The Pittsburgh Penguins are done for 2014-15. They were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs by the New York Rangers, who won 2-1 in overtime Friday night to finish off the series 4-1.
No question about it, Pittsburgh underachieved this season. Feeling the organization had gone stale after winning the Stanley Cup in 2009, owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle dismissed coach Dan Bylsma and general manager Ray Shero last offseason, replacing them with Mike Johnston and Jim Rutherford, respectively.
Rutherford was a terrible hire, and that is ultimately on Lemieux and Burkle. Rutherford seemed to have no idea how to manage a salary cap, leaving the Pens to compete with a short-handed roster at the end of the season.
Instead of looking in the mirror, Rutherford tried to blame the media in Pittsburgh for the problems. That's always the last resort of a failing coach or GM, and it never works.
Let's take a closer look at what went wrong with the Penguins. Most of the following slides will have a Rutherford theme to them. But he wasn't alone in Pittsburgh's failed season.
Begin Slideshow
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Adrian Dater
Who’s to Blame for the Pittsburgh Penguins Underachieving in 2014-15?
April 24th, 2015 by Adrian Dater Leave a reply »
Advertisement