Daily  Clips  –  6/21/14        As  top  target  balks,  Penguins'  coaching  search  continues  By  Rob  Rossi  

General  manager  Jim  Rutherford  still  is  searching  for  the  Penguins'  next  head  coach.  

His  top  target  turned  down  the  chance  to  inherit  a  perennial  high-­‐payroll  playoff  team  led  by  former  MVPs  Sidney  Crosby  and  Evgeni  Malkin  —  albeit  one  that  ownership  publicly  said  has  underachieved  by  not  returning  to  the  Stanley  Cup  Final  since  2009.  

“The  guy  I  had  is  going  in  a  different  direction,”  Rutherford  said  Friday,  adding  he  would  take  the  weekend  to  “sort  some  things  out.”  

Rutherford  declined  to  identify  his  choice  for  coach,  but  team  and  league  sources  told  the  Tribune-­‐Review  that  man  was  Willie  Desjardins,  a  hot  commodity  after  leading  the  AHL's  Texas  Stars  to  the  Calder  Cup  this  past  season.  

Rutherford  said  the  coaching  search  will  resume  Monday,  and  candidates  will  include  those  who  did  not  interview  this  week.  

“I'll  work  off  the  same  list  I  had,  but  it  will  be  expanded  by  two  or  three  names  that  for  whatever  reason  weren't  considered  for  interviews  the  last  time,”  Rutherford  said.  “We  need  somebody  that  wants  to  be  here  and  really  wants  to  win.”  

Eight  candidates  interviewed  for  the  job.  Rutherford  said  Thursday  that  “the  process  is  coming  to  an  end”  and  that  he  had  made  a  choice.  Rutherford  also  said  Thursday  he  was  “still  checking  a  few  points  with  the  lead  candidate.”  

Desjardins,  57,  met  with  Rutherford  in  Pittsburgh  on  Thursday  night  and  Friday  morning,  the  sources  said.  Topics  discussed  included  contract  length,  salary  and  assistant  coaches,  the  sources  said.  

Aside  from  Desjardins,  the  sources  said  other  coach  candidates  included  former  NHL  coaches  Ron  Wilson  and  Marc  Crawford  and  league  assistants  Ulf  Samuelsson  (New  York)  and  Bill  Peters  (Detroit).  

Peters  agreed  to  a  three-­‐year  contract  with  Carolina  on  Thursday.  

Another  candidate  to  interview  for  the  Penguins  job  was  John  Hynes,  coach  of  their  AHL  affiliate  Wilkes-­‐Barre/Scranton  for  the  past  four  seasons.  Hynes  has  a  good  rapport  with  Penguins  associate  general  manager  Jason  Botterill  and  assistants  Tom  Fitzgerald  and  Bill  Guerin.  

The  sources  said  Jeff  Daniels,  coach  of  Carolina's  AHL  affiliate;  Tom  Renney,  an  associate  coach  with  Detroit;  and  Mike  Keenan,  a  veteran  NHL  coach  coming  off  a  championship  season  in  Russia's  Kontinental  Hockey  League,  had  not  interviewed  with  Rutherford.  Also,  the  sources  said  Rutherford  had  targeted  Los  Angeles  assistant  John  Stevens,  but  the  Penguins  were  not  granted  permission  to  interview  him.  Stevens  was  promoted  to  Los  Angeles'  associate  coach  this  week.  

Interviews  for  the  Penguins'  job  began  Monday,  and  they  were  not  limited  to  head  coaching  candidates.  Rutherford  also  spoke  with  former  Tampa  Bay  coach  Rick  Tocchet  about  a  possible  assistant  coaching  position  and  Carolina  assistant  Rod  Brind'Amour  about  a  role  within  the  organization,  the  sources  said.  Brind'Amour,  who  had  specialized  in  player  development  with  Carolina,  was  promoted  to  a  full-­‐time  assistant  with  the  Hurricanes  on  Friday.  

Rutherford  fired  former  coach  Dan  Bylsma,  the  Penguins'  leader  in  regular-­‐season  and  playoff  wins,  June  6.  Rutherford  said  then  he  concurred  with  ownership's  opinion  that  Bylsma  was  no  longer  the  right  coach  for  the  Penguins.  Rutherford  also  said  then  that  Bylsma's  former  assistants  —  Tony  Granato,  Todd  Reirden,  Mike  Bales  and  Jacques  Martin  —  remain  under  contract  but  are  free  to  interview  for  other  NHL  jobs.  

A  new  coach  will  be  in  place  before  July  1,  the  start  of  free  agency,  Rutherford  reiterated  Friday.  

The  NHL  Entry  Draft  is  next  weekend,  and  extending  the  coaching  search  into  next  week  provides  a  challenge  for  Rutherford.  The  Penguins'  window  to  exclusively  negotiate  with  their  11  impending  unrestricted  free  agents  begins  Wednesday,  and  several  agents  for  those  players  said  their  clients  want  to  know  the  identity  of  the  next  coach  before  entering  into  serious  discussions.  

   

   

Penguins'  search  for  new  coach  to  restart  next  week  

By  Shelly  Anderson  /  Pittsburgh  Post-­‐Gazette  

Public  perception,  even  if  it  happens  to  be  running  more  cold  than  hot,  doesn't  bother  Penguins  general  manager  Jim  Rutherford.  

But  he's  looking  for  someone  who  will  be  equally  unaffected  by  the  type  of  criticism  and  pressure  that  comes  with  coaching  a  high-­‐profile  team  such  as  the  Penguins.  

"People  recognize  that  there  is  extra  pressure  coming  to  these  teams,"  Rutherford  said  Friday.  "I  would  rather  find  out  now  than  in  January  that  the  person  can't  handle  this  kind  of  scrutiny."  

