Pens GM not ‘actively trying to trade our core players’ after early playoffs exit

PITTSBURGH — Following the team’s early exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second year in a row, Penguins General Manager Jim Rutherford said some things do need to be fixed, but he’s “not actively trying to trade our core players,” referencing the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

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At a digital news conference Tuesday, Rutherford said there will be some changes coming to the team ahead of next season, especially when it comes to who will be in goal. He said the salary cap will make it hard to keep both two-time Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray and 2020 NHL All Star Tristan Jarry.

Rutherford added that the Penguins will not be resigning all of their current players, but none of the big names will be traded away.

In a league shut down early by the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHL put the top 24 teams into two “bubbles” in Toronto and Edmonton to play out the rest of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Penguins were kicked out of the tournament in the first round after losing three games to one to the No. 24 ranked Montreal Canadians. Defensive woes, lack of cohesion on the ice and their inability to score on Carey Price doomed the team’s quest for a third championship in five years.

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