Jim Rutherford swears that he loves his job.
Considering that the Penguins have won two Stanley Cups since he became general manager in 2014 -- and believe they have a realistic shot at third this summer -- that's understandable.
Of course, there's no guarantee that Rutherford will feel the same way about his position by the time he's finished putting their 2020-21 roster together. By then, any hairs he has that haven't turned gray probably will have been pulled out, because Rutherford is going to have to fill a significant number of spots with a limited amount of money, since the salary-cap ceiling for 2020-21 is expected to remain at $81.5 million.
Per figures provided by CapFriendly.com, the Penguins already have $69,350,175 in cap hits on their books for next season. That total covers 10 forwards, six defensemen and one goalie.
The encouraging thing for the Penguins is that big-money, core players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel and Kris Letang are locked up for a number of years. Conversely, the numbers have to be troubling because they like to carry 21 or 22 players on the major-league roster, and Casey DeSmith is the only goalie with NHL experience who's under contract beyond this season.
Based on CapFriendly's numbers, Rutherford will have a maximum of $12,149,825 to fill out the roster -- and that's only if he is willing to utilize every bit of cap space available. Doing so would be risky, at best, since players get injured occasionally.
Or at times, in the case of the 2019-20 Penguins, hourly.
The league has no plans to offer compliance buyouts, which allow GMs to shed a contract that proved to be ill-considered or overly generous, which means Rutherford is going to have to make numerous personnel decisions after this season.
And almost none figure be pleasant.
In a lot of cases, who gets a new contract -- and how much he is paid -- could be influenced by performances during the postseason. A productive run during the qualifying round and Stanley Cup playoffs obviously could enhance a player's value.
It is, then, premature to make any definitive judgments about precisely what Rutherford should do before next season.
Nonetheless, it's clear that he's going to have to shave some serious dollars from the payroll to free up the money needed to keep players whose contracts are expiring but who he deems to be indispensable to the Penguins' chances of remaining a contender for at least a few more years.
With that in mind, here are a half-dozen suggestions for how to restore at least a little financial flexibility:
1. Trade a goalie
Any team that wants to make a real run at a championship needs a very good -- or better -- goaltender. However, when there is a financial squeeze on, having two of them becomes a luxury, not a necessity.
Whether the Penguins opt to put their future in the hands of Matt Murray, who already helped them win a pair of Cups, or Tristan Jarry, who had an edge in performance over most of this season, is up to management and the coaching staff.
Whoever comes in second in those evaluations, though, should be playing elsewhere next winter. Both goalies should have pretty fair value, even if the trade market is suppressed by widespread financial issues, and sending away one would have the added benefit of not having him be sour about being stuck in a backup role.
2. Let the unrestricted guys walk
Three players on the major-league roster -- wingers Conor Sheary and Patrick Marleau and defenseman Justin Schultz -- are free to sign elsewhere after this season, and should be allowed to do just that.
Marleau was acquired strictly for the stretch drive and playoffs this season and Schultz has been reduced to a third-pairing defenseman by John Marino's development, which means neither will leave a gaping void if he doesn't return.
Perhaps a case could be made to re-sign Sheary, but only if he proves to be productive on the top line in the postseason and is willing to accept a pay cut from his current $3 million salary, two criteria that are in obvious conflict.
3. Trade Nick Bjugstad
Bjugstad is a fine guy to have around if you have the cap space, and he can handle a variety of roles, but with a cap hit of $4.1 million on the final year of his contract, his pay exceeds his production.
Some team out there should be intrigued by the potential Bjugstad has yet to fully realize and be willing to give up an asset or two to add him to its depth chart.
4. Qualify restricted free agents, but don't expect to keep them all
Make qualifying offers to any restricted free agent judged to be capable of contributing in the NHL, but don't expect to be able to keep them all.
The Penguins' restricted-free-agents-to-be on the major-league roster are forwards Jared McCann, Evan Rodrigues, Dominik Simon, Sam Lafferty and Anthony Angello, defenseman Juuso Riikola and Murray and Jarry.
Consider making some of them offers similar to the one Marcus Pettersson got last summer: A below-market value deal for one year, with a promise to reward that loyalty with a long-term deal for better money when the financial outlook improves.
5. Trade Patric Hornqvist
His grit and competitiveness won't be easy to replace -- heck, it might be impossible -- but a $5.3 million cap hit for three more seasons is too much for a guy who would be used most often in a bottom-six role.
6. Trade Jack Johnson
No, not to placate his many critics, but because he's settled into a third-pairing role opposite Schultz while making $3.25 million per season. If the Penguins don't deem Riikola to be a capable replacement, perhaps Pierre-Olivier Joseph can move into the pairing opposite a guy such as Chad Ruhwedel or Zach Trotman.