Apparently,  that's  partly  why  the  search  for  a  coach  has  been  reopened.  After  meeting  with  a  top  candidate  in  Pittsburgh,  Rutherford  said  the  two  parted  ways  by  mutual  agreement.  

Rutherford  didn't  identify  the  candidate,  but  it's  believed  to  be  Willie  Desjardins,  who  earlier  in  the  week  led  Dallas'  top  minor  league  club  to  the  Calder  Cup  championship.  Since  finishing  his  meeting  with  Rutherford,  Desjardins  reportedly  has  been  in  talks  with  Vancouver  for  its  coaching  vacancy.  

"I  met  with  one  of  the  candidates  that  I  thought  very  highly  of,  and  thought  that  he  was  our  guy,  but  after  spending  [Thursday]  night  and  again  [Friday]  morning  talking  to  him,  on  both  sides  it  just  didn't  match  up,"  Rutherford  said,  adding  that  "I  had  a  more  serious  conversation  than  with  anyone  else  I  talked  to.  It  just  means  the  search  is  still  on."  

Rutherford  plans  to  spend  the  weekend  pondering  the  situation  before  diving  back  into  the  search.  He  said  he  will  circle  back  to  some  of  the  candidates  he  already  has  interviewed  and  might  add  a  name  or  two  to  his  list.  

Another  name  besides  Desjardins'  can  be  crossed  off  of  the  list.  Former  Detroit  assistant  Bill  Peters  was  introduced  Friday  as  the  new  Carolina  coach.  

Still  available  from  the  original  list  are  New  York  Rangers  assistant  and  former  Penguins  defenseman  Ulf  Samuelsson,  Penguins  minor  league  coach  John  Hynes,  longtime  coaches  Marc  Crawford  and  Ron  Wilson,  and  former  NHL  coach  and  general  manager  Doug  MacLean.  Hynes  remains  the  only  candidate  identified  by  Rutherford  throughout  this  process.  

Rutherford  has  said  it's  not  imperative  that  he  has  a  coach  in  place  by  the  NHL  draft  next  weekend  in  Philadelphia,  but  he  still  has  a  soft  deadline  of  the  start  of  free  agency  July  1.  

"I'm  still  working  on  the  same  time  frame,"  he  said.  "I  don't  have  to  have  a  coach  in  place  by  free  agency,  but  my  preference  is  to  [have  it  done  by  then]."  

The  who  is  of  much  greater  concern  than  the  when.  

"It's  a  very  important  decision,"  Rutherford  said.  "This  is  a  team  that  needs  the  right  coach.  I  know  that  it  will  happen."  

The  Penguins  have  been  considered  an  elite  team  since  they  went  to  the  Stanley  Cup  final  in  back-­‐to-­‐back  seasons,  winning  the  title  the  second  trip  in  2009.  They  boast  two  of  the  world's  top  players  in  centers  Sidney  Crosby  and  Evgeni  Malkin  and  a  strong  supporting  cast.  

But  they  have  won  just  four  playoff  series  and  advanced  as  far  as  the  Eastern  Conference  final  just  once  since  winning  the  Cup.  And  Crosby  will  be  27,  Malkin,  28,  before  the  start  of  next  season.  

Rutherford  has  stated  a  preference  for  a  coach  who  favors  puck  possession  entering  the  offensive  zone  and  who  is  adept  at  making  adjustments,  both  in  games  and  over  the  course  of  a  playoff  series.  He  also  wants  a  coach  whose  skin  is  thick  enough  to  handle  being  in  the  Penguins'  spotlight.  

Asked  about  proliferating  opinions  expressed  on  social  media  and  elsewhere  that  the  Penguins  have  botched  their  coaching  search  or  that  candidates  such  as  Peters  and  Desjardins  have  rejected  the  Penguins,  Rutherford  stood  firm.  

"Certainly,  people  have  options,"  he  said.  "Maybe  someone  decided  to  go  in  a  different  direction.  It  can  be  an  intimidating  job  to  take  on  if  this  is  your  first  NHL  stint."  

Peters  and  Desjardins  have  no  NHL  head  coaching  experience.  Neither  do  Samuelsson  and  Hynes.  

Rutherford  insisted  that  he  has  not  made  such  experience  a  prerequisite  as  he  searches  for  a  replacement  for  Dan  Bylsma,  who  was  fired  June  6.  But  he  wants  to  weed  out  any  prospective  coach  he  suspects  might  wilt  under  the  microscope  that  is  always  aimed  at  the  spot  behind  the  Penguins  bench.  

     

   

Penguins  Employees  Give  Back  by  Building  Playground  

By  Michelle  Crechiolo  Pittsburgh  Penguins  staff  members  took  a  “recess”  from  work  on  Friday  –  to  build  a  playground  at  Weil  Elementary  School  in  the  Hill  District.  

Over  40  Penguins  employees  (including  Iceburgh)  teamed  up  with  volunteers  from  the  Dr  Pepper  Snapple  Group,  Heinz  Endowments,  the  Hill  District  Consensus  Group,  the  Hill  District  Education  Council,  Pittsburgh  Public  Schools,  and  organizers  from  KaBOOM!  –  the  national  non-­‐profit  organization  dedicated  to  “saving  play”  and  encouraging  kids  to  play  outdoors.  

When  the  volunteers  arrived  bright  and  early  on  Friday  morning,  an  empty  site  sat  waiting  for  them.  By  about  2:30  that  afternoon,  a  brand-­‐new  playground  occupied  the  formerly  vacant  space.  Thanks  to  their  incredible  efforts,  more  than  200  local  kids  in  the  community  now  have  a  safe  place  to  play.  

