Rutta, 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, played in 14 games with the Lightning last season after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Slater Koekkoek on January 11, 2019. Overall, he played in 37 NHL games during the 2018-19 season, recording two goals and eight points. Rutta also skated in four Stanley Cup Playoff games with Tampa Bay, recording two assists. Additionally, he played in 18 games with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League last season, notching three goals and eight points.
The Pisek, Czech Republic native has played in 94 career games with the Lightning and Blackhawks, recording eight goals and 28 points with two power-play goals and a plus-3 rating. Rutta spent seven seasons playing in his native country before signing with Chicago on June 8, 2017.
Rutta was originally undrafted.
