Give Hextall credit, but save some for Rutherford  taken at PPG Paints Arena (Penguins)

DKPS

Jim Rutherford

Jim Rutherford wouldn't get his name on the Stanley Cup if the Penguins win it in 2021.

He'd have to settle for having his fingerprints all over it.

Rutherford abruptly resigned as their general manager on Jan. 27, citing "personal reasons" that still haven't divulged by either party.

He was replaced a couple of weeks later by Ron Hextall, who was joined in the front office by Brian Burke, the franchise's first-ever president of hockey operations.

Hextall and Burke have immersed themselves in their jobs and certainly could make significant personnel changes in the future, constructing a roster that suits their vision.

For now, however, the Penguins are relying largely on the roster that Hextall and Burke inherited from Rutherford.

Which, as it turns out, was good enough to finish atop the highly competitive East Division, giving the Penguins their first division title in seven years.

Hextall, operating with limited salary-cap space and tradable assets, made two additions to the roster: Center Jeff Carter and defenseman Mark Friedman.

Carter has had a profound impact since being acquired from Los Angeles at the trade deadline, allowing Mike Sullivan and his staff to establish balance among the Penguins' forward lines and giving them at least three capable of making regular contributions to the offense. 

That Carter gives them a right-handed center who can win faceoffs and be effective on both special teams only enhances his value.

Friedman, claimed off waivers from Philadelphia, doesn't figure to be in the Game 1 lineup against the New York Islanders Sunday, but showed enough during five regular-season appearances (sandwiched around a concussion) to suggest that he will be a capable replacement if there are injuries on defense, which are inevitable if a team goes on an extended playoff run.

Although both could prove to be critical additions for the Penguins -- Carter certainly has the potential to be a difference-maker in a close series -- in reality, they are mostly welcome appendages to a group that already was intent on chasing the franchise's sixth championship.

Hextall's moves fine-turned the roster, but it was assembled primarily by three predecessors over a span that began nearly two decades ago.

And none of those three had as much to do with the makeup of this team as Rutherford, who directed the operation from June, 2014 until the early weeks of this season.

Here is a breakdown of which GM brought the 20 players expected to be in the Game 1 lineup into the organization:

Ron Hextall -- Jeff Carter.

Jim Rutherford -- Zach Aston-Reese, Cody Ceci, Casey DeSmith, Frederick Gaudreau, Kasperi Kapanen, John Marino, Mike Matheson, Jared McCann, Marcus Pettersson, Brandon Tanev, Jason Zucker.

Ray Shero -- Teddy Blueger, Brian Dumoulin, Jake Guentzel, Tristan Jarry, Bryan Rust.

Craig Patrick -- Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin.

Rutherford played a prominent role in the Penguins' Cups in 2016 and 2017 by acquiring the likes of Patric Hornqvist, Phil Kessel, Nick Bonino, Ian Cole, Ben Lovejoy, Carl Hagelin, Trevor Daley, Justin Schultz and Matt Cullen, to say nothing of bringing in Mike Sullivan to coach after Rutherford's original choice for that job, Mike Johnston, fizzled.

He responded to the Penguins' upset loss to Montreal during the qualifying round of the 2020 postseason by aggressively altering his roster and upgrading their organizational depth. Here's a look at -- and assessment of -- the major moves he made between those playoffs and the 2020-21 season:

• Bought out Jack Johnson. For a segment of the fan base, that alone would have made it a successful offseason.

• Traded for Kapanen. His speed and willingness to shoot make Kapanen an ideal fit for how Sullivan likes his team to play, and an asset for the power play. That he can kill penalties, if needed, is a bonus.

• Traded for Matheson and winger Colton Sceviour. Matheson is playing close to the level that prompted Florida to give him an eight-year contract, and Sceviour is a capable fourth-liner. Hornqivst's net-front presence on the power play was sorely missed for much of the season after he went to Florida in the deal.

• Signed Ceci as a free agent. Skeptics figured Ceci would inherit Johnson's spot as a whipping boy for disgruntled fans, Instead, he's been good enough at both ends of the ice to earn steady work on the second pairing and set himself up for a nice payday after this season.

• Signed Gaudreau as a free agent. Gaudreau likely has exceeded management's most lofty expectations, displaying versatility and productivity that have earned him a spot on the third line.

• Signed Mark Jankowski as a free agent. Rutherford gambled that Jankowski could fill a blue-collar role and possibly rediscover the scoring touch he showed in Calgary a few years ago. The latter didn't happen.

• Traded Matt Murray after re-signing Jarry. The Penguins couldn't afford to keep both and, after Murray's struggles during the previous two playoffs, allowing him to get a fresh start in Ottawa made sense for all concerned. Jarry has given the Penguins no reason to second-guess that decision.

• Signed Evan Rodrigues as a free agent. Like Gaudreau, Rodrigues can play multiple positions and move up and down the lineup.

• Re-signed McCann. It might seem like a no-brainer now that he's established himself as a legitimate top-six forward, but McCann finished last season in a terrible slump and was a healthy scratch for a playoff game. Rutherford ignored calls to let McCann depart via free agency, and the Penguins are being rewarded for it.

Rutherford obviously had some misses, as any active GM will. But he's a big part of the reason the Penguins could hang around these playoffs for a while, even if he won't be there to witness it.

Loading...
Loading...