GM: Staff shake-up very real possibility
Rutherford says power-play woes can be fixed with players on hand
After another playoff letdown for the Penguins, general manager Jim Rutherford repeatedly said Tuesday that changes must be made this offseason.
The possible changes, per a source, will not include the head coach position.
Mike Sullivan will remain behind the bench next season, the source said. Even after a qualifyinground loss to the No. 24 seed in the Montreal Canadiens, that’s hardly surprising. The Penguins gave Sullivan a new contract last summer, and, just a few weeks ago, Rutherford called him the “best coach in the game.”
But Rutherford made it clear during the season-ending news conference Tuesday that he is dissatisfied with the team’s playoff performance the past two years and that changes could be coming to the coaching staff in the coming weeks.
Bank on roster changes, too. Sidney Crosby isn’t going anywhere. And Rutherford indicated it would take an “amazing trade” for the Penguins to deal one of their “core players,” who presumably include Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
“We had a good regular season and dealt with some adversity and were able to get through that. So you have to look at that and give credit in the right places,” he said. “But I also have to review what’s happened here at the end of the last two seasons. And there’s been a pattern in both seasons.”
That pattern, he said, was that the team showed little fight after falling behind in the series against both the Canadiens and the New York Islanders last year.
“My concern is that when things don’t go our way, then we start to fizzle out,” he said. “And we don’t have that same drive and determination that we should have and that we need to have. So based on that, I’m looking at everything now.”
Unless something changes, Sullivan will be a big part of that process.
Sullivan, who is expected to speak with local media later this week, has twice led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup since taking over behind the bench during the 2015-16 season. Sullivan has a 214-115-40 record with the Penguins.
Puzzling power play
During Tuesday’s call, Rutherford expressed displeasure with the power play, saying the Penguins had enough talent to excel in that area this season. That unit, which is largely led by assistant Mark Recchi, ranked 16th in the regular season and was a problem in the playoffs, specifically in the Game 1 loss to Montreal.
One reason for that was the Penguins were unable to fill the void in the left circle after they traded Phil Kessel to the Arizona Coyotes last offseason. But Rutherford said his team had more than enough talent to figure it out.
“Usually, when you’re trying to fix the power play, you’re searching and you’re saying, ‘We’ve got to go out and find a player or two,’” he said. “We’ve got enough guys on the power play that it can be successful. … It’s so frustrating to watch us go time and time again and not get good scoring chances, let alone goals.”
He mentioned the failed 5on-3 in the third period of that Game 1 loss.
“You don’t have to be around hockey long to watch the guys we have on the ice and just be puzzled as to why [they can’t create chances],” Rutherford said.
Goalie decision looms
Rutherford acknowledged that “it’s going to be difficult to keep both” goalies this offseason, especially with the salary-cap ceiling not rising due to financial losses league-wide following the disruption of the season by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry are slated to be restricted free agents this offseason. Murray, with two Stanley Cup victories on his resume, will be looking to command a higher salary than Jarry, a first-time AllStar this season.
Rutherford pointed out that Jarry “had an exceptionally good first half.” He added that he felt Murray was the better goalie in the season’s second half. From Jan. 1 on, Murray posted slightly better numbers across the board than Jarry.
The GM said that even though Jarry replaced Murray in Game 4 after Murray went 1-2 in the first three games, he thought both were “good” in the playoffs.
“I can’t point the finger at the goalies,” Rutherford said, adding, “The problem we had is the goalie at the other end was great. That makes a difference.”
Third pair problems
Rutherford said the Penguins had “a little bit of a problem on that third pairing,” against Montreal. That, of course, is an understatement. Jack Johnson and partner Justin Schultz both posted a minus-4 rating in the disappointing series.
“They could certainly be better,” he said. “I know everybody picks on Jack and they have for a long time. But I think … Justin Schultz had a lot more to give.”
Before you get too worked up about that comment, keep in mind that Schultz is an unrestricted free agent and is not expected back, and that it probably won’t help Johnson’s trade value if his general manager trashes him publicly.