The  volunteers  were  initially  divided  into  a  number  of  groups,  each  working  on  a  different  aspect  of  the  playground.  And  it  wasn't  just  a  playground  that  the  volunteers  added  to  the  space  –  they  also  built  rock  walls,  painted  various  asphalt  games  that  included  twister,  hopscotch  and  four  square,  and  planted  a  beautiful  nature  walk  with  a  shaded  area  and  benches.  

Arguably  the  most  arduous  task  of  the  day  was  spreading  mulch  

over  the  entire  site  before  the  finished  structure  could  be  put  into  place.  That  was  perhaps  the  most  challenging  part  of  the  day.  But  it  was  all  worth  it  to  see  the  final  product,  knowing  how  much  joy  it  will  bring  to  the  school’s  students  and  other  children  in  the  community.  

This  is  the  second  playground  project  Penguins  employees  have  participated  in.  Three  years  ago,  they  constructed  one  at  the  3rd  Street  Park  in  McKees  Rocks.  

That  was  the  beginning  of  the  KaBOOM!  Project  called  “Let’s  Play,”  a  community  partnership  led  by  Dr  Pepper  Snapple  Group  –  a  Penguins  corporate  sponsor  –  to  get  kids  and  families  active  nationwide.  

Their  first  initiative  was  a  $15  million,  three-­‐year  commitment  to  KaBOOM!  to  build  or  fix  up  2,000  playgrounds  by  the  end  of  2013,  benefitting  an  estimated  five  million  children  across  the  U.S.  

They  achieved  their  goal,  but  didn’t  stop  there.  Earlier  this  year,  Dr  Pepper  Snapple  Group  committed  another  $11  million  to  expand  its  efforts  to  make  active  play  a  daily  priority  in  the  lives  of  kids,  families  and  communities.  

More  than  1  million  kids  will  benefit  from  Dr  Pepper  Snapple  Group’s  partnership  with  KaBOOM!  through  2016  with  a  $10  million  commitment  to  build  new  playgrounds  and  improve  existing  ones.  And  now,  thanks  to  the  efforts  of  everyone  involved,  that  includes  the  students  of  Weil  Elementary  School  and  children  living  in  the  Hill  District.  

   

   

   

Penguins'  top  choice  to  coach  out  of  mix:  report  

NHL.com  

The  Pittsburgh  Penguins'  choice  to  be  their  next  coach  "is  going  to  go  in  a  different  direction,"  general  manager  Jim  Rutherford  told  the  Pittsburgh  Tribune  Review  on  Friday.  

That  coach  is  believed  to  be  Willie  Desjardins,  who  TSN  reports  will  be  named  coach  of  the  Vancouver  Canucks.  

Rutherford  said  he  will  resume  his  search  next  week  and  plans  to  hire  someone  by  July  1.  

“We  couldn't  make  it  work,"  Rutherford  told  the  newspaper.  "...  I'm  going  to  take  the  weekend  to  sort  some  things  out."  

Asked  about  Desjardins,  Rutherford  told  Yahoo  Sports,  "I  think  we  tried  to  meet  what  he  was  looking  for,  but  my  opinion  is,  he  was  …  His  mind  was  set  on  going  back  to  Canada.  But  that's  just  my  opinion.  He's  the  only  guy  who  can  really  answer  that."  

Thursday,  Rutherford  told  the  Pittsburgh  Post-­‐Gazette  the  Penguins  were  "checking  out  a  few  things"  before  they  extended  a  formal  offer  to  an  unidentified  candidate.  

"There  are  a  few  guys  that  I  could  have  selected,  but  this  one  person  is  a  guy  with  great  character  and  leadership  qualities.  He’s  very  well-­‐prepared,"  Rutherford  said  Thursday.  

TSN  reported  Thursday  that  Desjardins,  the  Texas  Stars  coach,  was  the  Penguins'  front-­‐runner.  The  Post-­‐Gazette  said  Desjardins,  who  is  from  Saskatchewan,  had  a  phone  interview  Thursday  morning  and  was  expected  to  have  a  face-­‐to-­‐face  interview  later  in  Pittsburgh.  

Friday,  TSN  said  the  Canucks  were  going  to  announce  Desjardins  as  their  new  coach  sometime  next  week.  

Under  Desjardins,  Texas  had  the  best  regular-­‐season  record  in  the  American  Hockey  League  (48-­‐18-­‐10,  106  points)  and  won  the  Calder  Cup  in  a  five-­‐game  series  against  the  St.  John's  IceCaps.  

Texas  celebrated  its  first  championship  with  a  rally  Thursday;  Desjardins  reportedly  did  not  attend.  

The  Penguins’  new  coach  also  will  not  be  Bill  Peters,  who  was  reported  to  be  a  candidate.  The  Carolina  Hurricanes  introduced  the  former  Detroit  Red  Wings  assistant  as  their  coach  Friday.  

Others  who  reportedly  interviewed  with  the  Penguins  are:  John  Hynes,  coach  of  their  American  Hockey  League  affiliate;  Ulf  Samuelsson,  a  New  York  Rangers  assistant  and  former  Penguins  defenseman;  Red  Wings  assistant  Tom  Renney;  and  former  NHL  coaches  Ron  Wilson  and  Marc  Crawford.  

Former  NHL  coach  Doug  MacLean  told  FAN  590  in  Toronto  on  Thursday  that  he  interviewed  for  the  job,  which  has  been  vacant  since  Rutherford  fired  Dan  Bylsma  on  June  6,  but  said  he  was  not  a  finalist.  

Rutherford  told  the  Tribune  Review  he  will  work  off  his  original  list  of  candidates  and  likely  will  add  two  or  three  names.  

