Jim Rutherford doesn't particularly care for the idea of finishing the 2019-20 NHL season in empty arenas.
Playing without fans present would have a profound impact on the games, he said, and that's without even getting into the issue of losing the money from ticket sales on which the league relies so heavily.
"We always talk about gate revenue, but it's ... important to our fans to watch their team and cheer on their team," Rutherford said. "And important to the organization and to the players, you know, because the fans really drive the players. They're so supportive.
"If there weren't fans, let's say the obvious: It would be a totally different atmosphere. But in these times, you have to look at all options. And if, for safety reasons, we had to play without fans, at least people will be able to see the games. They'd be televised."
Despite the drawbacks to having games unfold without a crowd present, Rutherford acknowledged Wednesday that in these most unusual of times -- when the NHL has been shut down for nearly four weeks and will remain that way indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic -- nothing can be ruled out.
And he agreed that if the league would decide to hold games in non-NHL buildings, the Penguins' practice facility in Cranberry, Pa., might be a venue worth considering.
Not only because it has two sheets of regulation-sized ice, but because a game from there -- a preseason matchup between the Penguins and Blues that was relocated from Rostraver, Pa., because of concerns about playing conditions in that rink -- has been televised nationally, with no apparent problems.
"At least we have something to look at, as to whether it's viable," he said. "It seemed to be viable for that game."
That's significant, because if games would be played without crowds, the ability to provide programming for sports networks is a factor on which the NHL surely would place great emphasis.
Now, having games in non-NHL venues is just one of numerous possibilities league officials are contemplating, and they obviously don't even know yet if any part of the season will be able to be salvaged.
It's also possible that they would want to avoid sites with connections to a particular team -- that would seem to be a major concern if putting all clubs on equal-footing would be an objective -- which is why North Dakota has been discussed as a possible location for some games.
For now, the only certainty in the NHL, as with every other team sport, is the rampant uncertainty. Questions overwhelm answers -- imagine the final score in a game between the 1976-77 Canadiens (60-8-12) and the 1974-75 Capitals (8-67-5), then multiply it by a factor of a thousand -- which is why almost no scenario for salvaging at least some part of the season that was suspended March 12 seems to have been ruled out.
"The league is trying to look at all options and doing the best they can to give teams a chance to play for the Stanley Cup and content for TV is important now," Rutherford said. "You have to do what you have to do. You have to make the best of the situation. We're just preparing for whatever the league decides to do."
On other issues, he said the Penguins:
• Have not made a decision on whether to try to sign former Penn State center Nikita Pavlychev, their seventh-round draft choice in 2015. "We're still talking through that," Rutherford said. "We like him." Pavlychev is a 6-foot-7, 225-pound center and likely will be a bottom-six forward as a pro but developed a bit of a scoring touch as his college career progressed. He put up a career-best 14 goals and 15 assists in 39 games as a junior in 2018-19.
• Still are trying to sign a free agent who has been playing in Europe, but declined to identify him.
