Player evaluation: Scuderi

ROB SCUDERI
This season: 73 games, 0 goals, 11 assists, 21 penalty minutes, 19:16 average ice time.
The good: Before the season, Scuderi described himself as a player who usually only gets noticed when he does something wrong. It’s a credit to Scuderi that he didn’t get much attention this season. Scuderi proved to be an outstanding partner for Drew Doughty. He’s a solid presence on and off the ice and, in a “shutdown” defensive role, Scuderi was whistled for only eight minor penalties all season.
The bad: There’s little offense in Scuderi’s game, but he should never be judged by points. Could durability be an issue going forward, given that Scuderi plays such a hard-nosed game? And if Doughty’s minutes rise again next season, does Scuderi — who has never averaged more than 20 minutes per game — have the ability to keep up?
Going forward: Scuderi doesn’t come cheap — his cap hit is $3.4 million through the 2012-13 season, but he did exactly what the Kings wanted him to do this season, and then some, as he proved to be more of a vocal leader than most expected. There’s no reason to assume he won’t continue to be a valuable contributor, on and off the ice.