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Penguins GM Jim Rutherford watches afternoon practice Thursday, April 11, 2019 at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.
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What to do — and not do — for Jim Rutherford at the NHL draft

Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

What to do — and not do — for Jim Rutherford at the NHL draft

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Jim Rutherford figures to be a popular guy on Friday at Rogers Arena, for the first night of the NHL draft.

Rutherford usually is anyway, the result of his reputation as one of the more aggressive general managers, but this year may be different than most.

Such is life when you talk openly about the possibility of moving marquee players, guys who have helped you win the Stanley Cup two or three times.

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With that in mind, here’s a list of what Rutherford should and maybe shouldn’t do when the action picks up later this evening:

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Do: Have a lot of conversations.

With every GM in the league in one place, the ability to talk things over in relatively short order is there.

Get a feel for potential returns and what other teams may need. Even how much they may be willing to pay for guys like Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Phil Kessel. Learn about any sort of potential return.

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Don’t: Do anything reactionary, just because you feel like you have to.

Four years ago, at BB&T Center in South Florida, Rutherford set in motion the plan to acquire Kessel, but the deal wasn’t consummated until July 1, the start of free agency.

If Rutherford deems there’s a deal to be made, he would be smart to exercise a similar amount of patience.

Do: Try to re-stock the cupboard a little bit.

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It’s not bare, mind you, but the Penguins’ farm system could use some work, regardless of position.

With this being a deep draft, Rutherford knows he can get a quality player at No. 21, someone that should be able to help somewhat soon, but he should be looking beyond that one pick.

The Penguins don’t have a second- or third-round selection, and that’s an area where they’ve often had success by taking guys such as Jake Guentzel, Matt Murray and Bryan Rust.

If there’s a way to get a pick in one of those two rounds, that may make a lot of sense.

Don’t: Trade that first-round pick.

It’s been common during Rutherford’s tenure. But this is not the year, and Rutherford seems to know that, the result of this being a pretty deep draft.

Only an extremely unique circumstance — a deal he simply can’t pass up — should change that line of thinking.

Do: Remember the over-arching goal when this offseason first started.

It’s to make the Penguins a better team, one with better structure and the ability to again compete for the Stanley Cup.

It’s tough to reconcile how the Penguins would be better off without Malkin or Letang in 2019-20, even without Kessel, a point-per-game player last season.

What Rutherford said at the beginning of this offseason should still ring true when he vowed to strip any emotion away from his decision-making process.

Don’t: Get caught up with the hustle and bustle of draft night.

Don’t forget what some of these potential moves might mean to the players who aren’t going anywhere.

Put another way: A couple years after losing Marc-Andre Fleury, do you think Sidney Crosby is terribly eager to encounter life without Malkin or Letang?

Do: Draft well.

This might sound obvious, but the Penguins need to leave Vancouver with something better than Zach Lauzon, the defenseman they selected in the second round — their top pick — in 2017. Because of injuries, the Penguins relinquished Lauzon’s rights. He’ll be at development camp next week and could still earn a spot, but it’s a long shot.

Regardless of position, this is the best opportunity the Penguins have to ensure their championship window stays open, especially when we’re talking top-of-the-draft guys who could help the NHL club in a couple years.

Don’t: Take a player who’s more of a project, who carries some sort of injury risk or who may not be a fit for their system.

Even a one-dimensional player like Daniel Sprong.

Last year, they hit the nail on the head with puck-moving defenseman Calen Addison, who looks like a steal for a second-round pick.

Regardless of position, stick with guys who fit what you do.

Do: Have confidence in what you currently have.

The Penguins, as currently constituted, should compete for the Cup, even if Rutherford does nothing more than draft and head home.

The Islanders series was frustrating, but it was also one where the Penguins didn’t play very well and got poor performances from a lot of their defensemen. It’s always going to be hard to win when that happens.

Don’t: Get sucked in by what other Metropolitan Division teams have done.

Let the Flyers overpay for Kevin Hayes. Don’t allow the Capitals keeping Carl Hagelin to skew what you do here.

Stay true to building a team around your current franchise pillars and using tradable commodities — players such as Tristan Jarry or even Nick Bjugstad — to fill in the cracks the proper way.

Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.

First Published: June 21, 2019, 6:54 p.m.

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