Ray Shero is no longer the general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins because of his inability to draft quality players frequently enough to support a front-loaded team structure.
When you have all-world competitors like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin eating up a large chunk of salary cap space, young players must be ready to go in a year or two and need to be able to step in and make contributions.
Just look at what the Chicago Blackhawks have gotten out of Ben Smith, Andrew Shaw and Brandon Saad. Or what the L.A. Kings received from Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli en route to a Stanley Cup this season.
That's been the difference between the Penguins and the other franchises that have been frequenting the Stanley Cup Final since 2009. New GM Jim Rutherford seems to be aware of that, and he is open to the idea of 2014 first-round pick Kasperi Kapanen making the NHL immediately.
With a roster that is still a work in progress, Rutherford pointed out recently that Kapanen could make his professional debut as early as this October.
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Franklin Steele