CRANBERRY, Pa. -- American Thanksgiving is associated with turkey and family. In the NHL, it's the unofficial demarcation of when teams have established their identity and start to separate themselves from the pack.
Jim Rutherford apparently doesn't need to wait another two weeks to find out.
"I think that date has passed," the Penguins' general manager told DKPittsburghSports.com Thursday.
Rutherford knows what he has and he's not satisfied with what he's seen from his underperforming team, now 6-5-3 and just two points out of the Metropolitan Division basement. Teams that hold playoff spots on Thanksgiving traditionally have a 78 percent chance of qualifying for the postseason. If that were today, the Penguins would be on the outside. Wednesday night's 2-1 loss in Washington was their fifth straight, marking their longest losing streak in nearly four years.
That is why Rutherford is keeping all options on the table, including external ones.
During next Monday and Tuesday's NHL's general mangers meetings in Toronto, Rutherford won't be going there to sample poutine. He confirmed to DKPittsburghSports.com that he is considering making changes sooner rather than later.
"I'm talking to other GMs more frequently right now than I had hoped to," he said.
It's a startling development for a team that harbored dreams of a return to glory with what was thought to be an improved and deeper roster. Instead, the Penguins have had myriad problems ranging from a recent lack of scoring -- two goals in the past three games -- a porous defense and a No. 1 goaltender who seems to have regressed.
Mike Sullivan has tried everything from mixing up his lines to splitting his defense pairs and power-play unit. Though the Penguins played markedly better Wednesday, it still resulted in just one goal and yet another loss.
But Rutherford says the biggest obstacle has been the team's compete level. He believes the Penguins haven't been able to gain any traction. Their four-game winning streak through Canada in October has been completely negated by their current slide.
"The inconsistency," Rutherford lamented. "When we play, we're as good as any team. The problem is that we don't bring our 'A' game every night and that's where the concern is."
Following his team's 5-1 loss to the Devils earlier this week, Sullivan said the answers to the team's problems all lied within the dressing room.
Speaking Thursday, Rutherford didn't seem set on that.
"They can be, I've seen how we've played," Rutherford said. "The question is whether does this group want to play hard every game. And, at this point in time, it doesn't appear that way."