Penguins GM Jim Rutherford hangs onto first-round draft pick at trade deadline
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford has a win-now mandate with his star players creeping into their 30s, but even that has its limits.
In the build-up to Monday’s NHL trade deadline, Rutherford said he was trying as hard as he could to hold onto his first-round pick in June’s draft.
He accomplished that goal, resisting the temptation to move it for a rental player for a couple of reasons.
“This is a year that we’re on the bubble to get (into the playoffs),” Rutherford said. “I did not want to risk that, but also, it’s a very good draft. It was important this year to keep that pick.”
The Penguins haven’t made a first-round pick since taking Kasperi Kapanen 22nd overall in 2014.
Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.
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