Let me know when we pick 1,2,1,2 four years in a row under a JR team.
Seriously, we have some of the worst fans on these boards. Rutherford gave enough talent last year for the team to finish with the 7th best record in the NHL with half his star players out for long stretches. Honestly don't think any team could of finished that high with that many key injuries.
This year Rutherford was told to cut real money payroll to under $75 million. To do that and still find a way to upgrade the team is a very hard job. I think Rutherford did a great job under those restrictions. So while other GM's had to just get under the cap Rutherford had to cut real money more than the vast majority of contenders. As a GM you are competing against 30 other GM's all trying to win also. Not every year your moves are going to be the best but the moves Rutherford made to build those 2016 and 2017 Cup team's was amazing taking an old slow team around the core to back to back Cup winners with only a one year transition is phenomenal.
2018 the team loses a hard fought series against the eventual Cup Champs and somehow the arm chair GM's blame that on Rutherford. The only difference between losing that series to the Caps compared to the two game 7 wins against the Caps during those Cup years was goalie play. In 2018 Murray got outplayed badly in net and that was the difference from winning a hard fought game 7's and losing a hard fought game 6 then.
2019 Rutherford actually started making some very good moves for the future by trading UFA to be players for players with term and young or in prime players. Deals like Pettersson for Sprong, McCann and Bjugstad for UFA Brassard and UFA Sheahan, UFA Hagelin for Pearson. To be able to make those deals with UFA's that all had been playing poorly that season was good asset management (for example Hagelin 16 games 1 goal and 2 assists). So while not all of those players worked out he got them for a bust prospect and 3 players playing poorly and gone in the summer for nothing. I certainly don't fault Rutherford for that season. The only real mistake Rutherford made was the JJ signing. Not every move works. JJ was coming off a poor year but the year before he had probably his best overall year as far as overall game. Rutherford gambled thinking JJ could get back to that and it didn't work out. It happens to the best of them. But Rutherford has made many more great moves than bad ones over his time hear. Signing JJ for no assets compared to getting Pettersson and Marino for Sprong and a 6th is not close to even. We lose some cap space but added two top 4 defenseman that both came on the team as 22 year olds for the future. All take that trade off again and again.
I think last year Rutherford again did a great job as I mentioned giving Sullivan a team that could still finish 7th in the NHL despite several key injuries to top players. I really don't think any other team could do that. Take MacKinnon, Landeskog, and several other key players out of tbe Aves team last year to equal our losses of Crosby/Malkin out all but 3 games together, Guentzel out for the whole second half, Dumoulin out for all but 20 some games, Rust, Marino, and the list went on. I don't think people appreciate what Rutherford's team he assembled was able to do finishing that high with all those injuries. I really think it finally was to much and they ran out of gas towards the end.
Every GM makes mistakes but Rutherford has done well competing against those other 30 GM's during his tenure with us. Yes some mistakes but no GM wins every trade and has every UFA signing work out. I think the core is surrounded with a group that is in it's prime, fast, and skilled. If we don't win another Cup it will be because the core doesn't have it anymore. That will be okay because 4 Cup Final appearances and 3 Cups is a pretty good showing for that core. If they can somehow manage to pull another one out at this age that is just a big bonus to them and us as fans. Let's appreciate all they have given to us over those years.