Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby was activated off the COVID-19 list Thursday, two days after entering the league's protocol, the team announced.  

He's available to play in tonight's matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers. 

Welcome back Sidney Crosby and Todd Reirden (Anthony Angello and Josh Currie too): pic.twitter.com/dMdbDpGXvA

— Seth Rorabaugh (@SethRorabaugh) March 4, 2021

Being placed on the COVID-19 list does not mean a player has tested positive for the virus. The NHL mandates players or coaches be placed in the league's protocol for an unconfirmed positive test, symptoms consistent with the coronavirus or interactions with high-risk close contacts. 

Pittsburgh (12-8-1, 25 points) defeated Philadelphia (11-5-3, 25 points) on Tuesday, 5-2, without Crosby available. 

The two teams are currently battling for fourth place in the East and the division's final playoff spot. Having Crosby back in the lineup certainly helps the Pens. Through 20 games this year, the center has seven goals and 11 assists (18 points), leaving him tied with Jake Guentzel for the team lead in both categories. 

It's unclear if Crosby will re-enter the lineup Thursday after he was held out of practice the last two days. 

"He's an influential player for us in so many different areas," Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters Tuesday. "He's not an easy guy to replace by any stretch, but we have been through this experience in the past and found ways to have success. It should provide opportunities for others to step up."

The team won't have to worry about replacing Crosby much longer, either way. 

Now off the COVID-19 list, the captain should be back in the lineup sooner than later.

Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby has been placed on the NHL's COVID-19 list and will not be available for Tuesday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters.

The center had appeared in all 20 games for Pittsburgh to start the season, totaling seven goals and 11 assists for a team-high 18 points. 

"He's an influential player for us in so many different areas," Sullivan said of Crosby on Tuesday. "He's not an easy guy to replace by any stretch, but we have been through this experience in the past and found ways to have success. It should provide opportunities for others to step up."

Crosby missed about two months of the 2019-20 season due to a core muscle injury, requiring larger contributions from young players like Jared McCann and Dominik Kahun.

Teddy Blueger is among those who could see more opportunities this time around, although the Penguins will likely rely more upon Evgeni Malkin and Jake Guentzel to lead the attack.

It's still difficult to replace Crosby as one of the best players in the sport over the past two decades. The 33-year-old has helped lead the Penguins to three Stanley Cup titles in this career, adding to a resume that includes eight All-Star selections, two Hart Trophies and three Ted Lindsay Awards.

The Penguins are trying to keep pace in the East division, entering Tuesday in fifth place with 23 points in 20 games.

Former All-Star goalie Ron Hextall is taking over as general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

The Penguins announced on Tuesday that Hextall will fill the role previously occupied by Jim Rutherford, with Brian Burke being hired as president of hockey operations. 

"It's an honor to be joining the Pittsburgh Penguins—an organization well-known for its excellence on and off the ice," Hextall said in the announcement. "I look forward to working with ownership, Brian and the entire organization toward the ultimate goal of bringing another Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh."

Rutherford announced his resignation because of personal reasons on Jan. 27. Patrik Allvin took over as interim general manager until the team found a permanent replacement. 

The Penguins originally hired Rutherford as their general manager in June 2014. The 71-year-old won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and 2017. He won the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award for the 2015-16 season. 

Rutherford was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019. 

Hextall played for three different teams during his 13-year playing career from 1986-99. The 56-year-old previously worked as a general manager for the Philadelphia Flyers from May 2014 to November 2018. 

Prior to being hired by the Penguins, Hextall was working part-time as an adviser in the Los Angeles Kings front office. He won a Stanley Cup as Los Angeles' assistant general manager during the 2011-12 season. 

The Penguins are currently in fifth place in the East Division with a 5-5-1 record and 11 points. 

Successful executives rarely resign while seasons are still being contested, so the hockey world was stunned to hear that Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford resigned Wednesday afternoon.

The three-time Stanley Cup-winning general manager, who most recently guided the Penguins to championships in 2016 and 2017, abruptly left his post for "personal reasons" just seven games into the pandemic-shortened season.

