I’ll be honest. Jim Rutherford wasn’t my choice to succeed Ray Shero as the Penguins’ general manager back in the summer of 2014.
I’m not sure he was the Pens’ top choice, either. The club was considering associate GM Jason Botterill and analyst Pierre McGuire, among others, before JR emerged—seemingly from left field—to win the job.
Now? It’s hard to imagine anyone doing better work. Especially given the tangle of issues he inherited.
There were rough patches, for sure. Following some good moves early on, I thought Rutherford stumbled as the 2014-15 season progressed. Culminating in the embarrassing salary-cap snafu that prohibited the Pens from using a full complement of defensemen. And the controversial (and wildly unpopular) Simon Despres-for-Ben Lovejoy deal.
Combined with JR’s spotty record toward the end of his tenure with the Hurricanes? I viewed the Beeton, Ontario native as part of the problem rather than part of the solution. An opinion hardly swayed when his former Carolina boss, Peter Karmanos, ripped JR last summer.
The embattled GM took the high road. Instead of responding to the scathing critique, he focused on improving the team. In an under-the-radar hiring that would reap enormous dividends, he replaced highly regarded John Hynes—who’d left for the greener pastures of New Jersey—with Mike Sullivan as the head coach at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
There were plenty of on-ice defections to contend with, too. No fewer than seven skaters, including mainstay defenseman Paul Martin, bolted on the first day of free agency. Not to mention the crushing weight of unfulfilled Cup expectations and the pressure to produce…or else.
Rutherford met the challenge head-on. He shook the hockey world by acquiring All-Star sniper Phil Kessel in a megadeal with Toronto. Refusing to part with plum prospect Derrick Pouliot, he somehow convinced counterpart Dave Nonis to pick up the tab for $1.2M of Kessel’s hefty annual salary.
JR’s overhaul had just begun. On July 28, he parlayed Brandon Sutter into third-line center Nick Bonino and defenseman Adam Clendening. Hours later he inked versatile free-agent Eric Fehr to a three-year deal.
In August, Rutherford really hit his stride. Raising eyebrows, he signed greybeard Matt Cullen, who’s been invaluable both on the ice and in a leadership role.
When the Pens sputtered out of the gate, Rutherford again acted boldly. On December 12, he dismissed coach Mike Johnston and replaced him with the fiery and intense Sullivan, who’d guided the Baby Pens to a smokin’ 18-5 start.
“In fairness to our coach, part of this falls on me because I didn’t get the defensemen that was necessary to have more movement from the back end,” Rutherford explained, refusing to use Johnston as a scapegoat.
Backing up words with deeds, JR then traded the immovable object—former Cup hero Rob Scuderi—to Chicago for mobile defenseman Trevor Daley. The change ignited the Pens’ near-glacial transition game.
A month later he swung another savvy trade. In a swap of underachieving left wings, Rutherford shipped snake-bitten David Perron to Anaheim for Carl Hagelin. Tailor-made for the Pens’ puck-possession style, the speedy Swede immediately began to create space for high-profile linemates Kessel and Evgeni Malkin.
When injuries rocked the forward ranks, JR refused to go with retreads. Instead, he promoted a passel of kids from Wilkes-Barre. The erstwhile Baby Pens injected speed, tenacity and hunger, not to mention an underpinning of remarkably effective two-way play.
Displaying prudence and restraint, Rutherford stayed within himself (and a tight budget) at the trade deadline by acquiring reclamation project Justin Schultz from Edmonton for a third-round pick. Fast and fluid, the former University of Wisconsin star’s been a terrific addition to a suddenly deep and capable defensive corps.
Talk about pushing all the right buttons.
I’ll admit. It’s easy to jump on JR’s bandwagon with the team riding high. But my new-found admiration for the 67-year-old executive goes beyond the team’s present success.
Rutherford’s accomplished something I thought impossible. In one short season, he turned the team’s outlook from dismal to bright. I’d written on numerous occasions that I thought the Pens’ Stanley Cup window had closed.
But now…?
I’ve converted from skeptic to believer. JR’s performance is a big reason why.
Penguins Sign Pair
The Pens signed two more draftees from the Ray Shero-era on Tuesday. Forwards Teddy Blueger and Jake Guentzel signed amateur tryout contracts and will join Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the AHL stretch run.
A skilled 5’10” 175-pound forward, Guentzel (3rd round, 2013) starred at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, where he tallied 19 goals and 46 points in 35 games during his junior season. Guentzel, 21, joins former collegiate teammate Josh Archibald on the Baby Pens.
In addition to the ATO, Blueger, 21, signed a two-year, two-way entry contract. A native of Riga, Latvia, the 6’0″ 185-pound center was selected by the Pens in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2012 Entry Draft. He scored 11 goals in 41 games as a senior with Minnesota State U (Mankato) this season.
