Never a dull moment: Highlights of Jim Rutherford's time with the Penguins

When he was introduced as general manager in 2014, Jim Rutherford had some modest expectations for how long he would remain with the Penguins.

He even suggested his tenure would be two or three years and one of the team’s assistant general managers would take over.

He eventually walked that comment back, partly due to the resounding success he had in the role and overshot that target, spending nearly seven years with the Penguins..

“That all changed as things went along,” he said by phone on Wednesday. “We won (the Stanley Cup). Had a good working relationship with the organization. … I was enjoying what I was doing. I was enjoying Pittsburgh and I was enjoying the Penguins.”

His tenure with the Penguins came to an end on Wednesday when he resigned, citing personal reasons.

His time at the helm was one of the most successful in the 50-plus years of the franchise, leading it to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017.

A look at some of the pivotal dates during Rutherford’s tenure:

June 6, 2014 – Rutherford is hired as the franchise’s 10th general manager. In his first transaction, he is tasked with firing head coach Dan Bylsma that same day.

June 12, 2014 – Rutherford’s first hiring is Jason Karmanos as vice president of hockey operations. Karmanos had worked for Rutherford previously with the Carolina Hurricanes.

June 25, 2014 – Mike Johnston is named as the franchise’s 21st head coach.

June 27, 2014 – Rutherford’s first trade with the Penguins is a blockbuster, sending talented but flawed scoring winger James Neal to the Nashville Predators in exchange for net-front presence Patric Hornqvist and utility forward Nick Spaling.

Oct. 9, 2014 – The Penguins’ first game under Rutherford is a victory as they beat the Anaheim Ducks, 6-4, at the then-Consol Energy Center.

Jan. 2, 2015 – Rutherford’s first major in-season trade sees him acquire talented winger David Perron from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a first-round draft pick in 2015 and journeyman forward Rob Klinkhammer.

March 2, 2015 – At his first trade deadline with the Penguins, Rutherford acquires defensemen Ian Cole and Ben Lovejoy from the St. Louis Blues and Ducks, respectively.

April 24, 2015 – Besieged by injuries, the Penguins limp into the playoffs and are defeated by the heavily favored New York Rangers in the first round. A 2-1 overtime loss at Madison Square Garden ends their season.

June 18, 2015 – Former Boston Bruins head coach Mike Sullivan is named head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

July 1, 2015 – The Penguins acquired disgruntled forward Phil Kessel from the Toronto Maple Leafs along with forward Tyler Biggs, defenseman Tim Erixon and a 2016 second-round draft pick in exchange for Spaling, forward Kasperi Kapanen, defenseman Scott Harrington as well as first- and third-round picks in 2016.

July 28, 2015 – The Penguins acquire forward Nick Bonino, defenseman Adam Clendening and a second-round pick in 2016 from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for forward Brandon Sutter and a third-round pick in 2016. Additionally, unrestricted free agent forward Eric Fehr was signed.

Dec. 12, 2015 – After a lackluster 15-10-3 start, Johnston is fired and replaced by Sullivan.

Dec. 14, 2015 – Prior to Sullivan’s first game as coach, a 4-1 home loss to the Washington Capitals, struggling defenseman Rob Scuderi is traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for veteran defenseman Trevor Daley.

Jan. 16, 2016 – Clendening and Perron are dealt to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for speedy forechecking winger Carl Hagelin.

Feb. 27, 2016 – Once promising defenseman Justin Schultz is acquired from the Oilers in exchange for a 2016 third-round draft pick.

June 12, 2016 – The Penguins defeat the San Jose Sharks, 3-1, at the SAP Center in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, claiming the franchise’s fourth championship.

June 22, 2016 – Rutherford is selected as the NHL’s General Manager of the Year.

Jul 1, 2016 – Rutherford signs a three-year contract extension with the Penguins.

Feb. 23, 2017 – With injuries hobbling the blue line, veteran defenseman Ron Hainsey is acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for minor league forward Danny Kristo and a 2017 second-round pick.

May 11, 2017 – Associate general manager Jason Botterrill is hired as the Buffalo Sabres’ general manager.

June 11, 2017 – The Penguins defeat the Predators, 2-0, at Bridgestone Arena in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. They become the first franchise to repeat as Stanley Cup champions in nearly two decades.

June 16, 2017 – Karmanos is promoted to assistant general manager.

June 21, 2017 – The Penguins send a second-round draft pick in 2020 to the Vegas Golden Knights as part of an agreement to select franchise goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. The transaction clears the way for Matt Murray to take over as the Penguins’ undisputed top goaltender.

June 23, 2017 – Enforcer Ryan Reaves and a 2017 second-round draft pick are acquired from the Blues in exchange for forward prospect Oskar Sundqvist and a 2017 first-round draft pick.

Feb. 23, 2018 - Needing a third-line center, the Penguins acquired Derick Brassard, forward Vincent Dunn, forward Tobias Lindberg and a handful of draft picks in a three-team trade involving the Golden Knights and Ottawa Senators. Reaves, who never found a fit with Sullivan, was dealt to the Golden Knights while Cole, goaltending prospects Filip Gustavsson and a 2018 first-round draft pick went to the Senators.

