One of the Pittsburgh goals came forward Jared McCann, who was acquired, along with forward Nick Bjugstad from the Panthers
in a trade for forwards
Derick Brassard and
Riley Sheahan
on Feb. 1. The Panthers also received the Penguins' second- and fourth-round picks in the 2019 NHL Draft, and a fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft previously acquired from the Minnesota Wild.
McCann has given a boost to the penalty kill and scored shorthanded against the Panthers. The 22-year-old had scored Florida's only shorthanded goal this season prior to the trade.
Bjugstad, a 26-year-old who had been filling Malkin's spot as second-line center, showed his versatility against the Panthers by playing on the wing with Sidney Crosby and had a handful of good scoring chances.
Rutherford said there are a number of positives in making a deal almost a month before the deadline.
"The biggest advantage is, you get to see your team with the new players," he said. "That gives you an idea as to if you need to make another move at the deadline.
"Some players make the adjustment and fit in with the team immediately. The majority of players, however, take a little bit longer. The longer you have the team together, the more time players have to make that adjustment."
The Penguins (28-19-7) hold the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. They are tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets for third in points in the Metropolitan Division.
With 28 games remaining on the Penguins schedule, Rutherford addressed a number of issues with NHL.com.
On the additions of Bjugstad and McCann
"I've been relatively (impressed) with both players. Small body of work, but we got them for the overall body of work. With Malkin being out, we got them at a key time. Nick's gone right in there and played well, and Jared as well. Jared is younger and hasn't been in the League as long, but they're both good players who can help the Penguins."
On how getting Malkin and Schultz back is like making trades without giving anything up
"Getting Schultz back especially. He hasn't played many games for us. The amount of time he's been out, he'll have to shake off some rust and get back into the rhythm of the game."