"…  It's  important  to  get  somebody  that  wants  to  go  there  and  win  and  pay  the  price  that  it  takes  to  do  it.  And  so  if  it  takes  longer,  it'll  take  longer,"  Rutherford  told  Yahoo.  "And  if  I  don't  meet  my  deadline  of  July  1,  so  be  it.  I'll  wait  until  I'm  comfortable  with  somebody."  

   

   

   

Team-­‐by-­‐team  draft  needs:  Metropolitan  Division  

By  Mike  G.  Morreale  -­‐  NHL.com  Staff  Writer  

COLUMBUS  BLUE  JACKETS  

Top  priority:  Offensive  defenseman  

The  situation:  The  Blue  Jackets  selected  centers  Alexander  Wennberg  (2013,  No.  14)  and  Marko  Dano  (2013,  No.  27)  and  left  wingKerby  Rychel  (2013,  No.  19)  with  their  three  2013  first-­‐round  picks,  so  the  forward  position  appears  to  be  in  good  standing.  That  doesn't  mean  general  manager  Jarmo  Kekalainen  will  forego  an  opportunity  to  draft  a  forward  in  the  first  round  this  year,  but  it  certainly  opens  up  opportunities  to  target  help  on  defense  and  in  net.  

Goalie  prospect  Oscar  Dansk  (2012,  No.  31)  likely  will  spend  the  2014-­‐15  season  with  the  Blue  Jackets'  American  Hockey  League  affiliate,  the  Springfield  Falcons,  to  acclimate  himself  to  professional  hockey.  Top  defensive  prospect  Tim  Erixon  (2012,  trade)  likely  will  spend  much  of  next  season  in  Springfield.  

Possible  fits:  Defenseman  Haydn  Fleury(Red  Deer,  WHL);  defenseman  Anthony  DeAngelo  (Sarnia,  OHL);  defenseman  Miles  Gendron  (Rivers  Academy,  HIGH-­‐MA).  

NEW  JERSEY  DEVILS  

Top  priority:  Playmaking  center  

The  situation:  The  Devils  have  stockpiled  their  prospect  cupboard  with  high-­‐caliber  performers  in  recent  years,  particularly  on  defense.  Defensemen  Eric  Gelinas  (2009,  No.  54)  and  Jon  Merrill  (2010,  No.  38)  played  key  roles  in  2013-­‐14.  Forwards  Stefan  Matteau  (2012,  No.  29)  and  Reid  Boucher(2011,  No.  99)  and  defensemen  Steven  Santini  (2013,  No.  42)  and  Damon  Severson  (2012,  No.  60)  also  are  progressing  nicely.  

However,  New  Jersey  could  be  looking  to  add  some  creativity  to  its  offense.  Any  fan  of  the  Devils  likely  will  point  to  the  their  failures  in  the  shootout  in  2013-­‐14,  when  they  lost  all  13  tie-­‐breakers  and  finished  five  points  behind  the  Detroit  Red  Wings  for  the  second  of  two  wild-­‐card  spots  in  the  Eastern  Conference.  Additionally,  the  Devils  scored  four  times  on  45  shootout  chances  to  finish  with  a  League-­‐low  8.9  percent  efficiency.  

Possible  fits:  Center  Robert  Fabbri  (Guelph,  OHL);  center/right  wing  Joshua  Ho-­‐Sang  (Windsor,  OHL);  left  wing  Brendan  Lemieux  (Barrie,  OHL).  

NEW  YORK  ISLANDERS  

Top  priority:  High-­‐scoring  forward  

The  situation:  The  Islanders  have  some  solid,  up-­‐and-­‐coming  pieces  along  the  blue  line  in  Griffin  Reinhart  (2012,  No.  4),  Ryan  Pulock  (2013,  No.  15),  Ville  Pokka  (2012,  No.  34),  Scott  Mayfield  (2011,  No.  34)  and  Adam  Pelech  (2012,  No.  65).  General  manager  Garth  Snow  resolved  his  goaltending  dilemma  when  he  signed  Jaroslav  Halak  to  a  four-­‐year  contract  in  May.  Still,  Halak  is  29  years  old,  meaning  the  Islanders  probably  need  to  start  developing  another  goalie  to  step  into  a  starter  or  backup  role  in  the  next  few  years.  New  York  doesn't  have  a  first-­‐round  pick  in  2015  so  it's  imperative  in  this  draft  that  it  establishes  a  future  presence  alongside  captain  John  Tavares  and  progressing  youngsters  Ryan  Strome,  Anders  Lee,  Brock  Nelson  and  Casey  Cizikas.  

Possible  fits:  Center  Samuel  Bennett  (Kingston,  OHL);  center  Sam  Reinhart  (Kootenay,  WHL);  left  wing  Michael  Dal  Colle  (Oshawa,  OHL).  

NEW  YORK  RANGERS  

Top  priority:  Power  forward  

The  situation:  The  Rangers  could  use  some  homegrown  talent  up  front.  The  defense  appears  to  be  in  good  hands  for  the  foreseeable  future  due  in  part  to  prospects  Brady  Skjei  (2012,  No.  28),  Conor  Allen  (2013,  free  agency),  Dylan  McIlrath  (2010,  No.  10)  and  Ryan  Graves  (2013,  No.  110),  all  of  whom  are  progressing  nicely.  There's  no  question  Henrik  Lundqvist  is  one  of  the  top  goalies  in  the  world,  but  he  is  32  years  old;  it  might  be  time  to  start  looking  for  his  eventual  successor.  This  year's  goalie  class  may  include  the  type  of  player  capable  of  becoming  a  No.  1  in  4-­‐6  years.  

