Jim Rutherford is joining the Penguins as a "short-term caretaker," and his stint as GM will not last "longer than two or three years," according to James Mirtle of the GLOBE & MAIL. That window is "long enough to give Jason Botterill, the man the Penguins see as their next long-term architect, more experience running a team." Botterill on Friday was "promoted to the new position of associate GM as part of the organization’s shake-up, meaning he will now be in on every high-level decision as Rutherford’s right-hand man." Both Botterill and Penguins Dir of Player Personnel Dan MacKinnon are "considered two of the more progressive thinkers around the league, statistically speaking," and that is something team President & CEO David Morehouse "wants emphasized more than it had been." The Penguins' offseason strategy has been a "retooling -- one that rewarded those willing to get behind that line of thinking," rather than a "total house-cleaning of the front office" (GLOBE & MAIL, 6/7). In Pittsburgh, Ron Cook wrote a "younger-and-coming star would have been a better choice" for the Penguins' GM role. The likelihood of Rutherford holding the role for only a couple years is "probably a reflection of the franchise’s win-now-or-else mentality more than" his 65 years of age (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 6/7). Also in Pittsburgh, Rob Rossi wrote the roles within the Penguins' front office "lack specifics." Botterill report to Rutherford, while Assistant GMs Tom Fitzgerald and Bill Guerin "will report to Botterill." Rutherford said that a third assistant GM -- "likely with expertise in analytics -- could be hired." Guerin, Fitzgerald and Botterill said that they "hope not to be pigeonholed in their new roles" (PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 6/8).
