Everyone here knows I grew up in Pittsburgh and am a lifelong Pens fan. And everyone here also knows I am a CBJ fan first, and am as annoyed (from my perspective, probably more so) at "visiting" Pens fans. I say both of things to offer what I hope will be a less-poorly-received Pens-fan perspective than some others.
Jim Rutherford was one of my favorite players growing up. But I think he's lacked big-picture thinking in his role a GM of the Pens. He's patching up/filling holes in his roster, sort of on an as-it-comes basis. Isolated, I'm not sure a lot of the moves have been bad, but they haven't been part of a cohesive overall plan.
Johnston is in over his head. He does not articulate, at least publicly, anything that suggests he has a real concept of what he wants his team to do.
I am not one of the many self-loathing Pens fans who hate their own team or whatever. I want them to make the playoffs and, if not playing the Jackets, win rounds. I would obviously prefer they make the playoffs over the Wings (who I hate) Bruins (who I don't like) or the Sens (who I generally am OK with). But I feel like the tenuous hold the team has on a playoff spot is a pretty accurate representation of where they are as a team.
I grew up a Penguins fan myself. Once I got into the Chill, we would go over to Pittsburgh to see a Pens game every spring and they were some of the best memories of my life. I idolized Lemieux and (still do) Jagr, and the playoff runs of '96 and '01 are still deeply entrenched in my memory. This play is one of my favorite hockey moments of all-time:
On a broken ankle, no less
So I guess you could say that you and I are on the same page there. The difference is, I can't stand the way the Penguins play any more and I despise Mike Johnston with a passion and fury typically reserved for anyone from the Detroit organization, and Doug MacLean. The Penguins play the same way Johnston's Winterhawks used to - right on the edges of dirty, completely against the morals of the game, and full of whining and complaining to the refs. I like Jim Rutherford and I don't have an issue with Sidney Crosby. But I find it much easier to cheer against that team than for them.
When they hired Mike Johnston, I had a hard time figuring out what it meant. On the one hand, I wouldn't be forced to see talented guys like Brenden Leipsic and Nic Petan reduced to throwing what can only be described as two year old temper tantrums at the refs (literally, I saw Leipsic throw his stick and flail his arms around like a little baby) ... but, the Penguins would now be subjected to his bizarre leadership model. Now, sure enough, they take pot shots at goalies, dive into the boards at each little nudge, and act like they can do no wrong.
That's why I cheered for the Flyers today. And that's why I'm cheering for the Sens tonight and on Tuesday.