Possible  fits:  Right  wing  Nikolay  Goldobin  (Sarnia,  OHL);  right  wing  Hunter  Smith  (Oshawa,  OHL);  center  Ryan  Donato  (Dexter  School,  HIGH-­‐MA).  

PHILADELPHIA  FLYERS  

Top  priority:  Defensive  depth  

The  situation:  The  Flyers  slowly  are  building  a  pretty  formidable  prospect  pool  with  the  likes  of  defensemen  Samuel  Morin  (2013,  No.  11),  Shayne  Gostisbehere  (2012,  No.  78),  Robert  Hagg(2013,  No.  41)  and  Mark  Alt  (2013,  trade).  They  also  have  forwards  Scott  Laughton  (2012,  No.  20),Nick  Cousins  (2011,  No.  68)  and  Taylor  Leier  (2012,  No.  117)  in  the  fold.  Philadelphia  also  recently  signed  versatile  29-­‐year-­‐old  French  forward  Pierre-­‐Edouard  Bellemare,  who  had  played  well  in  Sweden,  to  an  NHL  contract.  

When  Ron  Hextall  was  promoted  to  general  manager  in  May,  he  acknowledged  that  the  more  balanced  teams  and  those  that  fare  best  in  a  salary-­‐cap  system  are  those  that  draft  well.  Former  GM  Paul  Holmgren  used  10  of  the  team's  13  picks  in  the  2012  and  2013  drafts  on  defensemen  and  goalies.  Hextall  probably  won't  concentrate  on  one  specific  position;  rather,  he  and  his  staff  likely  

will  choose  the  best  player  available.  It  will  be  hard  to  pass  on  offensive-­‐minded  defensemanAnthony  DeAngelo  of  the  Sarnia  Sting  in  theOHL,  who  grew  up  in  the  Philadelphia  suburb  of  Sewell,  N.J.,  if  still  on  the  board.  

Possible  fits:  Defenseman  Anthony  DeAngelo  (Sarnia,  OHL);  right  wing  Kasperi  Kapanen  (KalPa,  FIN);  defenseman  Andreas  Englund  (Djurgarden,  SWE).  

PITTSBURGH  PENGUINS  

Top  priority:  Skill  on  the  wings  

The  situation:  It  seems  like  the  Penguins  always  are  in  the  market  for  players  to  skate  besideSidney  Crosby  and  Evgeni  Malkin.  Chris  Kunitz  has  rode  shotgun  with  Crosby  on  the  top  line  for  a  few  seasons  now,  but  he'll  be  35  when  the  2014-­‐15  season  starts.  The  Penguins  finished  2013-­‐14  with  one  wing  player  under  the  age  of  26  (Beau  Bennett,  22)  on  the  roster,  and  the  only  top  prospects  on  the  horizon  who  play  primarily  on  the  wing  are  Josh  Archibald  (2011,  No.  174),  Tom  Kuhnhackl  (2010,  No.  110)  and  Anton  Zlobin  (2012,  No.  173).  The  Penguins  do  have  good,  young  talent  on  defense  in  Derrick  Pouliot  (2012,  No.  8),  Brian  Dumoulin  (2012,  trade)  and  Scott  Harrington  (2011,  No.  54).  

Possible  fits:  Left  wing  Sonny  Milano  (United  States  National  Team  Development  Program,  United  States  Hockey  League);  center/right  wing  Joshua  Ho-­‐Sang  (Windsor,  OHL);  right  wing  Nikolay  Goldobin  (Sarnia,  OHL).  

WASHINGTON  CAPITALS  

Top  priority:  Depth  at  left  wing  

The  situation:  When  the  Capitals  traded  left  wing  Filip  Forsberg  (2012,  No.  11)  to  the  Nashville  Predators  in  exchange  for  right  wing  Martin  Erat  and  center  Michael  Latta  at  the  2013  NHL  Trade  

Deadline,  their  prospect  pool  took  a  big  hit.  Forsberg  had  12  points  for  silver  medal-­‐winning  Sweden  and  was  named  most  valuable  player  of  the  2014  IIHF  World  Junior  Championship.  Erat,  since  traded  to  the  Phoenix  Coyotes,  and  Latta  combined  for  two  goals  for  the  Capitals  in  2013-­‐14.  While  center  Evgeny  Kuznetsov  (2010,  No.  26)  is  beginning  to  find  his  North  American  groove,  there  is  more  talent  coming  in  left  wing  Andre  Burakovsky  (2013,  No.  23),  right  wing  Riley  Barber  (2012,  No.  167)  and  Latta.  The  Capitals  need  to  reload  at  left  wing.  

Possible  fits:  Left  wing  Kevin  Fiala  (HV71,  SWE);  left  wing  Brendan  Perlini  (Niagara,  OHL);  left  wingNikolaj  Ehlers  (Halifax,  QMJHL).  

   

   

   

Back  to  square  one:  Penguins  chose  Desjardins,  but  he  declined  to  help  clean  up  their  mess    

By  Nicholas  J.  Cotsonika  -­‐  Yahoo  Sports  

He  did  not  get  his  man,  and  he  knows  how  it  looks.  

Jim  Rutherford,  the  new  general  manager  of  the  Pittsburgh  Penguins,  offered  the  chance  to  coach  Sidney  Crosby,  Evgeni  Malkin  and  company  to  Willie  Desjardins,  an  AHL  coach  who  has  never  held  a  head  job  in  the  NHL.  Desjardins  declined.  

The  rejection  is  embarrassing,  the  latest  in  a  series  of  troubling  moments  for  the  Penguins.  Not  only  that,  it  means  whomever  Rutherford  hires  will  be  at  least  his  second  choice,  which  isn’t  ideal  for  anybody  involved.  

