A certain move at the trade deadline opened the door for a key Pittsburgh Penguins youngster.

PITTSBURGH – When the Pittsburgh Penguins dealt Chad Ruhwedel to the New York Rangers at the trade deadline, a role on the blue line became up for grabs. Earlier in the season, the Penguins saw a bit of a rotation in their bottom-pairing defenders, with numerous names filing in and out of the lineup.

Faces like Ruhwedel, Ryan Shea, John Ludvig, and P.O. Joseph all played time with the Penguins, but Kyle Dubas wanted to relieve some of the congestion in that position. Not only did Dubas free up space to get Ludvig back in the lineup on a regular basis, but he says opportunity may be knocking for another young blue liner.

On the GM Show with Josh Getzoff, Dubas says 24-year-old Jack St. Ivany is having a great season and deserves a look at the NHL.

“We have a couple of guys, younger players we wanted to give more legitimate time to,” Dubas said. “Ryan Shea and Jack St. Ivany, in particular. St. Ivany has played really well for Wilkes.”

St. Ivany is in the midst of his second season of professional hockey with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and is rounding into form as a solid defensive defenseman. In 52 games played this season, he’s picked up just 12 points but has been noticeable on the opposite side of the puck.

“Right shot, penalty kill,” Dubas said. “We’re going to continue to have him roll here.”

Dubas said the Penguins are stacked with offensive defensemen on the right side and could use a solid shutdown guy behind Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson. On the Penguins’ depth chart, St. Ivany is the next in line for right-shot blue liners.

Only four of the Penguins' defensemen signed to NHL contracts shoot right-handed. Letang, Karlsson, St. Ivany, and Taylor Fedun. With that thin of a pool, it’s good to see there may be some quality to add to the NHL lineup.

“You’ve got Kris and Erik, and then who’s going to fill in that third role?” Dubas said. “What do you need from them? It’s going to be penalty killing, size, strength, reach. Jack brings those.”

Dubas also noted that he wants to give Ludvig and Shea more chances, but St. Ivany is emerging as a possible contender for an NHL role down the stretch. Dubas and the Penguins have high hopes for St. Ivany, and with the playoffs possibly out of reach, the lineup may see some sweeping changes.

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