Pens' GM Jim Rutherford Praises Kris Letang As Best Defenseman In The World
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) - Penguins General Manager Jim Rutherford wasn't the most popular man in town his first two seasons with the Pens, but it's beginning to feel like the tide is turning in his favor.
Joe Starkey, of The Starkey and Mueller Show, sat down with Rutherford for an exclusive one-on-one conversation with Rutherford to talk about the successful changes he has made to the team this year, what he expects from Phil Kessel and the impact Mike Sullivan has had on the team.
Things opened up though with Rutherford talking about defenseman Kris Letang and praising him as one of the best defensemen in the world.
"I know as soon as I say what I'm going to say that it will open for great debate and everybody will have their opinions, but I wouldn't rather have another defenseman in this league than Kris Letang," said Rutherford.
When talking about Mike Sullivan and what he has done to turn things around for the team this year, Rutherford had high praise for the team's head coach.
"When he came in, he just clicked with the players," Rutherford said. "His philosophy, his approach and he made the changes we needed to make to be a better team and a harder team to play against. And then there was the addition of a few players, you know [Trevor] Daley and [Carl] Hagelin and some of these young guys that come up that he already had that it made it easier for them to come and fit in. And it changed the speed of our team. And his philosophy and his chemistry with the players has worked out really well."
One player that has recently started to live up to expectations is forward Phil Kessel and Rutherford shared what the team wants to see from him.
"He's bought into the team concept," Rutherford said. "I think he gets judged by how many goals he scores. He's one of the top play makers in the league. He's made great plays for us on goals throughout the course of the season and I think overall he has played well. You always expect more from a player like that. You're looking for him to score that big goal every night, but when you look at the last three games, he has had a big impact on these last three games at the most critical time of the season. So overall, it's been good, like I said, you're always looking for more from a very talented player."
Click the audio link below to hear more from Rutherford as he also talked about Sidney Crosby's big season and when we could see Evgeni Malkin again.