I can’t believe you guys..supporting JR?? I don’t know how to put into words…
Pen’s are not in playoffs yet, Kessel is the biggest overrated plyaer in the league right now, you can’t have a guy making $8 Mill. and playing 17+ mins a game and gets 2-3 shots. then every 1- 2 games a month gets 6 and scores two goals.
We had some future when Ray was fired but now with the deals JR has made we have nothing and still cap problems, he did the same in Carolin, just this year are starting to turn it around. Hagelin- another overrated player making way too much for doing nothing except for the first couple of games.
Kasperi Kapanen made his debut in Toronto not long ago only played 4 games , I watched a couple and he looked good had a some good chances and not a lot of TOI but had I think 5 or 7 shots total.
I haven’t commented lately but this one really ticked me off, I don’t like JR at all or the moves he had made..Regardless of what he was left with
Pen’s 4ever
As always, your points are direct,well said and factually based. I for one really appreciate all your comments that you have made since I joined this blog. I can not argue with you over the Phil Kessel situation except to say IF we have to keep Kessel for the entire length of his 7 years remaining on his contract and at 6.8 million a year cap hit for us,that situation scares me…a lot !
I am reminded that Mario and Ron wanted to sell the team and because of the failure of last year’s team with a quick first round exit from the play offs, they needed to make a big splash to restore some of the lost value of their team.This resulted in the Kessel trade that all the media raved about last summer with talk of Phil and Sid scoring 50 goals each. Never happened and Mario and Ron still have the team. So I am left wondering,who really made the Kessel trade.. JR or Ron and Mario for different reasons?
You and I do not live in Pennsylvania and as such we could support 29 other NHL teams quite easily,but for some reason we both are very passionate about a team from Pittsburgh.That is what Fans do my friend.
If an opinion pole was taken today about JR and his job approval rating, I truly believe that the vast majority of Pen’s fans would side with you.
Thanks always for your enlightened comments.
Your comments and opinions are one of the main reasons I stay and want to participate on this site. Happy Easter.
Cheers.
Hey Pen’s 4ever,
Thanks, as always, for offering your thoughts and opinion. You’re always passionate and direct, and I appreciate that. I’m sure you represent a lot of Pens fans who aren’t happy with Rutherford—or the direction he’s taken the team.
Personally, this season’s been a bit of a hockey odyssey for me. I’m an old school-guy. I think I mentioned somewhere back in one of my posts that if you let me build an NHL team from scratch they’d resemble the Columbus Blue Jackets. Big and tough, but—at least for this season—not very successful.
I recognize I’m a dinosaur to a degree and that the game’s evolved over the past few seasons. It’s taken a lot for me to embrace the Pens’ new approach and new way of playing. When it works—and it’s been working to the tune of a 25-11-5 record since December 21—their speed game is a sight to behold. They’ve dominated some pretty good teams along the way, including the Rangers and front-running Caps.
They’re what—9-3 against Metro Division foes since March 1? I’ll take that any day.
At least from my view, Rutherford’s had a lot to do with that success.
You specifically mention Kessel. Lots of other fans have concerns about him, too. Personally, I hoped for 35-40 goals from him and would’ve been happy with 30. It looks like it might be a stretch for him to get even 25. So yeah, he’s been a disappointment. But he hasn’t been a stiff, either.
Goodness knows what Kasperi Kapanen’s upside will be. He’s only 19. He’s scored nine goals in 39 games for the Toronto Marlies (AHL) this season. Maybe Kapanen will eventually blossom into a big-time scorer and make JR (and me for praising him) look foolish. Maybe he won’t.
You never know how things will play out. Part of the beauty of the game.
I totally disagree with your assessment of Hagelin. In his last 12 games he’s got four goals and six assists to go with a plus-7. I’m not sure what you’re expecting, but that’s a whole lot more than doing nothing. Maybe he’s not an All-Star. But he fits this team hand-in-glove.
To me, that’s what Rutherford’s done really well—at least going back to the Cullen signing. He’s identified and acquired (or promoted) players who support and compliment the team’s puck-possession game.
It’s the future I’m worried about.we are NOT contenders we are pretenders..You maybe be able to win a game with a couple of calls your way or a bounce or two but in the end in a Best of 7 series the best team always wins!!!
Hi Rick,
I too was a critical of JR during his role as GM of the Pen’s to date but I tried to balance that by always saying that JR was put into an impossible situation to succeed from the day he was first hired. No cap space,very poor contracts that no other organization wanted,no elite talent in the minors, an owner who needs cash and wants to sell his portion of the team and a league trying to sell expansion teams for 500 million each. Plus he was not even the owner’s first or second choice. Talk about a tough situation to be in to start your job.
