Jim Rutherford was officially introduced as the new general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins at a press conference on Friday and seemed eager to work with his new roster.
#Pens GM Jim Rutherford: “I’m very excited about it. I’m excited about working with Sidney Crosby and Geno Malkin…"
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 6, 2014
Rutherford: "This is a job most GMs would like to have and I was very lucky" to get it "at this point in my career."
— Dave Molinari (@MolinariPG) June 6, 2014
Rutherford's hiring comes on the same day the Penguins let head coach Dan Bylsma go, signaling what Rutherford says is "a complete change of direction" for the franchise.
One of those changes appears to involve analytics, which Rutherford will work on improving within the organization.
Jim Rutherford: "I am going to add somebody into the organization to do analytics within the next few weeks... We need to get up to speed."
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 6, 2014
Rutherford also said there are a number of people already with the Penguins who could be excellent general managers in the future. His role appears to be as a mentor who will attempt to build one more Stanley Cup team before stepping aside in a few years.
Rutherford says his term in PIT will be "2 or 3 years"...mentoring Botterill, Fitzgerald, Guerin. Says Botterill is getting very close.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 6, 2014
Along with a lack of analytics, Rutherford feels the roster lacks forward depth, something he hopes to address in the offseason.
