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Jim Rutherford

Pittsburgh Penguins Make Changes To Assistant Coaches

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have made sweeping changes to their coaching staff, though Mike Sullivan remains. Sergei Gonchar, Jacques Martin and Mark Recchi, all assistants with the team, will not have their contracts renewed. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford released a statement explaining the decision to fans:

We are in the process of conducting a review of our organization because we have underperformed in the playoffs the last few years. We just thought we needed to change the dynamic of our coaching staff. We have very high standards here in Pittsburgh, and we want to continue competing for Stanley Cups. The message to our fans is that ’We are not rebuilding, we’re re-tooling.’

Sullivan has escaped the executioner for now, but after Rutherford’s comments yesterday about how much change is needed in Pittsburgh you can bet his seat will feel like the surface of the sun in 2020-21.

Gonchar’s departure may be the most surprising, given his close relationship with Evgeni Malkin and history with the franchise. The former NHL defenseman won a Stanley Cup with the club in 2009 and has been with the organization since his retirement in 2015. Gonchar played in more than 1,300 career NHL games and will likely find work before long if he wants it.

In fact, all three coaches have incredible resumes and will likely be snapped up by teams around the league. Martin joined the organization in 2013 after decades of head coaching experience and has been part of championships at basically every level and tournament. Recchi, a Hall of Fame player and sixth on the all-time games played list, could also find himself in a new position quickly. Darren Dreger of TSN suggests that the five-time Stanley Cup winner (three times as a player and twice as a coach) could even move into a management position.

Penguins GM Jim Rutherford: “Changes Need To Be Made”

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The Pittsburgh Penguins were one of the biggest surprises of the qualification round, ousted by the 12-seed Montreal Canadiens. Not only was it surprising because the Canadiens likely weren’t even going to make the playoffs had the season not been cut short, but the Penguins had fought through so much adversity to even get to that point. Head coach Mike Sullivan had guided his group through catastrophic injuries to almost all of the team’s top players while dealing with a horrendous performance from his expected starting goaltender.

Now that they’re out, GM Jim Rutherford didn’t hold back when discussing the offseason with reporters including Josh Yohe of The Athletic:

There is something wrong. Changes need to be made. 

Rutherford went on to say that the team starts to “fizzle out” when things don’t go their way and that even though the coaching staff navigated the regular season well there is a pattern developing at the end of the year. The entire availability was an executive who is primed to make sweeping changes, though Rutherford did explain that he is still committed to the core—Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang especially.

The Hall of Fame GM has never been shy about pulling the trigger and making splashy headline-grabbing moves. Last summer after he felt his team needed a change Rutherford twice traded Phil Kessel, only for the first one to be blocked by the enigmatic winger. During the year he pushed his chips to the middle again and tried to give them a chance to win by acquiring Jason Zucker, only to see them go down before even reaching the regular playoffs.

This time, it sounds as though one of the big changes will come on defense. Though Jack Johnson has been pummeled in the media for his disastrous play during the short postseason, Rutherford pointed the finger directly at his partner instead. Again, from Yohe:

I know everybody picks on Jack and they have for a long time, but I think, in that pairing, Justin Schultz had a lot more to give.

Schultz happens to be an unrestricted free agent this summer while Johnson still has three years on his deal, but it now seems unlikely that the pair will be reunited in the future. The 30-year old Schultz had an outstanding season in 2016-17 when Letang was injured for much of the year and earned himself a three-year, $16.5MM extension. That deal started poorly and ended even worse, however, given the performances that followed. In 46 games this season, Schultz only recorded three goals and 12 points.

But letting Schultz walk away won’t be the only move Rutherford makes. He also once again mentioned how it will be difficult to keep both Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry, given they are both restricted free agents and the salary cap will not be increasing. Moving one of them could help in another area, but don’t be surprised if you see even more drastic and sweeping changes to the Penguins before the 2020-21 season begins.

Metropolitan Notes: Murray, Samsonov, Hamilton

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have a choice to make in net when they head into the 24-team playoff, deciding whether to use Matt Murray or Tristan Jarry as their starter. Though he admits it is the coach’s decision, Penguins GM Jim Rutherford told Josh Yohe of The Athletic that he believes Murray will be the choice after seeing how well the more experienced netminder performed in this week’s practices.

Murray, 26, is only a year older than Jarry but has the added benefit of two Stanley Cups and 48 playoff games under his belt. The 6’4″ netminder struggled mightily this season, however, posting an .899 save percentage. Jarry meanwhile put up a .921 and was selected to the All-Star game, but has never appeared in the postseason. The Penguins will start things off with a qualification round against the Montreal Canadiens.