Initially, the resignation was thought to be due to an issue with his health, or possibly even concerns about COVID-19. At 71, Rutherford is in the high-risk category. But team president David Morehouse said Rutherford is in good health during a Zoom press conference. Rutherford walks five miles daily, and health wasn't a reason behind the departure.

Rutherford later told Ken Campbell of The Hockey News that he wants to "take it easy" before his contract expires at the conclusion of the season. He may retire; he may find another team, trying to work his magic in a market begging for a Stanley Cup.

Rutherford won Cups in two locations, Carolina and Pittsburgh, something that hadn't been done since the 1930s when general manager Tommy Gorman oversaw the Chicago Black Hawks' win in 1934 and then led the Montreal Maroons to a championship a year later.

Morehouse, Hall of Fame former player Mario Lemieux and co-owner Ron Burkle will launch a search right away while assistant general manager Patrik Allvin takes over in the interim, becoming the first Swedish general manager in league history. Lemieux will assist Allvin, who is considered a candidate for the full-time job.

It's a good audition for Allvin, who has been with the club since 2006 and was promoted to assistant general manager in November after working as the team's director of amateur scouting. The Penguins are a good team this season, and a good finish could get the interim tag taken off him.

Last season, another former Pittsburgh assistant general manager, Tom Fitzgerald, used his interim audition to get the full-time gig with the New Jersey Devils.

The Penguins are looking for another Rutherford, and they have groomed coaches and executives better than most. Allvin could be next.

"Jim always thought outside the box," Morehouse said. "He was one of the first general managers that I know of to be looking at analytics. I think that was what we were looking for then, and I think now we're looking for something similar. We're looking for someone who can take this great group of players and hang another banner in our rafters."

The Penguins are set up for success this season—and possibly even next as well—depending on the health and production of forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang. But all three are in their early 30s, and salary-cap trouble is looming.

Morehouse, Lemieux and Burkle believe the Penguins are in "win-now" mode. They are built to win with three of the league's biggest stars, and they have won consistently since Sid and Geno started playing together. They have not missed the playoffs since 2005-06, Crosby's first year in the NHL.

The duo went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2008 and won its first Cup in 2009. Other teams failed to extend their championship windows. The Los Angeles Kings won in 2012 and 2014 but now find themselves in the midst of a rebuild. Same with the Chicago Blackhawks, who won three Cups between 2010 and 2015. 

The Penguins may have no other choice but to tear it all down in two years, when the contracts of Letang and Malkin expire. As long as those two and Crosby are still around, they will try to contend, and it would be difficult to justify a rebuild to fans at present.

But the reality is that they are in a difficult place with the salary cap this season, and it's only going to get worse next year when John Marino's new contract kicks in and his $4.4 million average annual value hits the books. The club will get some relief with Cody Ceci and Colton Sceviour set to become unrestricted free agents, but that won't matter if it isn't competitive.

The next general manager will have a tough decision to make. The window of opportunity is closing quickly, and though that executive wouldn't gain any popularity points by trading away Malkin and Letang in the final years of their contracts, the packages those two would net might help the team retool quicker than if they play out their final days in Pittsburgh.

The Penguins don't have a ton of prospects knocking at the door. Their high draft picks could end up being used as currency at the trade deadline. They will need to rebuild at some point, and the question is whether they should try to start the process in a year or two or in five years when Crosby is gone, along with any hope of being competitive.

If rebuilding sooner rather than later is out the door, then the next general manager will have to be a cap whiz. The blue line needs to be remade, and they don't have much in terms of resources or prospects to make that happen. And the next general manager will have to hope Crosby, Malkin and Letang stay healthy and productive into their late 30s.

Based on the way the team is set up, a deep group of forwards is doing the heavy lifting for a thin group of defensemen. There is a big drop-off in talent after Letang, Marino and Marcus Pettersson. Goaltending has been so-so, but they got rid of Matt Murray in the offseason, and that will only benefit them in the end.

According to NaturalStatTrick.com, the Penguins' expected goals-for percentage ranks among the top 10 in the league (12.01, No. 9), and their Corsi for percentage is toward the middle (52.13, No. 13). They're 4-2-1 in the ultra-competitive East Division, so they should be able to get into the playoffs and make a deep run. The embarrassment of their qualifying-round defeat to the Montreal Canadiens in last season's bubble tournament still stings.

