CRANBERRY, Pa. -- As Jack Johnson can attest, Jim Rutherford has long ago established a reputation as being one of the NHL's most free-wheeling general managers.
On Wednesday, "Trader Jim" went that much further.
On the day that the Penguins rewarded Rutherford with a new, three-year contract extension that will keep him on the job through the 2021-22 season, the GM pulled off his latest trade by sending Carl Hagelin to the Kings for Tanner Pearson in a straight-up exchange of left wingers.
By dealing Hagelin, Rutherford is clearly sending a message to his underachieving team, which has lost six of its last seven and is just two points out of the Eastern Conference basement with a record of 7-6-3.
Knowing Rutherford and knowing how he operates, Johnson said he wasn't the least bit surprised that the GM would make a major move just 16 games into a topsy-turvy season. Hell, Rutherford once traded Johnson from the Hurricanes before he ever played a game for them.
When he signed with the Penguins in July, Johnson said he wanted to come to a winning culture where losing wasn't going to be accepted, whether the calendar read November or April.
"You come to a team like this, you're expected to win," Johnson was telling DKPittsburghSports.com. "That's an exciting part and a great part of being here, I think. It's a big reason why, when I had the opportunity to come here, I jumped all over it.
"But this is the other side of it. As a group we don't want to see guys go. We want to keep this together and hopefully something like this helps turn things around and we don't have to see anyone else go."
Whether it's the last trade Rutherford makes for a while remains to be seen. That, the GM said, will be determined by where the Penguins go from here. But given his track record, you have to believe that he isn't done dealing quite yet.
In giving Rutherford a three-year extension, the organization believes the window to win a sixth Stanley Cup is going to be open for a few more seasons. When Rutherford's new contract expires in 2022, it coincides with the end of the contracts for Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Phil Kessel. Along with Sidney Crosby, those three have formed the nucleus of the Penguins' 2016 and '17 championship teams.
A shot at another Cup is what drives the 69-year-old general manager.
"Everybody wants to win the championship, and I still believe we can. Whether we can come out of it this year and do it or whether we have to make some changes and do it next year, I still believe we have a window here," Rutherford said when I asked.
Hagelin wasn't quite part of the nucleus, but he was an integral member of the 2016 and '17 teams, as well as being one of the first players Rutherford acquired after Mike Sullivan took over the reins as coach in December of 2015. However, Hagelin is 30 and was to be an unrestricted free agent at season's end. He had one goal and two assists in 16 games this season, despite playing in a top-six role alongside Malkin.
Pearson, 26, is a former first-round pick, 30th overall, from the 2012 NHL Draft held in Pittsburgh. He helped the Kings to the Cup in 2014 when, along with Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli, he was part of Los Angeles' exceptional 'That 70s Line,' due to the numbers on their sweaters. He has just one assist in 17 games this season but has scored 69 goals in 325 career games.
Rutherford said that Pearson's confidence may have been a little shaken this year, but he believes that coming to a team that still figures to contend could be a welcome change.
Sullivan wasn't as familiar with Pearson but had heard nothing but good things from the Penguins' hockey ops department.
"Obviously, he's a very good player," Sullivan said when I asked about his new forward. "He's a guy that can help us offensively. He has the ability to play with some of our top people. He certainly did that when he was in L.A. He's had a 20-goal season, he's had a 40-point season or two, so he's shown an ability to produce offensively. He's a decent skater, so we think he can play the type of game we're trying to play, and he's got a good 200-foot game. We'll see where we slot him here over the next little while. We'll try to put him in a position to play where he can play to his strengths and be his best."
During Wednesday's practice, Zach Aston-Reese skated on the second line where Hagelin had been playing alongside Malkin and Patric Hornqvist. Sullivan said that trio could remain intact tomorrow night when the Penguins host the NHL-leading Lightning at PPG Paints Arena, though he was non-committal. Sullivan said that he anticipates that Pearson will be in the lineup against Tampa Bay.
Pearson has two seasons remaining on a four-year, $15 million contract with the Kings that pays him $3.75 million annually, slightly less than the $4 million Hagelin will earn this season.
I would like to thank everyone in the LA Kings organization past and present for the past 6 years. Management, coach’s, trainers, equipment staff, PR team and finally the fans, you’ve all… https://t.co/E99FXDWhYO
— Tanner Pearson (@tannerjpearson) November 14, 2018
That he would make a trade on the same day he earned a contract extension is just typical of Rutherford, whose contract was due to expire at the end of the season. The 69-year-old general manager shepherded the Penguins to a pair of Stanley Cup championships, and his team hasn't missed out on postseason play during his tenure.
"He's not afraid," said team president David Morehouse. "I like the fact that he doesn't have fear of being wrong. That's a hard thing to come by in sports. He'll make a move and if he thinks it's a wrong move, he'll say it's a wrong move. He's not going to sugarcoat anything. It's not an exact science and you see players performing well in other places, what he does is he sees players who aren't performing and brings them here, and he sees something that he thinks he can help change."
• The Penguins were without Sidney Crosby at practice Wednesday, and could be Thursday when they host Tampa Bay.
• Along with Crosby, Derick Brassard also did not take the ice. He is still day-to-day. Without those two and Hagelin, the lines and pairs looked like this:
Simon--Recchi--Rust
Aston-Reese--Malkin--Hornqvist
Guentzel--Sheahan--Sprong
Wilson--Cullen--Sprong
Johnson--Letang
Dumoulin--Ruhwedel
Maatta--Oleksiak
• Word of Tristan Jarry's goal in an AHL game Wednesday morning in Wilkes-Barre quickly made the rounds in the Penguins' dressing room. Jarry, who appeared in 27 games for the NHL team over the past two seasons, shot the puck the length of the ice in a 5-1 win over Springfield. Count Matt Murray among the impressed. "I think as goalies, it’s what we're all trying to do," Murray said. "It's pretty cool. He's a great puck-handler. It doesn't surprise me."
• Following Wilkes-Barre's win, the Penguins recalled Derek Grant, who started the season in Pittsburgh. He was pointless in six games with Pittsburgh. In the AHL, Grant has four points (three goals) in five games.