Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

On this day in Penguins history...

August 20, 2019, 10:47 AM ET [68 Comments]
Ryan Wilson
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
On this day in Penguins history... nothing happened. The trend is likely to continue. There aren't a lot of exciting things to talk about. You have a capped out team with minimal roster moves to be made. Will it be Bryan Rust or Nick Bjugstad who gets the boot to make room for Brandon Tanev? This was the topic a month ago.

The most interesting thing going on right now is the dance between Bill Guerin and the Minnesota Wild. Guerin by all accounts is impressing the Minnesota brass because he is the complete opposite of Paul Fenton when it comes to communicating and talking to human beings. Guerin is personable. Fenton speaks in lizard tongue.

If Bill Guerin gets hired by Minnesota don't look for big changes to the Penguins. They've got this.




“It could be an internal move,” Rutherford said Friday. “It could be that (Guerin’s) responsibilities get added into somebody’s job. That’s why you build options within an organization, so you have people who can pick up if somebody leaves.”

“I have a few different options from within, and I’m comfortable with them,” Rutherford said, though he declined to provide or confirm specific names of candidates.
“I may or may not make a decision right away.”

Rutherford said he would also “be comfortable” moving forward with Karmanos as the Penguins’ only assistant GM.

The less voices the better for Rutherford. He wants this to be his show anyways. He can do whatever he wants until retirement. The two Stanley Cup championships he won bought complete loyalty from ownership for better or worse. He doesn't have to answer to anybody sans trying to trade Evgeni Malkin.

When things eventually go sideways he can just step away from the burning fire. If the Penguins still have a glimmer of hope, but fall short, he will blame chemistry and the players. We have a growing sample of offseasons in Pittsburgh that speak to this. Never mind the decades in Carolina.

Logically, you would want to start building a succession plan or would have already implemented it. Instead it appears the Penguins aren't very interested in any kind of plan and that is music to Jim Rutherford's ears. Unfortunately, this is the music playing.




Thanks for reading!
Join the Discussion: » 68 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Ryan Wilson
» Penguins earn victory on Jake night
» A salute to Jake Guentzel
» Sid puts on show as Avs dig out of hole
» A dud in Dallas
» My thoughts on Dubas' thoughts