Jim Rutherford can do the math.
He knows that it takes 16 victories to win a Stanley Cup.
He also realizes that the Penguins came up precisely 16 victories short of a championship in 2018-19.
Even so, after witnessing a postseason during which high seeds and top contenders vanished faster than props in a David Copperfield magic show, Rutherford is to be forgiven for believing that his team had – and squandered – a stellar opportunity to claim the franchise’s sixth title.
“We can say what some other teams are saying now,” Rutherford said over weekend in his PPG Paints Arena office. “We had a good enough team to win this year, but the pieces didn’t fall into place at the right time. We had the pieces it would take, but we didn’t have that will and desire and belief that we could do it.”
That’s why finding a way to rekindle the competitive fires that fueled the Penguins’ back-to-back Cup runs a few years ago is high on Rutherford’s to-do list this summer.
“I don’t think we had a team (in 2018-19),” he said. “We had a lot of good players, (but) the team never seemed to come together. That’s something we have to work harder on, as far as the chemistry of the team. The coach and the (GM) have to work harder on it, and the players have to work harder on it.
“I believe the locker room has lost its way. (Sidney Crosby) does all he can do, as the captain, but you can’t expect him to do the day-to-day stuff. He’s got enough to do, being the top player on the team. We need more guys to get involved in that (leadership).
"Part of the reason we lost our way was because we just got content with our success and, because of cap reasons, we had to move some key guys who were great locker-room guys. (Nick) Bonino was a good example of that. Trevor Daley. (Chris) Kunitz. Nobody’s really jumped in and filled those roles.”
The GM and coach charged with restoring that competitive edge are in place; whether the players who can make it happen are on the payroll now is unclear.
“It’s hard to say,” Rutherford said. “I think we have some guys here who can take that (leadership) role who have been a little bit nervous to step forward. It’s not an easy team or an easy room to be in. You’ve seen that over the years with the Penguins. Long before I got here, you’d bring some guys in and it’s hard for them. I see that. I see why. So possibly, we could have guys (who can handle those duties), but they have to get pushed to do it.”
Rutherford, it should be noted, doesn’t think better intangibles are the Penguins’ only need. He cited identifying – and, if necessary, acquiring – a few strong defensive forwards as a priority in coming months.
“One of the things we’re going to have to look at at some point in time, whether it’s now or in-season, is, do we have enough shutdown guys?” he said. “We can score enough, but can we shut teams down when we have to? When you look at our bottom-six, (the goal is) having guys who can score, but can also shut down the opposing team.
“Probably, most importantly when I say that, is going to be at center ice. Teddy Blueger deserves the opportunity to be here. He’s proven that. He should be a good shutdown guy. Can (Nick) Bjugstad or (Jared) McCann play that role? That’s something we have to see. They’re good players and they certainly should be part of our team, but both guys can also play the wing. I think that’s something we have to watch for, probably: A shutdown center.”
Rutherford has been around long enough to understand that imitation is more than just the most sincere form of flattery in the NHL; it’s also among the most popular approaches to roster-building.
When the Penguins won Cups by playing a game rooted in speed and skill in 2016 and 2017, some teams stressed adding and developing players with those qualities.
But because St. Louis and Boston, which competed in the Cup final this spring, play “heavy” games, the emphasis for some clubs in the near future figures to be on size and physicality.
Although Rutherford has infused his lineup with toughness during the past few years – witness the addition of guys like Erik Gudbranson, Jack Johnson and Ryan Reaves – he said he won’t alter his basic approach simply because muscular teams like the Blues and Bruins have had success of late.
“We won’t change,” he said. “We’ll still go about what we’re doing. We have a lot of good players with the Penguins right now. We have to figure out, do all those pieces fit the way they need to fit, and bring that team concept back into play. There are a few different ways of winning. That’s been proven over the last few years. I think you can win whatever way you approach it, but all the factors you put into a team have to be clicking for you.”
Rutherford underscored that feeling Saturday, when he traded Olli Maatta to Chicago for Dominik Kahun and a fifth-round draft choice. For while Kahun is smallish, he's a versatile and skilled forward who skates well and should fit nicely into Mike Sullivan's system.
And who just might be one of the pieces that helps to restore the team concept Rutherford believes has been lost.
YESTERDAY: Rutherford on Kessel, backup goalies
TOMORROW: Will the Penguins really hold onto their first-rounder?
