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Jim Rutherford decided to speak to the media today. It appears that he is way more open with the local media than his predecessor Ray Shero was. Some might view that as refreshing, others may view this as an unnecessary display of airing business that should stay in house. Regardless of your take on it, Rutherford is speaking frequently.
Today he covered a few topics which included NIskanen, Jokinen, the coaching search and the Penguins 1st round draft pick. His comments can be found in Josh Yohe's article in the Pittsburgh Tribune
“I've talked with them,… Rutherford said. “I think both players would like to return. But they're also coming off good years. “It's time for them to hit free agency and get their big contracts. With that being said, we'll see what happens leading up to free agency.…
Basically do not expect Niskanen or Jokinen to return to the Penguins. I believe moving on front Matt Niskanen is the right move for the Penguins. Niskanen had the 5th highest PDO amongst NHL defensemen last season and he only played the 5th hardest defense minutes for the Penguins last year. To pay Niskanen what he is looking for you would first have to believe that last season wasn't a high water mark for him and that it will be the standard moving forward. You would also have to believe that while giving him tougher minutes. It just doesn't make sense for the Penguins.
He had a great career turnaround in Pittsburgh, he was a good Penguin, best for both parties to go their separate ways. Look for a team like Colorado to pursue his services. It is also worth noting that Andrei Markov just signed a 3 year contract with the Canadiens worth 5.75M per year. Look for Niskanen to be in that range, if not top it.
Jussi Jokinen had a great season plus with the Penguins. He was a very nice compliment on the Malkin line. His high hockey IQ worked well playing with a high end player like Malkin. I wrote about Jokinen here and highlighted why signs point to last year as the norm if he remained a Penguin.
The problem with Jokinen is that the gift the Penguins received from Rutherford has run out. He will no longer be only a 2.1M cap hit. He will at least double that figure and it appears the Penguins won't be chasing it.
Rutherford then went on to talk about the coaching search:
“It will be (a problem) if we don't have a coach by July 1,… Rutherford said, referring to negotiations with free agents. “But we're right on track as to when I was hired, in terms of what I want to accomplish. I think the process has been really good.…
I don't think this process has been a good look for the Penguins. Fair or not there seems to be a perception that the Penguins are not a well oiled machine at the present time. These kind of perceptions can impact potential free agents decisions when choosing their final destination.
I will still maintain that if the Penguins choose a good coach that will be the only thing that matters coming out of this search, but I am of the belief that they could have accomplished that without the sideshow like atmosphere that seems to have stemmed from how they handled the Bylsma firing.
“I had a couple of guys that I considered top candidates who did not interview originally,… Rutherford said. “The reason was because I believed they were committed elsewhere and weren't available. Since then, I've contacted them to see if they have that commitment. Those are guys I'm going to be talking to.…
Yeah, I can't say I like this quote all that much. If you considered them top candidates don't assume they are committed, find out. He should already have a good handle on where he stands with whomever these candidates are. Bad optics here.
Rutherford references the Penguins 1st round pick:
“We will trade that pick if it can help us get a player who can help us immediately,… Rutherford said.“Of course I'd be interested in adding picks,… Rutherford said. “You're always interested in adding picks. But I don't think it's reasonable at this point.
“I'm not going to move a player out of the organization who can help us right now just to get more picks.…
The initial reaction is to question Rutherford's willingness to move that pick, I mean that is one of the big reasons Ray Shero is without a job, right? I like the idea of the Penguins keeping their 1st round pick and using it but I will not be completely close minded when talking about a potential trade. The trade should not be for a veteran player who is making big money. That would be a step in the wrong direction. If the Penguins were to trade the pick for a young forward on an ELC, that would be a different story, not sure where you find that deal though.
Can't say I agree with him about it being unreasonable to add more picks, Niskanen's rights should be worth at least something if Dan Boyle was worth a 5th round pick. Also trading a player like Phillip Samuelsson, who I do not believe will ever leapfrog enough of the Penguins young D prospects to play for the Penguins, should be an option as well. I would also gauge the interest of Robert Bortuzzo, if high enough I would move him to gain a pick. The Penguins do not pick until the 4th round after their 1st round selection.
Rutherford is the gift that keeps giving for the local Pittsburgh media, stay tuned to see what he'll say next.
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This week's Hockey Hurts podcast features Hockeybuzz's own Todd Cordell who jumped on to talk about the NHL draft. Also includes discussion about the new coaching hires from around the league and potential free agency landing spots.
You can find the RSS and iTunes link here
Thanks for reading!
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