BOSTON -- Jim Rutherford groomed a series of possible successors during his time as general manager of the Penguins.
Tom Fitzgerald. Jason Botterill. Bill Guerin.
All, eventually, moved on.
And now, with no apparent warning, so has Rutherford.
He resigned as GM Wednesday, citing unspecified "personal reasons."
Although he declined to detail what prompted his decision -- "I'd like to just keep it on as positive a note as I can," he said -- in a statement released by the team, Rutherford said. "it has been a great honor to serve as general manager of the Penguins, and to hang two more Stanley Cup banners at PPG Paints Arena. I have so many people to thank, beginning with the owners, Ron Burkle and Mario Lemieux, and team president David Morehouse.
"There always has been so much support from everyone involved with the Penguins, both on the hockey and business staffs, and, of course, from a special group of players led by Sidney Crosby. The fans here have been tremendous to me and my family. I know it’s a little unusual to have this happen during a season, but I just felt this was the right time to step away.”
Still, he said that resigning was not something he had been considering for an extended period.
"I wasn't thinking about it for a while," Rutherford said. "It came fairly quick."
Rutherford, who said his contract was to expire at the end of June, stressed that the decision was not health-related.
"It's not," he said. "I'm doing fine."
And he did not rule out getting back into the game at some point, even though he has no immediate plans to do so.
"Right now, I'm just going to enjoy my family and my time," he said. "But if the right situation came along, I would certainly listen. But I'm at a place in my life where I can work or I don't have to work. So I'll see how these next few months go."
Assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting Patrik Allvin will serve as interim GM during the search for Rutherford's permanent replacement, and is a viable candidate to move into the position.
"He's very smart, very well-respected in the hockey community," Morehouse said. "And will be considered among the candidates."
Allvin will consult with Lemieux about hockey issues that arise while he is filling in for Rutherford.
Morehouse said he, Lemieux and co-owner Ron Burkle will conduct the search for Rutherford's successor, and that there is no timeframe for reaching a decision.
"We're going to do a careful analysis of people who are interested," Morehouse said. "We're going to look at people who we think fit into the Penguins mold and into our model. We'll make the hire when we find that."
Perhaps more important than when the selection is made is what type of GM the Penguins are seeking: Someone who can operate effectively in "win-now" mode, as opposed to a person whose primary mandate would be to rebuild the prospects pool that has been depleted by the franchise's focus on winning another Stanley Cup with its current core of talent.
"The criterion is the same criterion we've had here for the last almost 15 years, and that's to win the Stanley Cup," Morehouse said. "We're looking for someone who's going to be able to come in, take a very talented team with a very good coaching staff and take it as far as they can take it.
"We're not in a rebuilding mode. We're in a win-now mode. And we're going to continue to be in that mode, until we're in a rebuilding mode. Right now, we're looking for someone who can come in and continue having us work toward winning another Cup."
Fitzgerald and Guerin are now the GMs in New Jersey and Minnesota, respectively, while Botterill recently was named assistant GM of the expansion team in Seattle after a three-year run as Buffalo's GM.
Botterill was at PPG Paints Arena last Friday, scouting for the Kraken, and spoke at length about his excitement at the opportunity to help build a franchise from the ground up. He declined to discuss Rutherford's resignation, so it is not known whether he would be interested in returning to the Penguins, or whether Seattle GM Ron Francis -- the former Penguins center who succeeded Rutherford as GM in Carolina seven years ago -- would give him permission to do so.
Francis, though, remains friends with Rutherford and Lemieux and teams rarely try to prevent employees from taking a better position in another organization, so it's unlikely that would be a significant hurdle if there is mutual interest between the Penguins and Botterill.
Others who might merit consideration for the job include former NHL goalie and ex-Philadelphia GM Ron Hextall, Dan MacKinnon, an assistant GM in New Jersey and a former director of player personnel with the Penguins and Toronto assistant GM Laurence Gillman.
"We're looking for someone who can take this great group of players," Morehouse said. "And hang another banner in the rafters."
The assistants who served under Rutherford routinely speak highly of their time with him, a point Guerin reiterated when word of Rutherford's resignation began to circulate.
"He's had a huge impact on my career," Guerin said. "Jim was all about giving me an opportunity to become a manager, to play a prominent role with the Penguins and give me a lot of responsibility. He trusted me with it, and you learn a lot that way. ... He's a big reason why I'm sitting here today."
Rutherford's resignation caps a run with the franchise that began when he was a Penguins goaltender in the 1970s and resumed with his stint as GM upon succeeding Ray Shero in 2014.
He made key personnel additions to the clubs that won Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, giving him a couple of rings to go with the one he'd earned during a long run as GM in Carolina.
"I came here, a little bit unexpected, I think, to some people and I thought I'd be here two or three years and try to win a Cup," Rutherford said. "And i ended up being here almost seven years and winning two Cups.
"I've been treated great by the ownership and by the organization and the people of Pittsburgh. We have great fans, a great sports city. I've enjoyed every bit of it. But it came to a point that it was time for me to move on."
Moving on doesn't necessarily mean leaving the area. He has some roots in North Carolina from his days with the Hurricanes, but his short-term plan is to remain in Pittsburgh.
"My son's in school," he said "We like Pittsburgh a lot. Certainly, at this time of year, the weather is a little nicer in Carolina, but we haven't put a lot of thought into that. There's no hurry for me to make any decisions."
And even if he should leave eventually, Rutherford's legacy with the franchise will endure.
“Jim has been an amazing representative of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and he’ll always have a special place in our team’s history, his own legacy,” Morehouse said. “He’ll always be part of the Penguins."