But  as  Rutherford  passed  through  the  airport  late  Friday  afternoon,  headed  from  Pittsburgh  back  home  to  North  Carolina  

for  the  weekend,  there  was  no  panic  in  his  voice.  He  said  he  would  restart  his  coaching  search  and  perhaps  widen  it,  looking  at  a  couple  of  candidates  on  his  original  list  whom  he  didn’t  interview.  He  said  he  would  take  his  time.  

“You  know  what?”  Rutherford  said  over  the  phone.  “I  feel  fine  where  we’re  at.  I  know  everybody’s  in  a  hurry  and  everybody’s  anxious.  They  want  to  know  who  the  new  coach  is  and  everything.  

“But  it’s  important  to  get  somebody  that  wants  to  go  there  and  win  and  pay  the  price  that  it  takes  to  do  it.  And  so  if  it  takes  longer,  it’ll  take  longer.  And  if  I  don’t  meet  my  deadline  of  July  1st,  so  be  it.  I’ll  wait  until  I’m  comfortable  with  somebody.”  

There  is  no  sugarcoating  this:  The  past  few  weeks  have  been  a  mess  in  Pittsburgh.  

The  Penguins  blew  a  3-­‐1  series  lead  and  lost  to  the  New  York  Rangers  in  the  second  round,  failing  to  make  the  Stanley  Cup  Final  for  the  fifth  straight  year.  Owners  Ron  Burkle  and  Mario  Lemieux  fired  GM  Ray  Shero  without  asking  him  for  his  plan  –  which  would  have  included  a  coaching  change  –  and  without  having  a  plan  of  their  own.  

Burkle  and  Lemieux  wanted  Shero  gone.  They  detailed  why  in  a  candid  interview  with  the  Pittsburgh  Tribune-­‐Review.  Burkle  lamented  how  they  had  wasted  a  year  because  they  let  Shero  talk  them  into  keeping  Bylsma  and  they  tried  Jacques  Martin  as  an  assistant  coach.  They  didn’t  fire  Bylsma,  though,  saying  they  wanted  the  incoming  GM  to  make  the  decision.  

Firing  is  the  easy  part;  hiring  is  the  hard  part.  If  you’re  going  to  fire  people  like  Shero  and  Bylsma,  who  won  the  Cup  for  you  in  2009  and  plenty  of  games  since,  you  ought  to  have  a  pretty  good  idea  of  how  you’re  going  to  replace  them.  There’s  no  point  in  firing  them  if  you  can’t  upgrade.  

CEO  David  Morehouse  made  a  point  of  saying  the  Penguins  had  30  GM  candidates  on  their  original  list,  talked  to  22  of  them,  brought  in  nine  for  interviews  and  brought  back  four  as  finalists.  But  was  that  being  systematic  and  thorough,  or  was  that  because  they  didn’t  know  what  they  wanted?  

They  hired  Rutherford,  who  had  stepped  down  from  his  longtime  post  as  GM  and  president  of  the  Carolina  Hurricanes  after  missing  the  playoffs  for  five  straight  years.  The  65-­‐year-­‐old  said  he  suspected  his  term  would  last  two  or  three  years.  Part  of  his  job  is  to  mentor  Jason  Botterill,  who  was  promoted  to  associate  GM,  and  Bill  Guerin  and  Tom  Fitzgerald,  who  were  both  promoted  to  assistant  GM.  

Rutherford  promptly  fired  Bylsma  without  interviewing  him,  making  it  clear  that’s  what  Burkle  and  Lemieux  wanted.  The  owners  who  were  upset  at  wasting  a  year  decided  to  try  a  transition  period.  The  owners  who  said  they  wanted  the  new  GM  to  decide  on  Bylsma  told  the  new  GM  they  wanted  Bylsma  fired.  

At  least  eight  candidates  interviewed  with  Rutherford,  including  former  NHL  coaches  Marc  Crawford  and  Ron  Wilson,  NHL  assistants  Ulf  Samuelsson  and  Bill  Peters  and  AHL  coach  John  Hynes.  

Rutherford  told  the  media  Thursday  that  the  search  was  “coming  to  an  end”  and  he  had  settled  on  a  favorite.  That  was  Desjardins,  even  though  the  two  hadn’t  met  in  person  yet  because  Desjardins  had  been  coaching  the  Texas  Stars  to  the  Calder  Cup.  

Peters  made  the  short  list.  But  while  the  Hurricanes  hired  him  to  be  their  coach,  Desjardins  met  with  Rutherford  in  Pittsburgh  on  Thursday  night  and  Friday  morning.  They  didn’t  reach  a  deal.  

Desjardins  reportedly  headed  off  to  become  the  coach  of  the  Vancouver  Canucks.  Matthew  Sekeres  of  Team  1040  AM  in  

Vancouver  reported  that  the  Penguins  offered  Desjardins  only  a  two-­‐year  deal  with  no  authority  to  hire  his  assistants.  Desjardins  is  from  Western  Canada.  

“I  think  we  tried  to  meet  what  he  was  looking  for,  but  my  opinion  is,  he  was  …  His  mind  was  set  on  going  back  to  Canada,”  Rutherford  said.  “But  that’s  just  my  opinion.  He’s  the  only  guy  who  can  really  answer  that.”  

You  cannot  discount  the  personal  side.  You  wonder  about  the  professional  side,  though.  Is  the  Penguins  job  as  attractive  as  it  seems?  

The  Penguins  have  Crosby  and  Malkin.  But  the  MVPs  have  to  be  managed,  the  roster  has  holes  and  it’s  Cup  or  bust.  If  you’re  a  coaching  candidate  with  options,  do  you  want  to  sign  a  short-­‐term  deal  with  a  short-­‐term  GM  and  unhappy  owners?  What  if  you  don’t  meet  expectations  in  your  first  year?  What  if  Mike  Babcock  is  available  next  summer?  What  if  you  stay  but  Rutherford  leaves  and  a  new  GM  comes  in?  Are  you  set  up  for  success?  