There is an old paradox :” You have to be lucky to be good and you have to be good to be lucky”. To me that fits JR perfectly. JR did not draft any of the AHL kids now playing with the Pen’s and the Pen’s because of very poor management in the past, was left with no choice but to play the kid’s because they had no elite talent developed and they were unable to get any impact players on draft day to come to Pittsburgh ! That is a key point Rick.
Five years ago,or even 3 years ago star players wanted to come to Pittsburgh, and some even took a pay cut to be on a cup winning team. Now there are many better choices to go to if you are a star player and want to win a cup immediately.JR has to deal with that situation as well. Plus Mario said a few month’s back that if we do not make the play offs the team will lose money.That was crazy.
Can you imagine the owner of the New York Yankees telling his team if we do not make the play offs this year,I can not afford to pay you.That is what goes thru players and agents minds.
All very tough situations for JR to deal with. So for me Rick, I do praise JR but for slightly different reasons. He is doing the best he can with what he has to work with ! But I do agree with your points mentioned in your post.
If you win then your the hero and deserve all the praise,but if lose then unfortunately you have take the medicine that goes with it.
Cheers.
Hey Jim,
Excellent points, my friend…:) Especially the part about having to be lucky to be good and vice versa. You’re right–JR didn’t draft the Wilkes-Barre kids–and he didn’t have many options other than to give them a shot.
Still, he’s smart enough to know a good thing when he sees it. And his in-season trades–adding Daley, Hagelin, and now Schultz–have added so much speed and skill. They’ve helped transform the Pens from pretender to (I hope) contender.
Let’s not forget the Sullivan hiring. “Sully’s” done a terrific job since taking over.
Have a great (and blessed) Easter.
A little PS follow-up.
When Ray Shero was hired in 2006, he was the beneficiary of a lot of good work by Craig Patrick and his staff. Crosby, Malkin, Fleury, Armstrong, Christensen, Goligoski, Kennedy, Malone, Letang, Orpik, Ouellet, Scuderi, Talbot and Whitney already were in the pipeline.
All weren’t All-Stars. But certainly a nice foundation for Shero to build on.
Kind of the same dynamic with Rutherford and the current crop of (Shero drafted) kids.
Eric Fehr signed a three-year-deal.
Thanks, AR. I made the change.
Rick
Praise – come on – The Penguins were a playoff team when he took over and there a playoff team now. They still have zero chance of making a run at the cup because of Rutherfords inability to address the teams need for size / toughness. What has he done – with Crosby and Malkin we should be a shoe in to make the playoffs – this team should be cup contenders year in and year out. If Rutherford would of checked his ego and brought in one big physical defenseman and forward they would have at least given themselves a chance. Come playoff time the front of the Penguins goal crease will look like the LA Expressway.
I hear ya’, Mike. Believe me, I didn’t start out a Rutherford fan. And perhaps the jury’s still out on his moves last summer. Although he really didn’t give up much to get Kessel.
Bonino and Fehr? Obviously, I wish they were scoring more (Kessel, too). But overall, I think they’ve helped more than hurt.
It’s Rutherford’s in-season moves that have me singing his praises. Honestly, I think he batted 1.000. Maybe he gave Mike Johnston a little too much rope. But don’t forget. His boss, David Morehouse, came out at the end of last season and gave MJ a vote of confidence. So JR’s hands were tied–at least to an extent. Credit him for having the foresight to hire Sullivan, who may prove to be the best coach we’ve had since Scotty Bowman.
I don’t think you can understate the skill it required for JR to move Scuderi–let alone get a good player like Daley in return. No offense to “Scuds,” but his presence created a logjam–organizationally as well as on the ice. As long as he was here–and playing every game–we couldn’t null out our pairings. Held other guys back, too.
Daley’s been a perfect fit.
Ditto Hagelin. I know Perron had great hands…at least in shootouts. But he couldn’t skate. He couldn’t take a pass (or make one). He had zippo chemistry with Crosby and Malkin.
Hagelin’s everything Perron wasn’t. He skates like the wind, is defensively reliable, and handles the puck really well. Creates a ton of space for his linemates. Another case of swapping a guy who gummed up the works for one who adds speed and flow.
Those two trades alone earned my respect. But I think the Schultz deal could be a really good one, too. This kid’s got a ton of skill. I love the way he moves the puck. I’m especially impressed with his instincts–the way he joins and even leads the rush–and his work on the power play.
Maybe JR didn’t have much choice with the kids. But he was smart enough to give them a shot, rather than patching holes with has-beens and never-weres.
I’m with you on the toughness issue. I wish Rutherford would’ve addressed the need for a couple of guys who can play…and play with an edge. I think it would make a difference–especially against hyper-physical foes like Columbus and Washington. So I’ll agree…that’s a blemish on his record.
Maybe I’m guilty of drinking the black-and-gold Kool-Aid. But, baring a run of catastrophic injuries, I think the Pens have a chance to make some noise in the postseason.