TSN: Darren Dreger when asked if there are going to be some big changes coming for the Pittsburgh Penguins after Jim Rutherford’s sudden resignation this week. Dreger says that if they miss the playoffs, there is a chance they could start making some big moves.
“If new management comes on board and says look we have to embrace a renovation here, the Penguins as an organization owe it to Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and to some degree, Kris Letang, to have a conversation and say this is the direction that we’re going in.
Now, Malkin has one more year after this season remaining on his contract, but do those players, especially Sidney Crosby, want to chase a Stanley Cup elsewhere, or is retiring as a Pittsburgh Penguin equally important?
The direction of the club of the next two years is going to determine how that discussion goes as early as this summer. But, imagine if those names were in play at some point in the near future?”
TSN: Pierre LeBrun notes that there are at least 20 potential GM candidates that reached out to the Penguins about the vacancy. Some were the ‘candidates’ themselves and others were calling on behalf of someone else.
“Some of the names on the radar for the Penguins include Jason Botterill, Chris Drury, Ron Hextall, Mark Hunter, Tom Fitzgerald – who was just a GM in New Jersey – Peter Chiarelli, Scott Mellanby, Mike Gillis, Laurence Gillman, John Ferguson Jr., Mike Futa. And again, as I said, including others. Now, Patrik Allvin, the interim GM, will also be a candidate. In fact, he’s getting the first interview. While the Penguins are going to talk to a lot of people, they’re going to get to their shortlist in a hurry and I’m told they want to have a GM in place within two to three weeks from now.”
Frank Seravalli going off of Dreger and LeBrun comments.
“But Dregs, for the reasons that you mentioned in addition to the tightrope that they’re going to have to walk as the next GM. Balancing the win-now mandate that David Morehouse mentioned earlier this week with the pain that they know will ultimately be coming. It’s going to inherently present a challenge for whoever’s tenure if they would like to remain in that chair for a long period of time balancing those two things. And so, it will be interesting to see how that sorts itself out. But I think there are a number of candidates that are a little bit leery thinking that this might not be the best optimum opportunity for someone to get back in that chair.”