Three  key  questions  for  Rutherford  and  his  answers:  

-­‐-­‐  Is  this  job  harder  to  fill  because  of  insecurity  and  high  expectations?  

“I  don’t  think  it’s  a  harder  job  to  fill,”  Rutherford  said.  “From  my  point  of  view,  it’s  better  to  take  my  time  and  get  somebody  that  really  wants  to  be  there,  that’s  not  considering  other  things,  possibly  other  teams  or  other  offers.  

“People  do  recognize  that  this  is  a  team  that’s  under  the  microscope  all  the  time  and  there  are  high  expectations.  As  good  a  job  and  an  opportunity  as  it  is  for  someone  to  coach  this  team,  it’s  also  extra  pressure  that  goes  with  it.  

“But  from  my  point  of  view,  it’s  better  to  find  that  out  now  than  

find  it  out  in  December.  And  that’s  why  I’m  taking  my  time.  At  some  point  in  time,  I  will  get  the  right  guy  for  this  job  that’s  comfortable  with  it,  and  he’ll  have  the  respect  of  the  players.”  

-­‐-­‐  Won’t  he  seem  like  the  second  choice  now?  Won’t  that  disempower  him?  

“No,”  Rutherford  said,  “because  when  I  put  together  my  original  list,  I  had  a  couple  other  guys  that  could  have  been  on  that  list  that  I  didn’t  put  them  on  for  varying  reasons,  such  as  the  present  job  that  they  have  or  that  it  was  very  strong  rumor  that  they  were  already  going  somewhere  else.  So  I  will  continue  to  work  off  my  list.  

“There’s  very  capable  guys  there.  But  also  I’m  going  to  take  a  couple  of  days  here  and  just  digest  all  the  information  I  have  from  this  week  and  possibly  open  it  up  to  two  or  three  other  guys  that  I  was  considering  in  the  first  place  but  didn’t  interview  this  week  for  varying  reasons.”  

-­‐-­‐  Are  candidates  concerned  the  GM  won’t  be  there  in  two  or  three  years?  

“I  don’t  think  that  affects  their  decision,”  Rutherford  said.  “There’s  lots  of  people  that  would  like  to  coach  in  this  league  for  three  years.  There’s  lots  of  guys  who  don’t  make  it  longer  than  that.  

“I  made  that  comment  based  on  where  I’m  at  in  my  career  and  based  on  the  fact  I  signed  a  three-­‐year  contract.  I  mean,  that’s  not  cast  in  stone.  If  this  works  for  both  sides  and  I’m  healthy,  it  doesn’t  mean  that  after  three  years  that  I’m  necessarily  going  to  move  on.  …  If  it  works  out  for  everybody  and  I  end  up  doing  it  longer,  that’s  fine,  too.”  

This  still  might  work  out  for  everybody.  Rutherford  is  a  good  man  

and  a  veteran  executive.  He  has  been  through  this  before.  The  Penguins  are  going  to  hire  a  qualified  coach  one  way  or  another.  We  shouldn’t  judge  this  search  before  it’s  done  –  and  really  not  even  then.  

But  wow.  Willie  Desjardins  walked  away.  What  are  Shero  and  Bylsma  thinking  right  now?  

   

   

   

Penguins  rejected  by  Willie  Desjardins,  will  restart  coach  search  next  week    

By  Greg  Wyshynski  

The  Pittsburgh  Penguins  have  one  of  the  most  desirable  coaching  gigs  in  the  National  Hockey  League,  what  with  a  successful  team  and  a  strong  fan  base  and  Sidney  Crosby  and  Evgeni  Malkin.    

Willie  Desjardins  is  one  of  the  most  desirable  coaching  candidates  available  this  offseason,  what  with  his  Calder  Cup  championship  with  the  Texas  Stars  and  his  unique  blend  of  experience  (he’s  57  years  old)  and  fresh  perspective  as  someone  that’s  never  been  an  NHL  head  coach  before.  

The  Penguins  wanted  Willie  Desjardins.  What  Willie  Desjardins  wanted  was  apparently  too  much  for  the  Penguins  to  give.  

“The  guy  I  had  is  going  to  go  in  a  different  direction,”  Penguins  GM  Jim  Rutherford  told  Rob  Rossi  of  the  Pittsburgh  Tribune-­‐Review.  

From  Rossi:  

Team  and  league  sources  said  Rutherford  spent  Thursday  night  

and  Friday  morning  meeting  with  Willie  Desjardins,  a  minor-­‐league  coach  with  only  two  years  of  experience  as  an  NHL  assistant.  Topics  discussed  included  assistant  coaches,  contract  length  and  Desjardin's  possible  salary,  the  sources  said.  

“We  couldn't  make  it  work,”  Rutherford  said,  adding  he  will  start  another  coaching  search  next  week.  

“I'm  going  to  take  the  weekend  to  sort  some  things  out,”  Rutherford  said.  “I'll  work  off  the  same  list  I  had,  but  it  will  be  expanded  by  two  or  three  names  that  for  whatever  reason  weren't  considered  for  interviews  the  last  time.”  

Is  the  reason,  by  chance,  that  there  were  inferior  candidates  but  are  now  back  in  the  mix  because  Bill  Peters  chose  Carolina  and  Willie  Desjardins  appears  to  have  selected  Vancouver?  

