By just about any measure, the 2013-14 season was a rough one for Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Rob Scuderi. Considering the fact that he’s 35, many likely believe that those struggles are a harbinger of more ugly numbers to come, but the veteran blueliner provided at least some reason for optimism to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Shelly Anderson.
#Penguins Scuderi said he wasn't same after Oct. ankle injury. "I feel like I need to have a bounce-back year. I struggled after my injury."
— Shelly Anderson (@_ShellyAnderson) August 15, 2014
Rob Scuderi after injury "was out of sync--my reads, my footwork, everything was just off and I didn't feel like myself." #Penguins
— Shelly Anderson (@_ShellyAnderson) August 15, 2014
While former Penguins GM Ray Shero nearly described Scuderi as the one who got away considering his often-successful time with the Los Angeles Kings, there was already a debate revving up regarding his value in the summer of 2013. That criticism has only gotten louder after a season that was a disappointment by a wide array of metrics. Pensburgh probably described it in the most amusing way while reviewing his lousy campaign:
Imagine a tire fire, now think of something worse. Multiply that by two, then square it. Now multiply that by three. We’re getting close.
That doesn’t sound very promising.
The question is: what are the chances that Scuderi can actually bounce back? He only speaks vaguely about how he might improve (including being a “little bit selfish,” which seems like an odd goal for a guy who peaked at 16 points in a season), yet the organization’s front office reboot and perhaps a cleaner bill of health might just make a difference.
Scuderi is one of those defensemen who are at their best when you don’t really notice what they’re doing - as in, they’re not making mistakes - so the Penguins are probably hoping that he’s only making subtle adjustments anyway.