Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Rutherford's rapid makeover paying dividends for Penguins (Yahoo Sports)

FILE - In this Jan. 2, 2016, file photo, Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan stands behind David Perron (57), and Evgeni Malkin (71) during an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders in Pittsburgh. The Penguins are on the cusp of a fourth Stanley Cup in large part to coach Sullivans uncanny ability to get the attention of a struggling player. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Tasked two summers ago with rebooting a franchise whose window for success around stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin appeared to be closing, Jim Rutherford didn't tinker. The man they call ''Trader Jim'' spent the better part of the next 18 months making over the Pittsburgh Penguins on the fly. Marred by injuries and dispassionate play under then-head coach Mike Johnston, the Penguins fell to the New York Rangers in five listless games last spring, leading to concerns the man who built a Stanley Cup winner in NASCAR country in Carolina a decade ago had lost his touch.


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