So who could they turn to outside of Allvin? There is an obvious candidate on the market who knows the team well: Ray Shero. He helped build the 2008 and 2009 teams around Crosby and Malkin. The owners are familiar with him, and so are the stars.

He's been out of a job for a year, with the Devils firing him and replacing him with Fitzgerald in January 2020. Shero isn't afraid to make some shrewd moves—the June 2016 Taylor Hall-Adam Larsson trade immediately comes to mind.

But a move like that might be viewed as going backward. Morehouse stressed analytics, and while Shero used them, his former bosses, Devils owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer, seemed to want him to use them more. They made analytics hires without his approval.

And in the end, he failed to hang on to Hall. The marriage with the Devils ended in a bitter divorce and another rebuilding year.

Former Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka seems to fit the analytics mold, but he's suspended through 2021. If the Penguins wanted to make a splash, they could hire his sister, Meghan, a data scientist who co-founded the sports analytics company Stathletes.

Major League Baseball has its first female general manager in Kim Ng, who was recently hired by the Miami Marlins after working in baseball for more than three decades, so it's past time to give a woman a chance to break through in hockey ops.

However, the Penguins are more likely to go with someone like Jason Botterill, a former associate general manager under Shero who now holds the same position with the Seattle Kraken. Or Mike Gillis, the former general manager of the Vancouver Canucks who, at 62, has plenty of experience and has always been open about his usage of advanced stats. Dale Tallon is out there, too.

It's an attractive job, but a new general manager just might mean the end of a dynasty.

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford announced his resignation Wednesday because of personal reasons. He'd served in the role since June 2014.

Assistant GM Patrik Allvin will handle the duties on an interim basis while the Penguins begin the search for a full-time replacement.

Rutherford, who helped construct the rosters that won the 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup titles, released a statement about his departure:

"It has been a great honor to serve as general manager of the Penguins, and to hang two more Stanley Cup banners at PPG Paints Arena. I have so many people to thank, beginning with the owners, Ron Burkle and Mario Lemieux, and team president David Morehouse. There always has been so much support from everyone involved with the Penguins, both on the hockey and business staffs, and, of course, from a special group of players led by Sidney Crosby. The fans here have been tremendous to me and my family. I know it's a little unusual to have this happen during a season, but just felt this was the right time to step away."

The 71-year-old Ontario native played 13 years in the NHL as a goaltender, including three with the Penguins, but he earned enshrinement in the Hockey Hall of Fame as an executive.

He was hired by the Hartford Whalers as their new general manager in June 1994 and remained with the organization, which became the Carolina Hurricanes in 1997, until being hired by the Penguins. He built the Canes roster that won the franchise's first championship in 2006.

Rutherford went on to win the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award for the 2015-16 season with Pittsburgh after a series of trades to acquire Phil Kessel, Nick Bonino, Carl Hagelin and Justin Schultz that provided critical depth during the team's back-to-back title runs.

He was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2019.

"What I've learned the most in my life and my advice to people is don't let anyone tell you you can't do something. Because that was the story of my career," Rutherford said during his induction speech. "The more they told me I couldn't do things, the more it turned out that I did."

Meanwhile, Allvin inherits a Penguins squad that's tied for third in the East Division during the early stages of the coronavirus-shortened 2021 season with a 4-2-1 record.

"I'm excited for this new opportunity with the Penguins, but I would not be in this position were it not for Jim's faith in me over these past seven years," Allvin said. "I want to thank him and wish him the best. Moving forward, I want everyone to know—from our ownership to our fans—that I'm committed to doing the best job possible for the Penguins, building on our strong start to the season."

Pittsburgh returns to action Thursday night for its second straight road game against the New York Rangers. The Rangers took the first matchup 3-2 in overtime Tuesday.

A former assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins' American Hockey League affiliate and his wife have filed a lawsuit against the Penguins related to sexual assault allegations.

According to TSN's Rick Westhead, former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins assistant Jarrod Skalde alleged in a lawsuit that then-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach Clark Donatelli sexually assaulted his wife, Erin Skalde, during a team road trip in Providence, Rhode Island, in November 2018.

