New comments from Rutherford to Yohe in advance of the draft.
Yohe: Jim Rutherford pulling the trigger on a trade feels...
The highlights:
- Rutherford says he doesn't feel
forced to do anything on defense but
that doesn't mean he won't.
- Really believes Letang will turn things around. Yohe also says Rutherford considers Dumoulin too valuable to move and that he really likes Maatta. The Penguins also highly value Schultz as Letang insurance and for his work on the PP.
- Oleksiak is a priority to re-sign as an RFA and the Pens think he has more improvement coming.
- Change is more likely to come to forwards. Rutherford wants more balance and depth.
- Daniel Sprong and Zach Aston-Reese will be in the lineup next year
- If Rutherford is going to make a trade, he'd like to do it in the summer rather than wait until closer to the deadline like he did last year.
“That’s my preference,” Rutherford said. “But I’m not going to make a trade just to make one. If something makes sense, then we’ll do it. But I don’t feel the absolute need to do something. We’re already a contender and I know that. But yes, I’d like to do something to make us even better.”
- Not every RFA will be back. They're not going to sacrifice someone they value highly to bring everyone back. “We’ll see,” he said. “We have to be careful. We can’t put ourselves in a position where we have too much money locked up. We don’t want to lose a player that we want to keep in the next couple of years.”
Me reading between the lines:
- Bryan Rust, Riley Sheahan and Jamie Oleksiak look like priorities in RFA. But could Rust be moved if he's too expensive? Or Sheahan?
- Goodbye Tom Kuhnhackl and Dominik Simon?
- Trading Phil Kessel doesn't seem to be a move someone makes if they're looking to improve scoring depth
- Trading Conor Sheary and Matt Hunwick - even though Rutherford says he thinks Hunwick will improve - on the other hand, seems like a move to free up space to acquire depth
If so, you'd have the following:
Guentzel - Crosby - Hornqvist
Hagelin - Malkin - Sprong
TBD - Brassard - Kessel
Aston Reese - Sheahan - Rust
With the caveat that more moves could be coming.
Could be an interesting week.