Penguins Nation

Ray Shero is no longer the general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins because of his inability to draft quality players frequently enough to support a front-loaded team structure. When you have all-world competitors like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin eating up a large chunk of salary cap space, young players must be ready to go in a year or two and need to be able to step in and make contributions. Just look at what the Chicago Blackhawks have gotten out of Ben Smith, Andrew Shaw and Brandon Saad. Or what the L.A. Kings received from Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli en route ...

While it may seem like an eternity since the Pittsburgh Penguins left the ice at the Consol Energy Center having blown a 3-1 series lead to the New York Rangers, in reality it's been less than two months. Given all of the changes that have taken place, from the surprise firing of general manager Ray Shero to the inevitable firing of head coach Dan Bylsma and the roster revamping that has occurred in such a short period of time, it's time for Pens fans to catch their collective breath and look ahead to next season. With just two months until the start of ...

The Pittsburgh Penguins solidified their 2014-15 lineup almost completely under the radar in the first week of free agency. General manager Jim Rutherford and his staff did a marvelous job of finding the right supporting cast for Sidney Crosby and company, while their biggest offensive acquisition, Patric Hornqvist, was brought in just days before.  The two forward acquisitions—Blake Comeau and Steve Downie—are two gritty, hard-hitting hockey players who can finally bring a level of physicality to the Pens’ game. Sure, the team was frightening in the skills department, but no one was capable of providing that intimidation factor.  The one signing that did ...

Jim Rutherford wasn't a popular figure when the Pittsburgh Penguins tabbed him as the organization's new general manager back in June.  It didn't take long for pundits from around the league to spread the hate. Within 24 hours of the move, various analysts shared their views on why the ex-Carolina Hurricanes GM wasn't going to pan out in Steel City. Bleacher Report's Adrian Dater called the hiring "the wrong move." Over at Deadspin, Ryan Lambert wrote that "Rutherford wasn't a sexy pick, or even one that was much talked-about, and the reason for that is that he probably isn't a very good ...

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford may have dipped his foot into the shallow end of the free-agency pool last week, but that is nothing to be ashamed of. Nobody expected the Penguins to go out and sign the top free agents on July 1 primarily because they didn’t have a whole lot to work with due to tight salary cap restrictions. Most of the coveted forwards, like Matt Moulson and Paul Stastny, all signed pretty hefty contracts that the Pens would be unable to meet. Management, however, has been able to work its way around the money issue and sign some promising ...

A growing sect of Pittsburgh Penguins fans have been calling for wholesale changes within the organization over the last few seasons. Those folks have probably seen more roster revisions than they thought possible since Jim Rutherford came on board in early June, and the last month and some change only marks the beginning of a new chapter in Steel City. Since the franchise won its third Stanley Cup in 2009, a team that appeared to be a dynasty in the making has been surpassed by rivals like the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings. The mantra of "patience is a virtue" caved ...

As they head into the 2014-15 NHL season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have plenty of new faces on both the offensive and defensive sides of the puck thanks to the wonderful work done in free agency by general manager Jim Rutherford and his staff. Management did a fine job addressing the problems at forward by acquiring the likes of Patric Hornqvist, Steve Downie and Blake Comeau as well as signing one of the top free-agent defensemen in Christian Ehrhoff. The objective now for the organization is to use these new tools to return to the Stanley Cup Final, a place they haven’t been ...

Eager to turn the page on last season's playoff collapse and look ahead to next season, the Pittsburgh Penguins followed an eventful draft weekend with a busy and surprising start to the free agency period. The Pens spent last offseason working in-house to lock their core players to long-term contracts. This offseason has already proven to be much more eventful as the new general manager, Jim Rutherford, charts a new course for the franchise and overhauls the Pens' roster. As the dust settles on what has been a busy couple of days for the Penguins, let's take a look at where they stand ...

It wasn’t a surprise the Pittsburgh Penguins had such an offensive-minded approach during the 2014 NHL draft, which concluded Saturday. The team stockpiled forwards using four of its five selections on three wingers and one center. Going forward, I believe general manager Jim Rutherford did an amazing job not only building for the future but for the present as well, after trading right wing James Neal to the Nashville Predators for wingers Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling Friday. Overall, the Penguins’ draft picks all have had a great deal of success in their past endeavors and one day may throw on the historic black ...

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been quick and decisive in the opening two days of free agency. They've locked up Christian Ehrhoff for one year according to sources. Not surprisingly, Jussi Jokinen ended up elsewhere, and so did Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen. They did manage to add a solid depth scorer in Blake Comeau though, and retained the services of Marcel Goc. Here's a look at the Pittsburgh Penguins moves thus far in free agency, beginning with the most recent. Update: July 2, 12:40 p.m. ET by Franklin Steele Pittsburgh has added another guy that could be considered a bottom-six threat in Steve Downie. ...