GM: Kessel spats no big deal

on a contract that will count $6.8 million against the Penguins salary cap — although the GM did acknowledge that if he got a tremendous offer, the same as any player not named Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, he at least would have to listen.

The most reasonable step forward here, Rutherford said, is for everyone to report to training camp in September and keep doing what they’ve been doing since Kessel became a Penguin.

There was an issue, yes, or at least a few disagreements.

But it was nothing out of the ordinary for coaches and high-level players, nor is it anything that will linger.

“I think it will be resolved,” Rutherford said. “Will they get together for a special meeting?

“I’m not sure that’s necessary at this point. If it is, they’ll figure that out themselves.

“Knowing Phil the way I know him, knowing Sully the way I know him and their passion for winning, when they come back to camp, it’ll be business as usual.”

The “special meeting” Rutherford alluded to occurred last summer. Sullivan traveled to Toronto — where Kessel spends part of his offseason — for lunch and to strengthen their relationship.

While Rutherford doesn’t expect another one to happen, if it did, he wouldn’t be shocked, either.

“[Sullivan] does that periodically with all of our players,” Rutherford said.

And those players periodically disagree with Sullivan about their linemates. Or ice time. They might say something about it.

It also wouldn’t be the first time the player in question simultaneously failed to produce as Kessel did with one goal in 12 postseason games.

“This is not an isolated case,” Rutherford said.

The complaint could be valid, or it could also be made out of frustration/

Whatever the case might be, coach-player “discussions” happen. A lot. Especially with the sports’ elite players who routinely double as its most finicky and winning coaches who feel passionately that what they’re doing is right.

“Will they always agree? Probably not,” Rutherford said of Kessel and Sullivan. “I can tell you the same thing about other players, too. That’s just the way sports works.”

It’s also not a legitimate concern for Rutherford.

Right now, Rutherford is working through myriad offseason issues. He’s started communication with all of the team’s NHL-level restricted free agents and remains optimistic he’ll fit them under a salary cap that’s expected to grow.

There’s a possible contract extension for Bryan Rust and the strong likelihood that Rutherford will tweak some significant parts of his team.

But worrying whether Sullivan and Kessel are going to be OK after a couple of semi-heated conversations late in the season … that’s nowhere near Rutherford’s radar.

Especially considering Kessel is coming off a careerhigh 92 points during the regular season. Something, the GM figures, must have been working the way it should.

“They always had good communication directly and indirectly through the assistant coaches,” Rutherford said. “I don’t see where that has changed.

“The only thing that’s changed is that we won the first two years, so nobody wants to talk about it. We didn’t win the Stanley Cup this year, so it’s become a bigger public issue. To me, that’s the only reason.”