  • There is another interesting goaltending situation to keep an eye on in the Metropolitan Division, and that’s what is happening in Washington. The Capitals still haven’t gotten a single practice out of young star netminder Ilya Samsonov, who has been “unfit to play” for the entire training camp so far. When asked, head coach Todd Reirden wouldn’t comment on whether Samsonov will be traveling with the team to Toronto in a few days as the Capitals enter the “bubble.” For now, Braden Holtby remains the default choice as starter for Washington despite his own struggles—to the tune of an .897 save percentage—this season.
  • After leaving practice yesterday, Dougie Hamilton was absent again for the Carolina Hurricanes this morning. The defenseman was in “visible discomfort” when leaving yesterday according to team reporter Michael Smith, who also notes that the Hurricanes are already missing Brett Pesce thanks to his shoulder surgery in March. While Pesce hasn’t been ruled out completely from participating in the playoffs, Hamilton was expected to be back to full strength after missing the last two months of the regular season. Given the league’s policy on not giving out injury information, there’s no way of telling what exactly happened to Hamilton or how long he’ll be out.

Snapshots: Penguins, Toronto, AHL

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The Pittsburgh Penguins still have their sights set on a Stanley Cup if the season ever resumes, but there are tough decisions coming at some point with regards to their goaltending situation. The writing staff at PHR gave our takes on what the team should do moving forward with Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry, but Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required) asked Penguins GM Jim Rutherford directly.

Well, I’ll say this: If we are going to keep both of them, we’d have to move a few things around on our team. There is a way to do things and to make that work, yes. There are some very, very tough decisions ahead.

Jarry and Murray are both scheduled for restricted free agency when the season ends and with a stagnant salary cap there won’t be a ton of money lying around. With Jarry outperforming Murray all season long but not having the track record of his Stanley Cup-winning partner, a 2020 playoff run might be the deciding factor. Rutherford isn’t committing either way, but he hasn’t been shy about moving on from key players in the past.

  • Ontario’s premier Doug Ford has discussed the idea of Toronto being a host city for the rest of the NHL season with Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. Edmonton and Vancouver had previously been discussed as possible host cities in Canada, although Justin Holl of the Toronto Maple Leafs had some interesting thoughts on returning to his team’s country. The Minnesota native told reporters on a conference call today that “the general consensus amongst American players is that we’ll wait until we have a concrete plan before we go back. Because you never know if you go back there and then you’re sitting around for another month or two.”
  • The AHL has a conference call set for Friday afternoon according to Patrick Williams of NHL.com, which could be when the league announces that they have canceled the rest of the season. The minor league generates a huge amount of their revenue from ticket sales, something that won’t be gathered if fans aren’t allowed to attend the event. As Williams points out, if the AHL does cancel the playoffs, it would be the first time since 1937 that the Calder Cup has not been awarded.

Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Radim Zohorna

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have added some size to the organization, signing huge forward Radim Zohorna to a one-year entry-level contract. The deal comes on Zohorna’s 24th birthday and represents his first opportunity in North America.

Undrafted, the 6’6″ 233-lbs Zohorna has played at the highest level in the Czech Republic for the last six seasons, scoring 22 points in 46 games during his most recent campaign. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford explained why they are bringing him over now:

Radim is a smart player with good hockey sense that uses his big size to his advantage. His ability to play all three forward positions will help provide depth to our forward group.

While there’s no guarantee that he makes the NHL roster, Zohorna represents another depth option that the Penguins are adding for nothing more than a contract slot. That strategy of mining the college and European free agent ranks for depth players has proven effective for Pittsburgh over the years, allowing them to keep a rotation of inexpensive options rolling through the bottom-six.

Snapshots: NHL Draft, Ovechkin, Crosby, Guentzel

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Yesterday, the NHL postponed the 2020 NHL Draft, which had been set to take place in Montreal on June 26-27. The league did not however indicate what the plan was to make up the event, which must occur in some form or fashion prior to the 2020-21 season. However, Pierre LeBrun writes for The Athletic that there are three possible solutions for the draft make-up. The least likely would be that the draft is simply postponed to a later date and takes place in Montreal as initially planned. LeBrun does not believe that a full draft, complete with teams, prospects, and fans alike in attendance, is a realistic option. Slightly more likely would be a scaled-down version, which LeBrun compares to the post-lockout draft in 2005, that still takes place in Montreal but with far less fanfare, but even this seems unlikely. The outcome most see occurring, falling in line with what junior leagues have decided for their own drafts, would be a virtual NHL Draft, wherein teams make their picks live from their individual war rooms. LeBrun mentions the possibility of a centralized location, in Montreal or elsewhere, with team reps and top prospects in attendance to react to the virtual selections.

