Not only is long-time scout and suddenly Penguins interim General Manager Patrik Allvin in the unenviable position of following in the footsteps of Hall of Famer and 2-time Stanley Cup winner Jim Rutherford, but Allvin is doing so on incredibly short notice.
“We talked (Tuesday) morning, had a couple of conversations regarding potential transactions,” Allvin said knowing that injuries on defense were mounting, “then around 11:30 he called me and told me he was resigning.
Definitely I was surprised. Then later on I got a phone call from (team president) David Morehouse,” who informed Allvin of his battlefield promotion.
Allvin declined to discuss whether Rutherford told him why he resigned, only that it was a private conversation. Now, at least for the time-being, Allvin finds himself managing one of the NHL’s marquis franchises
“Definitely been a roller-coaster here for sure,” Allvin said. “A lot of emotions and mixed feelings, but I’m also thankful for this opportunity. We have a lot of good staff here and we are definitely ready for what’s in front of us here.”
What is directly in front of Allvin is trying to provide his coach with a line-up featuring 6 healthy defensemen.
“I have much respect for Mike Sullivan as a hockey coach, but even more as a person,” says Allvin, adding that he had a nice conversation with Sullivan after the news broke Wednesday. “I definitely think he’s one of the best, if not the best coach, in the NHL.
“We’re on the same page and in agreement (what is best) for the organization and the team.”
That is interesting since, while Rutherford and Sullivan have never been critical of one another publicly, there were occasions over their time together that Sullivan didn’t always use Rutherford’s acquisitions the way the former GM intended.
Ryan Reaves is a primary example of that and, even so far this season, it took an Evan Rodrigues injury to elevate Kasperi Kapanen to one of the top 2 lines.
It’s highly unlikely Allvin will have the latitude that Rutherford had with personnel decisions (in fact, he won’t) but as the season progresses Sullivan may have even more say in any trades that transpire.