The Skaldes allege that after having dinner with Donatelli, Erin Skalde and Donatelli were briefly alone. Donatelli allegedly put his arm around her, called her "sexy" and groped her breasts.

When Jarrod Skalde joined them for the car ride back to their hotel, Donatelli allegedly insisted on sitting in the backseat with Erin while Jarrod was in front. During the ride, Donatelli allegedly continued to grope her.

Per the lawsuit: "Only later did Mr. Skalde find out what happened to his wife that night, shaking him to the core to learn that he had sat unknowingly in the front seat as his boss has sexually assaulted his wife."

Skalde alleged that when he told then-Pittsburgh Penguins assistant general manager Bill Guerin about the assault seven months later, Guerin told him to "keep quiet" about it. Guerin is currently the general manager of the Minnesota Wild.

The Penguins announced in June 2019 that Donatelli had resigned as head coach of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton due to personal reasons, and Skalde's contract was not renewed in May 2020.

Skalde alleges the Penguins violated Pennsylvania’s whistleblower laws by firing him for coming forward to the team with the allegations, as he was the only one of the 21 people in hockey operations who the team parted ways with, but Penguins lawyer Lori Armstrong denied the claim:

"The team investigated and took immediate action in June 2019 when notified of the alleged incident, which Mr. Skalde reported seven months after it allegedly occurred. Mr. Skalde continued to coach for the team [Wilkes-Barre/Scranton] for an additional year, when his contract was not renewed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The allegations made against the team have no merit, and we have moved to dismiss the complaint."

The Skaldes said they didn't report the alleged assault immediately after it happened "because they had never experienced such an attack and were unsure what to do." Jarrod Skalde said he was also concerned about potential repercussions against the team.

After they confronted Donatelli days later, Donatelli allegedly said he was too drunk to recall what happened, but ultimately apologized and said he would inform Guerin of what he did. After Donatelli failed to do so, the Skaldes decided to inform Guerin themselves.

In the lawsuit, the Skaldes alleged they learned of "countless other episodes of inappropriate conduct by Mr. Donatelli, sexual and otherwise, which apparently the Penguins were aware of but did little or nothing to stop."

The Penguins have filed a motion to dismiss the Skaldes' lawsuit.

During the second day of the 2020 NHL draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins made a trade involving goalie Matt Murray. 

The Penguins announced they have acquired Jonathan Gruden and the No. 52 overall pick in this year's draft from the Ottawa Senators for Murray. 

Murray has spent his entire professional career with the Penguins after being selected in the third round of the 2012 draft. He made his NHL debut during the 2015-16 season and has been their primary starting goalie for the past four years. 

During Murray's tenure with the Penguins, he helped them win back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2015-16 and 2016-17. The Ontario native became the first rookie goaltender since 1986 to win Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final when he stopped 18 of 19 shots against the San Jose Sharks in Pittsburgh's 3-1 victory. 

After spending three seasons moving between the Penguins and their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Tristan Jarry emerged as their No. 1 goaltender during the 2019-20 campaign. He had a higher save percentage (.921 to .899) and lower goals-against average (2.43 to 2.87) than Murray this season. 

Ottawa will look toward Murray to stabilize its goalie situation. It's 3.35 goals-against average was the second-worst mark in the league, ahead of only the Detroit Red Wings (3.73). 

Gruden, a fourth-round draft pick in 2018, spent last season with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. He scored 66 points (30 goals, 36 assists) in 59 games.

The Pittsburgh Penguins reportedly reached an agreement Wednesday to trade forward Patric Hornqvist to the Florida Panthers in exchange for defenseman Mike Matheson.

Kevin Weekes of the NHL Network first reported details of the deal.

Hornqvist was a strong secondary contributor for the Penguins after being acquired in a June 2014 trade from the Nashville Predators.

The 33-year-old Swede recorded 264 points (132 goals and 132 assists) across 407 regular-season appearances in six seasons with the Pens. He added 38 points (22 goals and 16 assists) in 66 playoff contests with the team, which won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and 2017.

His list of accolades also includes a gold medal with Sweden at the 2018 IIHF World Championship.