If the draft does move to a virtual format, LeBrun reports that the league has promised Montreal that they will receive either the 2021 or 2022 NHL Draft. He adds that the NHL may even consider combining the NHL Entry Draft and NHL Expansion Draft into one week-long event in Montreal next summer. Given the rabid fan base of the city, it would be as good a location as any – barring Seattle itself maybe – to hold the Expansion Draft. If Montreal were to lose the draft this year only to gain two drafts next year, that would be quite the consolation prize.

  • Count arguably the two biggest names in hockey as supporters of calling the regular season and jumping right into the playoffs. On a conference call today among representatives of each of the Metropolitan Division teams, Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin lobbied for the NHL to skip the remaining regular season games and resume play with the first round of the postseason, in whatever format they choose. Crosby opined that playing as many regular season games as possible would be best for the integrity of the season, but he “wouldn’t mind starting right at the playoffs.” Ovechkin was more direct, saying that he is “bored” with the league’s current pause and that his Capitals “don’t want to play those extra games” and would “rather start the playoffs right away.” Unsurprisingly, Carolina’s Jordan Staal, whose Hurricanes are safely in the postseason right now, agrees with Ovechkin and Crosby, while brother Marc Staal of the New York Rangers, who were hot before the league postponed its action, would rather resume the regular season in hopes of getting in. Curiously though, Columbus’ Nick Foligno, whose Blue Jackets would be in the standard playoff structure by total points but not by points percentage, the likely determinant of qualification, supported a jump right to the postseason, while the New York Islanders’ Anders Lee, whose team is in the opposite situation, preferred to finish the regular season. Opinions are sure to change based on the length of the league’s pause, the options for returning to action, and the potential format of postseason play, but for now there is major support behind surrendering the regular season in favor of an immediate postseason of some sort.
  • There are few NHL stakeholders who are benefiting from the current indefinite break in action. One of the only exceptions is Crosby’s teammate, Jake Guentzel. Guentzel suffered a shoulder injury in late December and was given a four-to-six-month recovery window following surgery. In a normal league year, that likely meant that Guentzel would be lucky to play again this season, only able to return for the playoffs, and almost certainly wouldn’t be able to get back to full strength. However, given the delay of the current pause, the status quo has shifted. Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review relays word from GM Jim Rutherford that Guentzel’s rehab is going well and the team is optimistic that he will play again if the season resumes. Especially considering the strong likelihood that the NHL will need a mini training camp for teams to get back to game speed, Guentzel may even be back at full strength before a potential resumption of the regular season or start of the postseason in June or July. Guentzel recorded 43 points in 39 games playing with an injury-depleted forward corps prior to his own injury and would be a major asset for the Penguins, who would be the No. 3 seed in the Metropolitan Division if the playoffs began based on the current standings.

Cam Lee Signs With Pittsburgh Penguins

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The season may be suspended, but it’s not a vacation for NHL front offices. The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed college free agent Cam Lee to a two-year, entry-level contract that will kick in for the 2020-21 season. Penguins’ GM Jim Rutherford released a statement on the signing:

Cam is a good-skating, offensive-minded defenseman that fits the current style of play in today’s NHL. This signing adds more young depth at defense for us. We’re excited to have Cam as a member of the Penguins organization.

PuckPedia reports that the deal will carry a $925K average annual value and includes up to $425K in performance bonuses for the 2021-22 season.

Lee recently finished his senior season at Western Michigan University, where he recorded 85 points in 137 games. The 23-year old is actually the nephew of former goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere and has been on NHL radars for quite some time. Lee had previously attended development camp with the Montreal Canadiens and represents another potential addition to the Penguins defense corps, one that has been rebuilt almost entirely through trades or free agency.

This is also just the latest example in a long history of the Penguins combing the college free agent ranks, which also led them to Drew O’Connor just a week ago. For a team that is always trading away draft picks to compete for the Stanley Cup, the college system has become a pipeline of sorts for Rutherford and his staff.

Snapshots: Penguins, Hockey Canada, AHL

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have been actively looking for an upgrade at forward since Jake Guentzel was ruled out for the rest of the season, and GM Jim Rutherford told Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required) that he is open to anything, including pure rentals that will be unrestricted free agents at the end of the year.

One thing Rutherford explained however is that he is happy with Pittsburgh’s defensive group and will likely not be pursuing an upgrade on the back end. The team will get Brian Dumoulin back at some point, who hasn’t played since November after ankle surgery.

