Penguins bring back Lovejoy

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Jim Rutherford spent his first nine months on the job as Pittsburgh Penguins general manager reassembling the team around franchise cornerstones Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

The final touches brought back a familiar face.

Pittsburgh acquired defensemen Ben Lovejoy from Anaheim and Ian Cole from St. Louis on Monday, hoping the veterans provide for a group that is starting to round into form with a quarter of the regular season remaining.

“To have a good run in the playoffs you need experience and that’s what we’ve done here,” Rutherford said.

The 31-year-old Lovejoy returns to the Penguins after spending two-plus seasons with the Ducks.

Shipped out west for a fifth-round pick in 2012, Lovejoy comes back to his original NHL team with a steadier hand and a knack for marking the smart play if not always the spectacular one.

It’s why Rutherford didn’t mind parting with 23-year-old defenseman Simon Despres to bring Lovejoy home. Despres led Pittsburgh with 184 hits but also struggled with responsible play.

That won’t be an issue with Lovejoy, who has one goal and 10 assists in 40 games with Anaheim this season and the thick skin developed from 20 playoff games for the Ducks over the last two seasons.

“He’s really blossomed,” Rutherford said. “He’s developed into a solid consistent defender. Our guys felt very strong about reacquiring this player.”

Pittsburgh sent Robert Bortuzzo and a seventh-round pick in the 2016 draft to the Blues in exchange for Cole.

The 26-year-old Cole has four goals and five assists in 54 games for St. Louis this season. Cole’s plus-16 plus/minus ratio ranked third on the team at the time of the trade even though he was only an intermittent presence in the St. Louis lineup.

Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is having the finest season of his career in part because of steady play in front of him. Lovejoy and Cole are both upgrades in terms of skill and skating.