Hornqvist has three seasons left on his five-year, $26.5 million contract. He could slot in on the Panthers' top line alongside Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau to open the 2020-21 campaign.

Hornqvist is old and worn down, but still likely provides some value in a middle six with his goal-scoring and play-driving ability.
Matheson is younger, but hasn't shown enough to be considered a top four guy and is being paid too much for too long for what he provides. pic.twitter.com/ZoF7Q9FADa

— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) September 23, 2020

Meanwhile, Matheson possesses a booming shot that's allowed him to tally 33 goals over the past four seasons for Florida. He's also added 58 assists over that period.

The 26-year-old Canadian hasn't enjoyed the same type of success in terms of defending and the transition game, as highlighted by the play-driving numbers above.

Those concerns combined with his lucrative eight-year, $39 million contract, which runs through the 2025-26 season, creates some risk for Pittsburgh. The Penguins do gain $425,000 in salary-cap space in the short term as part of the swap, though.

The Pens already featured a bit of a logjam among left-shot defensemen, including Brian Dumoulin, Marcus Pettersson, Jack Johnson and Juuso Riikola, heading into next season, so it's tough to project where Matheson fits in right away. More moves are likely on the horizon.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are exploring options for two-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Murray, and while rumors have linked the 26-year-old goalie to Edmonton, the Oilers aren't willing to pay the price.

According to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, the Penguins are asking for a first-round pick in exchange for Murray, who became a restricted free agent when Pittsburgh was eliminated in the qualifying round of the NHL playoffs.

The Oilers and Penguins have talked about Matt Murray, I'm told, but as far as I can tell, asking price too rich for Edmonton at this point (first-round pick?). I think Edmonton will be patient in its goalie search. And the Oil hasn't ruled out bringing back Mike Smith, either

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) September 10, 2020

The Oilers finished 37-25-9, second in the Pacific Division, but veteran goaltender Mike Smith is entering free agency at 38 years old, and Mikko Koskinen, 32, has two years left on a three-year contract. Together, the pair posted a .906 save percentage—14th best in the league—this season, per Sportsnet's Mark Spector. 

As such, the search for new netminding in Edmonton isn't exactly urgent, and LeBrun expects the Oilers to be patient in their search. The team hasn't ruled out a return for Smith, either.

Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford told The Athletic in May that the team may be looking to trade a goalie after the season, with both Murray and Tristan Jarry set to enter free agency. 

Murray led Pittsburgh to back-to-back championships in 2016 and 2017, finishing in the top 10 in the league in wins, save percentage, and shutouts to finish fourth in voting for Rookie of the Year. He recorded the longest playoff shutout streak in franchise history, from the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals to the 2018 first round, and is the fastest goaltender to record 25 postseason wins. 

His contract, which ran from 2017-18 to this season, carried an average annual value of $3.75 million.

The Ontario native made 38 starts this season (20-11-5) with a 2.87 goals-against average and .899 save percentage. But during a tough November, Jarry took over, starting 13 of 20 games between Nov. 16 and Dec. 30, going 12-2-0. The 25-year-old made the All-Star Game as an injury replacement for Joonas Korpisalo.

"He was our best goaltender in our past couple of camps, so we knew we had a good one," Rutherford said of Jarry. "But the truth is, he played at a higher and more consistent level than we were anticipating."

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby is recovering from wrist surgery.   

The team announced Crosby underwent an arthroscopic procedure Monday and is expected to need three to four weeks for recovery. 

It's unclear how or when Crosby hurt his wrist. The eight-time All-Star did have a right wrist injury in 2014, but was able to rehab it rather than undergo surgery. 

Injuries have been an issue throughout Crosby's career, though they had subsided over the last half-decade before returning this season. He has been limited to 41 games this season because of a core muscle injury that required surgery in November.

"I'm sure I'm a little biased, but I still think he's the best player in the world," defenseman Jack Johnson said in January after Crosby returned and had a four-point night, per Sean Gentille of The Athletic. "I really do. Who else could have been away for that long and put on a show like that? He was incredible."

The Penguins' season ended in the qualifying round of the playoffs. They lost in four games to the Montreal Canadians after finishing third in the Metropolitan Division with a 40-29-6 record. 

Crosby scored two goals and had one assist in the series.