Look,  the  Penguins  will  end  up  with  a  fine  coach,  either  from  the  newbie  (Ulf  Samuelsson)  or  overly  familiar  (Marc  Crawford,  Ron  Wilson)  categories.  And  this  coach  will  lead  them  …  well,  not  necessarily  to  the  same  heights  as  Dan  Bylsma,  whose  regular  season  success  will  be  difficult  to  replicate.  But  hey,  maybe  they  can  figure  out  that  playoff  thing  that  Dan  struggled  with  so  much.  

But  this  public  rejection  is  jarring.  Jim  Rutherford  is  hired  as  general  manager,  and  in  his  first  independent  act  –  Bylsma  was  fired  by  ownership,  remember  –  he  has  to  admit  that  the  best  man  for  the  job  didn’t  want  the  job.  This  sort  of  thing  might  fly  in  Raleigh,  but  an  AHL  coach  just  turned  down  the  chance  to  coach  Sidney  Crosby  on  a  team  that  went  to  Game  7  of  the  conference  semifinals.  

Then  again,  the  former  coach  and  GM  were  both  turfed  after  that.  So  maybe  contract  length  was  a  sticking  point.  

   

   

   

Penguins  to  resume  coaching  search  after  failing  to  land  top  choice  

By  Chris  Peters  |  CBS  Sports  Hockey  Writer  

The  Pittsburgh  Penguins  search  for  a  new  head  coach  took  an  interesting  and  unexpected  turn  Friday.  Penguins  general  manager  Jim  Rutherford  informed  Rob  Rossi  of  the  Pittsburgh  Tribune-­‐Review  that  the  team  will  resume  its  search  for  Dan  Bylsma's  replacement  after  failing  to  reach  an  agreement  with  their  targeted  choice  to  fill  the  position.  

More  from  Rossi:  

“We  couldn't  make  it  work,”  Rutherford  said,  adding  he  will  start  another  coaching  search  next  week.  

“I'm  going  to  take  the  weekend  to  sort  some  things  out,”  Rutherford  said.  “I'll  work  off  the  same  list  I  had,  but  it  will  be  expanded  by  two  or  three  names  that  for  whatever  reason  weren't  considered  for  interviews  the  last  time.”  

Reports,  including  one  from  Darren  Dreger  of  TSN,  suggested  that  Willie  Desjardins,  head  coach  of  recently-­‐crowned  American  Hockey  League  champion  Texas  Stars,  was  the  favorite  to  land  the  Penguins  job.  Rutherford  even  said  Thursday  that  the  search  was  coming  to  an  end.  

Both  Kevin  Weekes  of  Hockey  Night  in  Canada  and  TSN's  Bob  McKenzie  reported  that  Desjardins  was  close  to  signing  a  deal  with  the  Vancouver  Canucks  to  become  their  head  coach.  This  may  have  just  been  a  case  of  the  Penguins  getting  beaten  out  for  the  same  coach  if  Desjardins  was  in  fact  the  target.  

The  club  has  reportedly  spoken  with  upwards  of  10  individuals  about  the  vacancy  including  former  NHL  head  coaches  Ron  Wilson,  Doug  MacLean  and  Marc  Crawford,  their  own  AHL  head  coach  John  Hynes,  New  York  Rangers  assistant  coach  and  former  Penguin  Ulf  Samulsson  and  others.  

If  they  need  to  resume  the  search  after  that,  it  doesn't  look  terribly  great.  Also,  both  the  fans  and  whichever  coach  the  club  ends  up  with  will  know  he  was  not  the  Penguins'  first  choice.  That's  not  exactly  getting  started  off  on  the  right  foot.  

This  looks  worse  as  the  team  waited  quite  a  while  before  firing  head  coach  Dan  Bylsma.  They  waited  to  hire  their  GM  before  making  a  decision  on  Bylsma  and  Rutherford  swiftly  gave  the  head  coach  his  walking  papers.  Since  the  beginning  of  this  offseason,  theNashville  Predators,  Washington  Capitals  and  Carolina  Hurricanes  have  all  filled  their  vacancies  with  each  of  the  Vancouver  Canucks  and  Florida  Panthers  appearing  close  to  filling  theirs.  

With  a  roster  that  includes  two  of  the  best  forwards  on  the  planet  in  Sidney  Crosby  andEvgeni  Malkin,  you  would  think  the  Pittsburgh  job  would  be  an  attractive  one.  That's  even  considering  the  relative  lack  of  depth  in  that  lineup.  

One  cause  for  concern  that  could  limit  the  list  of  candidates,  however,  would  be  job  security.  Bylsma  had  a  .670  winning  percentage  as  a  head  coach  in  Pittsburgh,  but  failure  to  advance  past  the  conference  finals  in  the  five  seasons  after  winning  the  Stanley  Cup  was  cause  for  handing  the  head  coach  his  walking  papers.  

The  random  nature  of  the  playoffs  certainly  doesn't  guarantee  any  team  a  chance  to  play  for  a  Stanley  Cup  every  few  years.  On  top  of  that,  sub-­‐par  goaltending,  or  at  least  inconsistency  

between  the  pipes,  doesn't  leave  many  a  coach  feeling  too  comfortable  about  his  future.  

The  Penguins  have  every  right  to  take  their  time  and  find  the  right  fit,  but  as  other  organizations  fill  their  open  positions  with  top  quality  coaches  while  the  Penguins  start  over  certainly  doesn't  look  good  for  the  new-­‐look  front  office.  

The  good  news  is  that  there  are  still  several  good  coaches  -­‐-­‐  with  and  without  NHL  experience  -­‐-­‐  available  to  them  at  this  point  in  the  search,  but  this  is  a  crucial  hire  for  the  organization  as  they  look  to  get  back  to  competing  for  the  Stanley  Cup  immediately.  Not  being  able  to  lock  down  their  first  choice  is  definitely  a  stumble  out  of  the  gates.