GLENDALE, Ariz. -- For the record, Jim Rutherford wants to make one thing abundantly clear: He has made no decision on Derick Brassard's future -- or anyone else's -- with the Penguins.
The general manager says the organization hasn't floated the 31-year-old's name out in the ether as a possible trade piece. They haven't entered into a serious discussion with any team about their third-line center.
"That's somebody else deciding that (Brassard's) the topic of the day," Rutherford told DKPittsburghSports.com Thursday.
Now, that's not to suggest that something might not happen between now and 3 p.m. on Feb. 25. Rutherford has usually been busy at the NHL trade deadline and there's no reason to believe he won't be next month. But with the organization holding its team meetings here in Arizona, Rutherford says he's still assessing his team at this point.
"We'll see, we're evaluating all the time as to how our team looks, where we may need to strengthen or not strengthen and see where it goes," Rutherford said.
Wednesday's late-night trade that sent Derek Grant back to Anaheim in exchange for 24-year-old Joe Blandisi was more about bringing in an energy player, adding depth and having options with their 13th forward than anything about Brassard. It was not the first shoe to drop or necessarily a precursor of things to come.
"When you break down who we traded for, he's a younger player who can play the wing, he can play center," Rutherford said. "We view him as a good depth guy in our organization."
Blandisi will make his Pittsburgh debut tomorrow night when the Penguins face the Coyotes, but there's no expectation that he'll play at the NHL level beyond that, regardless of how he performs Friday.
The trade also allows for Garrett Wilson to remain with the Penguins and play regularly after he was recalled at the start of this five-game road trip. The organization is very high on the 27-year-old and what he provides physically on the forecheck and on the penalty kill.
"It opens up the door for Wilson to come in and play when we're totally healthy and it opens the door to bring in other players from Wilkes-Barre," Rutherford said. "That was kind of the (reason) of why we were making the trade: To get a player that had already cleared waivers, already has NHL experience and can come in (and play when needed), and he's a good energy player."
Grant, who appeared in 25 of the Penguins' 46 games this season, recording two goals and three assists, was simply caught in a numbers game in Pittsburgh after signing a one-year, $650,00 deal in free agency last summer.
"That's how it turned out but I'm glad we signed him because it gave us that depth at that position, and then it ended up that it's turned into getting a younger center-iceman," Rutherford said. "It gives us the flexibility of moving up and down and we would have had to put Derek on waivers, and I don't think he would have cleared. We knew it was numbers when we signed him, but that was part of signing him, to have that extra depth, but we didn't see him getting ahead of the center icemen that we have."
