Jim Rutherford knows a thing or two about goalies.
Before he became a Hall of Fame general manager and the builder of the Penguins’ recent back-to-back Stanley Cup teams, Rutherford made a career in the crease. Over 13 seasons, he played 457 games in net for four different franchises — and earned an interesting footnote as one of the first goalies to don a painted mask.
Now, with a different kind of mask pulled over his face, Rutherford has kept a careful eye on the goalies during training camp from the safety of his perch above the ice. As someone who once played the position, he doesn’t envy the challenge ahead of Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry, who have just two weeks to get into game shape after four months of sitting idle.
“It’s difficult,” Rutherford said. “You get right into practice against really good shooters.”
Rutherford admits that Saturday was a “tough scrimmage” for Matt Murray, who allowed seven goals. Although, with the next sentence, he’s quick to point out that it came against the Penguins’ potent top-six. He seemed to like the way Murray responded on Monday.
If the Penguins have picked a goalie for Game 1 against Montreal on Aug. 1, neither Rutherford nor coach Mike Sullivan are tipping their hand.
“It’s a good position for the coach to be in,” Rutherford said. “He’s going to be able to make a choice and go with either guy.”
A case can be made for each one. With two Stanley Cups on his resume, Murray has accomplished more before the age of 26 than some do in their entire careers. The Penguins know when the lights are the brightest, Murray isn’t the type of person to let the pressure get to him. History says that it’s actually the opposite.
However, the only reason this is even a discussion right now is that Murray's stats haven’t been the same since Marc-Andre Fleury left. This year, he posted a career low in save percentage (.899) and had his second-lowest goals-against average (2.87) despite the fact that he may have been playing behind the best defensive team since he came to Pittsburgh as a 21-year-old in 2015-16.
Meanwhile, Jarry may have been the club’s best player through November and December. At one point, he led the NHL in goals-against average and save percentage on the way to earning his first career All-Star nod. While Jarry did come back to Earth a bit before the pause, his stats are still more than solid.
Among goalies with at least 25 games played this year, Jarry ranks seventh in save percentage (.921) and eighth in goals-against average (2.43). But without any track record in the postseason, how will he handle a do-or-die elimination game?
Sullivan raised two banners by keeping a careful pulse on his goalies and making tough decisions for the good of the team. By Aug. 1, he’ll have to make his first of what could be several tough calls when the postseason begins.
“It’s a real luxury,” Rutherford said. “You wish you could have it all the time. We had that good combination when Fleury was here the same time as Murray. They pushed each other. Now we have a situation where we have two guys who are very capable of going in and doing well.”
Zucker beginning to find chemistry with Geno
When the Penguins acquired Jason Zucker in early February, Rutherford saw a clear path for the speedy winger to step in on Sidney Crosy's left wing and help fill the void created by Jake Guentzel's ill-fated collision with the boards.
But because Zucker is signed through 2022-23, the Penguins also had the future in the back of their minds.
“The key to the Zucker trade was Guentzel was out,” Rutherford said. “We needed another guy. But we also recognized that this wasn’t a rental player. We were getting a guy who was going to be with us for a while, and really a guy who is in the prime of his career.”
Eventually, they figured, he'd give the Penguins two dependable top-six caliber left wingers — one to play with Crosby and one with Evgeni Malkin.
Well, with Guentzel healthy, the future is now. Zucker has slid down to play next to Malkin.
“We recognized when Guentzel came back it would really bolster our top-six and Zucker would probably go with Geno,” Rutherford continued. “That’s the way it’s played out.”
While Sullivan loves to shuffle his lines, if this combination works, it could be together for a while. Rust, Malkin and Zucker are all under contract through at least 2021-22.
“In the short period of camp, it looks like it should work well,” Rutherford said. “You can see that there’s good chemistry there with Zucker and Rust."
Speaking of Malkin, Rutherford has noticed the jump in the Russian's step.
“He looks to me like he’s having fun out there," Rutherford said. "He’s on top of his game and having some fun. That’s the way it should be."
Tanev worth the investment
When Rutherford acquired Brandon Tanev just over a year ago, the free agent signing was met with some skepticism. A six-year deal with a $3.5 average annual value for a player who might never crack the top-six?
A year later — after watching the shot-blocking, penalty-killing Energizer Bunny live — most everyone agrees it was money well spent.
“He brings a lot of value to our team,” Rutherford said. “He was exactly the type of player that we needed. He can skate. He brings energy. He’s a good player. Scores some key goals. He’s one of those good teammates. He’s brought exactly what we expected him to bring.”
Mum on Crosby
In an attempt to maintain medical privacy amidst COVID-19, the NHL has implemented a new policy in which it will not disclose any information about injuries or illnesses. If you’re a Penguins fan, you have surely been reminded of that often during the first week of camp.
Since Crosby left Saturday’s scrimmage in the second period, Sullivan has cited that policy on multiple occasions. Rutherford likewise followed the NHL’s guidance when asked about Crosby on Wednesday.
For what it’s worth, no one play stood out for a reason why Crosby may have left the ice. He grabbed his extra sticks on the way into the dressing room and did not appear in serious pain. Linemate Conor Sheary speculated it might be a "maintenance thing."
The Penguins had a scheduled off day Tuesday. When practice resumes on Wednesday, time will tell if the captain is back on the ice. The Penguins will play intrasquad games on Thursday and Saturday and practice on Friday before traveling to Toronto on Sunday.
In Rutherford’s mind, the Penguins are all-in and ready to chase another Cup.
"If you didn’t look at the calendar, you wouldn’t know we took time off," Rutherford said. "The pace is good. The effort is extremely good. Everyone is into it. They’re working hard."
Mike DeFabo: mdefabo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDeFabo.
First Published: July 21, 2020, 8:14 p.m.
