"rendered":"Tampa Bay Lightning Trade Slater Koekkoek to Chicago Blackhawks for Jan Rutta"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a> have agreed to trade Slater Koekkoek<\/a><\/strong> and a 2019 fifth-round draft pick to the Chicago Blackhawks<\/a> in exchange for Jan Rutta<\/a><\/strong> and a 2019 seventh-round draft pick.<\/p>\n

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We have acquired defenseman Jan Rutta and a 2019 seventh-round draft pick from the @nhlblackhawks<\/a> in exchange for Slater Koekkoek and a 2019 fifth-round pick. https:\/\/t.co\/Y9AM5fnOO3<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) January 11, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Lightning Trade Slater Koekkoek to Blackhawks For Jan Rutta<\/h2>\n

The Tampa Bay Lightning completed a trade Friday with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Lightning acquired defenseman Jan Rutta and a 2019 seventh-round draft pick in exchange for defenseman Slater Koekkoek and a 2019\u00a0fifth-round draft pick.<\/p>\n

Key Players<\/h3>\n

In Koekkoek, the Blackhawks get a former first-round draft pick who has yet to live up his potential. This season, he has scored one goal\u00a0and has zero assists for one point, adding four minutes in penalties. His possession numbers are 44.8 percent Corsi\u00a0and a relative Corsi of -11.7. Those totals are down compared to last season, where he scored four goals, four assists for eight points. Over his\u00a0five-year NHL career, Koekkoek has only played for the\u00a0Lightning. In that time, he has five goals and\u00a0nine\u00a0assists for\u00a014\u00a0career points in\u00a085\u00a0career games. He was originally drafted in the\u00a0first–<\/i>round,\u00a010th\u00a0overall of the\u00a02012\u00a0NHL draft by the\u00a0Tampa Bay Lightning.<\/p>\n

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With Slater Koekkoek trade – which #TBLightning<\/a> hasn\u2019t officially announced yet – Tampa Bay will have dealt six of their last eight first round picks (Koekkoek, Howden, DeAngelo, Drouin, Namestnikov, Connolly). Only Foote + Vasilevskiy remain from 1st rnders picked in Yzerman era<\/p>\n

\u2014 Joe Smith (@JoeSmithTB) January 11, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In Rutta, the Blackhawks\u00a0get an older player who has shown signs of being an offensive defenseman in the league. This season, he has scored two goals\u00a0and four assists for six points, adding 12 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers are 49.8 percent Corsi\u00a0and a relative Corsi of -3.1. Those totals are down compared to last season, where he scored six goals, 14 assists for 20 points. Over his\u00a0two-year NHL career, Rutta has only played for the\u00a0Blackhawks after spending his entire career in the Czech Republic. In that time, he has eight goals and\u00a018 assists for\u00a026 career points in\u00a080\u00a0career NHL games. He was originally undrafted, signing a free agent contract with the Blackhawks on June 7th, 2017.<\/p>\n

What This Means for the Future<\/h3>\n
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The Lightning get a roster spot and even out the right- and left-shots on D. Slater Koekkoek gets a better shot at a NHL lineup. https:\/\/t.co\/lx1vwjjgHp<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Diana C. Nearhos (@dianacnearhos) January 12, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Both of these defensemen have spent time in the American Hockey League this season. Rutta has a higher cap hit ($2,250,000 to $865,000 for Koekkoek) so the Blackhawks are saving some money with the deal. A former first-round draft pick, Koekkoek never fit into coach Jon Cooper’s<\/strong> defense corps. He may be able to find his game and show why he was such a valued prospect on a struggling Blackhawk team.<\/p>\n

For the Lightning, Rutta may also have trouble fitting into the top six and could find himself buried in the AHL for the rest of the season. Although Rutta has put up the better numbers of the two defensemen in the trade, he may have the hardest challenge to get back into an NHL lineup this season.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>