PensBurgh Podcast, Ep. 48: A Surprising Resignation

The last seven days have brought with them change at all levels of the ice for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Remember when not having enough healthy defensemen was the Penguins’ biggest issue? Me too. Now, ex-GM Jim Rutherford has unexpectedly resigned, leaving the Penguins in a mad dash to try and reorganize their front office well into the 2021 season. With one of the longest episodes of the PensBurgh Podcast to date, Frank and I touched on a myriad of topics, from the blue line being held together with glue and duct tape, to the bombshell announcement of Jim Rutherford’s resignation. We kicked off the show with an abbreviated recap segment of the games against the Rangers (4-3 SOW), Rangers (3-2 W), Bruins (3-2 OTL), Bruins (4-1 L). The majority of this week’s episode is dedicated to analyzing GMJR’s resignation, what may have led it it, his legacy as Pens’ GM, and what the team will look to do in a post-Rutherford era. And of course, the always-fun mailbag segment was also loaded with seven very fun and hot-take-inducing questions like: What are the most underrated, overrated, favorite, and least favorite Jim Rutherford moves. How much more time does the team have to get things firing on all cylinders before it’s too late? With this in mind and GMJR gone, are more big changes to follow? How would we build the ideal player? Zdeno Chara’s size? Connor McDavid’s speed? Alex Ovechkin’s shot? Possibilities are endless. Whether or not the resignation of GMJR suddenly inspire Mario Lemieux to take a hard look at a combination owner/GM position?  Would trading Kris Letang bring with it any value in return? Or is it best to let him figure his game out and hope he rights the ship? Does Patrik Allvin show any signs of utilizing the Penguins’ analytics staff? Can anyone give Pierre-Olivier Joseph a snappy nickname, something like PO-Joe? *** Don’t forget to support us by rating and subscribing to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Play. Make sure to also follow us on Twitter all season long to get updated every time a new episode drops: @PensburghPod *** Intro/Outro music courtesy of: Sylendanna. Track title - Online Now! & I Think Its The Way I Walk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices