Kings Ink Rob Scuderi For Four Years
 

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Kings have agreed to terms on a four-year contract with free agent defenseman and 2009 Stanley Cup Champion Rob Scuderi, Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi announced Thursday.

Scuderi, 30, led the Pittsburgh Penguins with a plus-23 rating, while tallying a career-high 16 points (1-15=16) and 18 penalty minutes. He also logged a career-high 81 regular season games played this past season. The blue-liner also led his team with 164 blocked shots and an average of 3:47 of short-handed ice time for the Penguins, who finished eighth in the NHL on the penalty kill (82.7 percent). During the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs, Scuderi added five points (1-4=5) and six penalty minutes in 24 postseason games while logging an average of 20:29 of ice time per game (second among D-men, fourth overall). He also assisted on the game-winning goal in Game 7 against Detroit, helping the Penguins win the Stanley Cup.

The 6-0, 218-pound defenseman played parts of five seasons with Pittsburgh, collecting 39 points (3-36=39) and 112 penalty minutes in 300 career NHL games. Scuderi has also recorded eight points (1-7=8) and 10 penalty minutes in 49 playoff appearances – all with Pittsburgh - including 13 games during two Stanley Cup Finals appearances (2009 and 2008).

Kings fans can meet Scuderi for the first time and the rest of the 2009-10 Kings at LA Kings Hockey Fest ’09, to be held August 28-30 at LA Live.

Scuderi also played parts of five seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL), recording 88 points (8-80=88) and 206 penalty minutes in 305 regular season games. He also recorded seven points (2-5=7) in 41 playoff games with the Baby Penguins, including a trip to the Calder Cup Finals during the 2003-04 season.

Prior to entering the pro ranks in 2001, Scuderi completed four seasons at Boston College (H-East) where he finished as the school’s all-time games played leader (168 career games played). He helped lead Boston College to a NCAA Championship during the 2000-01 season and was named to the All-Tournament Team.

The Syosset, New York native, who earlier this week was invited to attend the 2009 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Orientation Camp (August 17-19 in Woodbridge, Illinois), was originally selected by Pittsburgh in the fifth round (134th overall) in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.

From an email with Russo of the Trib...

4 years / $3.4 million a year

Good signing. I was wondering when LA was going to start getting some players.

Apparently Orpik almost went there last summer...

Rob Scuderi is awesome. However he isn't 3.4 million a year awesome. That's just to much cash for a bottom pairing d-man.

Apprently it was down the Kings and Wild - and for that kind of money, I'm glad it was the Kings.

He isn't what the Wild need, and definitely not at that price tag.

exactly...most id offer is 2.5 mil. Remember he maid league minimum not to long ago and was the 7th dman.

Heard his final 3 were dallas, La, and the pens.

dallas dropped last night from the hunt. they realized he wont replace zubov well enough to sign him for that price.

The kings just got a great d-man. He's not a flashy player but he does his job very efficiantly. He will be missed in Pittsburgh

this boggles the mind a bit. i guess he's plan B if Johnson decides he's too good for the team.

Too much $$$.

2 mil tops for me. As much as I love the man's game in his own end he can't make what I would call even a decent first pass. His puck moving skills are simply horrible. I hate to say that because Scuderi is an awesome bottom pairing d-man, but I think that his puck moving skills have to improve to earn that type of money.

Just as I figured - there's no way Scuderi was going to stay here when teams were going to overpay for him. The Kings got a good D-man, but $3.4 million per season? Too much. He's not worth more than $2 million. Anyway, I'm glad he didn't go to the Rangers or Habs. Good luck Rob!

interesting....