2009-10 Canes Country Exit Analysis: Tuomo Ruutu

LOL do I even need to read this to vote?

I like Ruutu but I had to give him a C. That’s a lot of money being paid to a player with 35 points and out for 28 games.

Ruutu is a favorite and understandably so, however, last year was not a good year for him based on his previous year’s performances and his salary. For me he was just average. I sure hope his shoulder mends well enough that he will be able to step it up this season.

I wanted to give him an incomplete, but he played over half the season, even if it was while being injured. Although to be completely fair, .64 pt/game ratio is barely lower than his career high in 2008-09
You know, in retrospect, I would have given him a B. The way he took responsibility for his hit against Tucker is rarely seen now-a-days and that just rocks my socks off. Way cool.

every player on last year’s roster would love to erase it from their stat books and memory. Even Jussi who had a career high season said he would give it up to make the playoffs and have a better team record. With that being said…

I feel the use of the word “reckless” is unfair to use with Ruutu (Tuomo that is) – this is also the same word that is often used to describes Ovie’s style of play. While the hit on Tucker was questionable in timing (split seconds) I do not believe it was in intent. That was the 1st disciplinary action that has been reviewed by or given by the NHL in regards to Tuomo, while Ovie has had several "reckless" hits.

He is a hard hitter, no doubt about it and he does sacrifice his body but I do not think it is “reckless”. He was acquired because of those attributes and b/c he adds “grit”, so I do not feel it is fair to penalize him for something he was "hired" to do. Will it eventually cut his career shorter than average…perhaps and most likely.

Injuries (which comparing him to Cole is not a good example) did hinder his production on the stat sheet. I think he brought it to the ice 100% even if he was not at 100% physically. And at the ultimate low point when there was no "apparent" leadership (LA Kings post game) he was the one that came out and faced the music with media/fans and emotionally answered the questions and even took some of the blame upon himself. THAT kind of SISU is something that is not found on the stat sheets. We were paying Roddy, Eric and Ray for that type of leadership during those hard times but we didn’t see them too much during those times…

Was it his best year, no, he probably played through a lot more injuries that we even knew about. Especially with it being an Olympic year. Ruutu played with heart, SISU, never slacked but unfortunately that is not always reflected on the stat sheet.

Question for the group as it relates to his recovery from the shoulder injury…

There’s been some speculation about putting him in the third line center role. Some folks have been concerned that he wouldn’t get enough ice time in that slot, although I’m not sure I necessarily agree if you could increase third line minutes plus power play, etc.

Does that scenario help in terms of easing him back from a recovery perspective? I’m not all that smart when it comes to understanding all the nuances of the roles, and I know a center has a different role from wing in terms of positioning and also the faceoff role, so I wasn’t sure if that added responsibility would offset the drop to a line that plays less minutes and potentially would face a different defensive unit.

Just curious…

I voted for a grade of “C”, with the thought of “well, it was about an average year for him” in mind.

Although he had a $3.8 cap hit, the actual money sent his way for ‘09-’10 was only $3M, as the contract is back-loaded with raises over the next two seasons ($4M/$4.4M).

With only 54 games under his belt for last season, his hits per game were on par with Alberts and actually led the team, so certainly performance as advertised there.

Point production was down a bit and less than expected for that salary range. Comparably compensated forwards are all over the map. However, using PackPride17’s often mentioned Patrick Sharp as a comparable forward yields a guy that was paid $4M last season, has a similar cap hit ($3.9M), and chalked up 66 points in 82 games for a 0.8 ppg rate, compared to Ruutu’s 0.65 ppg rate.

Nonetheless, I awarded intangible points for the SISU factor and the leadership attributes so clearly demonstrated. Certainly his face was available for aftergame interviews, regardless of outcome.

We’ve yet to see a breakout year from him, but he held his own with his trade buddy, Andrew Ladd, who only managed 3 more goals and three more points in an 82-game season.

All in all, about an average season for our soon to be $4M/yr power forward, so a grade of C with expectations that we will see more from him this coming season.

Ruutu is the Canes best power forward. I am looking forward to an 80-point season from our most fearless Finn. My A is for his heart and hustle.

I gave hin a B because of the missed games etc…

But in my heart he gets an A because of his heart, his leadership,
his big smile——and ability to put a positive spin on things III
SISU

  I am of the school that a player who gets hurt playing hardnose hockey doesn’t get marked down for his performance for the year. I gave Ruutu an A for the games he played and particularly so for being able to maintain that level of play while hurt.

   Ruutu is the heart and soul of the Hurricanes. From the moment, he ran onto the ice at the RBC, the entire tenor of Hurricanes hockey changed. He has had to carry too much of the hitting load for the Hurricanes; and when he is not on the ice, the Hurricanes level of physical play drops. We need a healthy Ruutu for the team to have its best shot at the playoffs. I am hoping that Cole will be healthy and that he can bear more of the hitting burden. Bowman has taken on a more physical, checking role as well.

    When I think of Hurricanes hockey, Ruutu, Sutter, and now Boychuk come to mind. They play hard and want to win one on one every shift, and they have excellent skill to go with their heart. I put Jokinen in that group, with his somewhat subtle level of mean streak and I think Bowman is well on his way to showing he too plays with an edge.

His on-ice effort is never in question, in my mind. He appears to have better balance this year and maybe that’s better (or different) conditioning techniques here in Carolina. I’d like to see him be a more consistent presence in front of the net, getting dirty goals and tip ins. He feeds off his physicality, so I don’t know how realistic it is for him to “play safe” and decrease potential injuries. I’d think that would effect other aspects of his game. Bottom line: he needs to score more.

Oh, and I gave him extra credit for having a great smile and blue eyes.

People want to give him a pass for his injuries, but they’re a part of a game, and even when he was healthy, he didn’t play up to the standard he had set in his previous years here.