  • Hockey Canada has named their management groups for the various junior age groups, while also announcing that Andre Tourigny will coach the u20 World Junior squad. Tourigny was an assistant coach with the team that recently won gold at the annual tournament, and serves as head coach of the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s. A former NHL assistant with the Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators, he has plenty of experience at the international level.
  • David Andrews will retire from his position as AHL President and CEO in a few months, but held a press conference today to discuss the state of the league. Patrick Williams of NHL.com tweeted out several of the biggest news items, including the fact that the Vegas Golden Knights are interested in buying an AHL franchise. The Golden Knights are currently affiliated with the Chicago Wolves. Palm Springs is set to become the 32nd franchise in the AHL when they begin play in the 2021-22 season as the affiliate for the Seattle NHL expansion.

Pittsburgh Still Pursuing Jason Zucker

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Last summer, before he was traded to the Arizona Coyotes, Phil Kessel was asked by the Pittsburgh Penguins to waive his no-trade clause for a deal that would send him to the Minnesota Wild. That trade reportedly included Jason Zucker as the main piece coming the other way (with Jack Johnson and Victor Rask also involved at one point). While Kessel decided not to allow the transaction to take place, it apparently hasn’t stopped Penguins’ GM Jim Rutherford from trying to get the smooth skating Minnesota forward.

In Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts for Sportsnet, he notes that Pittsburgh are still in pursuit of Zucker, though the Wild “aren’t yet ready to concede” the season. Minnesota is in last place in the Central Division, but only seven points out of a playoff spot in the tight wild card standings. Trading Zucker, who not only has been one of the teams most effective offensive players this season but is also signed for another three years, would essentially mean they are entering a rebuild under new general manager Bill Guerin.

A rebuild does seem to be a possibility after a report recently came out that the Wild are “open for business” and Mathew Dumba is potentially available. He and Zucker are likely two of the most valuable trade pieces on the roster, but would also leave huge holes in the current group.

Just as in the summer, Zucker does seem like a perfect fit for the Penguins however. Perhaps even more so now that the team has lost Jake Guentzel for the season, taking away some of their scoring punch alongside star forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin (and, apparently Bryan Rust). That injury also gives the team a little more cap flexibility, given they could use long-term injured reserve if necessary.

It is important to remember that the Zucker-Kessel trade was worked out with the old Minnesota regime. Guerin obviously has a strong connection to the Penguins organization however and may have a good idea of what they can offer in terms of prospects or young players. Either way, Zucker’s name is one to keep an eye on as the calendar turns to February, especially if the Wild don’t start winning.

Pittsburgh Penguins Looking For Forward

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Even though they seem ready to welcome back captain Sidney Crosby in the next few days, the Pittsburgh Penguins will still be without one of their most potent offensive weapons for the rest of the season. Jake Guentzel is facing a four to six month recovery time after his recent shoulder surgery, which according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, has the Penguins looking for help up front.

Earlier today, Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) also wrote that Penguins’ GM Jim Rutherford is “ready to deal,” though suggested a bit of a different take. Custance listed Alex Galchenyuk and Nick Bjugstad—noted forwards—as players to watch on the trade market. If Rutherford is looking for a swap upfront, it wouldn’t be the first time. Just last year the Penguins traded away Carl Hagelin for Tanner Pearson when they needed a different look. Derick Brassard and Riley Sheahan followed out the door when they were looking for a bit more punch up front, landing Bjugstad and Jared McCann in return. The following summer they traded Phil Kessel for Galchenyuk (after attempting to pry Jason Zucker out of Minnesota), and while that deal had a ton of factors, it still showed the willingness to try something different at the forward group around Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

That may be exactly what is happening now, especially with Guentzel—one of the only forwards on the team to find instant chemistry with basically anyone you put him with—on the sideline. The Penguins do have other assets, but it’s hard to know exactly what would be available in any trade to acquire real impact forwards. A lot has been written about the fact that Casey DeSmith is sitting in the minor leagues while Tristan Jarry runs away with an NHL job, but there is also little certainty in the goaltending position given Jarry and Matt Murray’s contract status past this season (both are restricted free agents at season’s end).

At the very least, you can bet that Rutherford will be willing to take a swing at the fences and go for another Stanley Cup. The team has managed to stay in a divisional playoff spot even with their countless injuries and are now getting closer to having their superstar back at center ice. If there’s a GM to watch over the next few weeks—or really at any time during the year—it’s the one sitting in the Pittsburgh front office.

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