Jim Rutherford will enter the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder this fall.
Seems like a bit of a misnomer, though.
Or, at the very least, an incomplete description of his work as a general manager.
Because for parts of his quarter-century as an NHL GM, he has done as much renovating as he has building. That's been particularly true since 2014, when the Penguins hired him to replace Ray Shero.
Rutherford inherited the foundation of a championship-caliber club but immediately set about working on it, and the changes he made helped the franchise claim its fourth and fifth Stanley Cups.
He has made more than 40 deals since becoming GM. Some have been minor transactions, like a swap of draft choices, while others have had a profound impact.
Rutherford has orchestrated two major personnel exchanges since the Penguins were swept out of the playoffs by the New York Islanders, acquiring Dominik Kahun from Chicago and Alex Galchenyuk from Arizona -- and figures to swing at least one more before the regular season arrives, if only to stay in compliance with the salary cap.
Here's a look at the most significant trades he made during his first five years in charge — and how they turned out for the Penguins:
June 27, 2014 - Obtained Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling from Nashville for James Neal. Rutherford's first trade was also one of his best. Hornqvist's intangibles have been at least as important as his talent to this team.
Jan. 2, 2015 - Obtained David Perron from Edmonton for Rob Klinkhammer and a 2015 first-round draft pick. Perron had a few good streaks here, but did not produce as anticipated.
Jan. 27, 2015 - Obtained Maxim Lapierre from St. Louis for Marcel Goc. Like Perron, Lapierre did not have the impact expected when he was acquired.
March 2, 2015 - Obtained Ian Cole from St. Louis for Robert Bortuzzo and a 2016 seventh-round draft pick. Cole had a greater impact than expected and was an integral part of the Stanley Cup teams in 2016 and 2017.
July 1, 2015 - Obtained Phil Kessel, Tyler Biggs, Tim Erixon and a 2016 second-round draft pick from Toronto for Nick Spaling, Kasperi Kapanen, Scott Harrington and 2016 first- and third-round draft picks. This deal essentially boiled down to Kessel for Kapanen and the first-rounder and, while the Penguins certainly didn't steal Kessel, there's no disputing how valuable he was during their two most recent Cup runs.
July 28, 2015 - Obtained Nick Bonino, Adam Clendening and a 2016 second-round pick from Vancouver for Brandon Sutter and a 2016 third-round draft pick. Although Rutherford's hand was forced -- Sutter wanted a bigger role and more money than the Penguins' payroll could handle -- Bonino proved to be a more-than-capable replacement as the No. 3 center.
Dec. 14, 2015 - Obtained Trevor Daley from Chicago for Rob Scuderi. Rutherford is lucky he didn't do a stretch in prison for this robbery.
Jan. 16, 2016 - Obtained Carl Hagelin from Anaheim for David Perron and Adam Clendening. Hagelin's speed and penalty-killing prowess made him way more than a fair return for Perron and Clendening.
Feb. 27, 2016 - Obtained Justin Schultz from Edmonton for a 2016 third-round draft pick. Schultz turned his career around after coming here, and made Rutherford's low-risk/high-reward move a huge winner.
June 23, 2017 - Obtained Ryan Reaves and a 2017 second-round draft pick from St. Louis for Oskar Sundqvist and a 2017 first-round draft pick. One of Rutherford's worst deals. Mike Sullivan never seemed to get comfortable with Reaves, who performed in a limited role before going to Vegas in a three-team trade nine months later.
Feb. 23, 2018 - Obtained Derick Brassard, Tobias Lindberg, Vincent Dunn and a 2018 third-round draft pick from Ottawa and Vegas (three-team trade). Ian Cole, Filip Gustavsson, a 2018 first-round draft pick and a 2019 third-round draft pick went to Ottawa, while Ryan Reaves and a 2018 fourth-round draft pick went to Vegas. Probably Rutherford's biggest flop as a trader here. He gave up some nice assets for a guy who seemed like an ideal fit as the No. 3 center, but who never adapted to the role.
Nov. 13, 2018 – Obtained Tanner Pearson from Los Angeles for Carl Hagelin. Rutherford loves Hagelin, but feared losing him in free agency after the season. Although Pearson looked like he could be a reasonable return, under the circumstances, he made a limited contribution and was gone in a matter of months.
Dec. 3, 2018 – Obtained Marcus Pettersson from Anaheim for Daniel Sprong. Pettersson should develop into a top-four defenseman, while the flaws in Sprong's overall game continue to offset his well-documented goal-scoring ability.
Feb. 1, 2019 – Obtained Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann from Florida for Derick Brassard and Riley Sheahan and three 2019 draft picks (second-rounder and two fourth- rounders). A pretty nice recovery from the near-disaster of adding Brassard for, while Bjugstad hasn't consistently performed at the level most anticipated, McCann has exceeded expectations and could be a significant piece of the franchise's future.
Feb. 25, 2019 – Obtained Erik Gudbranson from Vancouver for Tanner Pearson. Another nice recovery. Acquiring Gudbranson inspired scorn in some quarters, but he was a reliable member of the defense corps and added a much-needed physical presence.
