Penguins Muscle Up, Acquire Ryan Reaves

Say this about Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford. He ain’t afraid to be bold.

A fortnight after hinting at reinforcing his quicksilver Cup-winners with a much-needed physical presence, JR backed up his words with deeds.

Upset with the way foes took liberties with his players—Sidney Crosby in particular—with little-to-no protection from the league or referees, the Pens’ plucky GM took matters into his own hands. Starting the summer off with a bang—quite literally—he acquired heavyweight right wing Ryan Reaves from St. Louis last night in exchange for prospect Oskar Sundqvist and a swap of draft picks.

Regarded as the capo dei capi of NHL enforcers, the burly 6’1’’ 225-pound Reaves is…