May 7, 2018 – The Penguins’ hopes for a three-peat were snuffed out after they are eliminated from the postseason, losing to the rival Washington Capitals, 2-1, in overtime of Game 6 at PPG Paints Arena in a second-round series.

June 27, 2018 – Wanting to clear salary cap space, the Penguins deal away scoring winger Conor Sheary and injured defenseman Matt Hunwick to the Sabres for a fourth-round draft pick in 2019.

July 1, 2018 – With that salary cap space, the Penguins sign veteran defenseman Jack Johnson to a five-year deal worth $16.25 million.

Nov. 14, 2018 – Hagelin, one of the most popular players on the team, is dealt to the Los Angeles Kings for scoring winger Tanner Pearson.

Dec. 3, 2018 – Struggling forward prospect Daniel Sprong is traded to the Ducks in exchange for stout defenseman Marcus Pettersson.

Feb. 1, 2019 – Brassard, having never fit in, and depth forward Riley Sheahan are traded to the Florida Panthers in exchange for forwards Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann.

Feb. 25, 2019 – Pearson, having struggled to score consistently with the Penguins, is traded to the Canucks in exchange for hulking defenseman Erik Gudbranson.

April 16, 2019 – The Penguins are defeated at home by the New York Islanders, 3-1, in Game 4 of a first-round series and are swept from a playoff series for the first time since 2013.

June 15, 2019 – Veteran defenseman Olli Maatta is traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for forward Dominik Kahun and a 2019 fifth-round draft pick.

June 29, 2019 – After two underwhelming postseason performances, Kessel is dealt to the Arizona Coyotes along with mid-level defensive prospect Dane Birks and a 2021 fourth-round draft. In exchange, the Penguins received talented but struggling forward Alex Galchenyuk and high-end defensive prospects P.O Joseph.

July 1, 2019 – In the name of restoring a sense of hunger to the team, the Penguins sign aggressive forechecking winger Brandon Tanev to a six-year contract worth $21 million. It is the largest such contract the franchise has ever extended to an unrestricted free agent.

July 5, 2019 – Sullivan is signed to a four-year contract extension.

July 26, 2019 – Defensive prospect John Marino is acquired from the Oilers in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick in 2021.

Aug. 22, 2019 – Assistant general manager Bill Guerin is hired as general manager of the Minnesota Wild.

Oct 25, 2019 – Facing a salary cap crunch, the Penguins deal Gudbranson to the Ducks in exchange for minor league forward Andreas Martinsen and a seventh-round draft pick in 2021.

Nov. 19, 2019 – Rutherford is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Feb. 10, 2020 – With top-line winger Jake Guentzel sidelined due to a shoulder injury, the Penguins acquire forward Jason Zucker from the Wild in exchange for Galchenyuk, defensive prospect Calen Addison and a first-round pick in 2021.

Feb. 24, 2020 – At the trade deadline, the Penguins acquire veteran forward Patrick Marleau from the Sharks in exchange for a 2021 third-round draft pick. Additionally, Sheary is reacquired from the Buffalo Sabres along with utility forward Evan Rodrigues in exchange for Kahun.

Aug. 7, 2020 – After the pandemic halted the season for nearly five months, the NHL stages its postseason tournament in Toronto and Edmonton. The Penguins are upset in the preliminary round, falling to the Montreal Canadiens, 2-0, in Game 4 at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena.

Aug. 12, 2020 – Less than a week after the setback, assistant coaches Sergei Gonchar, Jacques Martin and Mark Recchi do not have their contracts renewed.

Aug. 25, 2020 – The Penguins reacquire Kapanen from the Maple Leafs along with minor league forward Pontus Aberg and defenseman Jesper Lingren in exchange for a 2020 first-round draft pick, Rodrigues, forward prospect Filip Hallander and minor league defenseman David Warsofsky.

Sept. 2, 2020 – Former assistant coach Todd Reirden is re-hired in the same capacity while Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head coach Mike Vellucci is promoted to an assistant role with the NHL club.

Sept. 11, 2020 – The oft-injured Bjugstad is dealt to the Wild in exchange for a 2021 second-round draft pick.

Sept. 24, 2020 – Hornqvist is traded to the Panthers in exchange for struggling defenseman Mike Matheson and bottom-six forward Colton Sceviour.

Oct. 5, 2020 – Johnson is placed on waivers for the purposes of buying out the remainder of his contract.

Oct. 7, 2020 – With the ascension of all-star goaltender Tristan Jarry, Murray is traded to the Senators in exchange for forward prospect Jonathan Gruden and a 2020 second-round draft pick.

Oct. 26, 2020 – The Penguins fire Karmanos.

Nov. 4, 2020 – Patrick Allvin, previously the director of amateur scouting, is promoted to assistant general manager.

Jan. 27, 2021 – Citing personal reasons, Rutherford re-signs as general manager. Allvin takes over on an interim basis.