I'm tempted to say "thumbs up" to Pittsburgh Penguins' general manager Jim Rutherford for daring to admit that he made a mistake by trading Simon Despres to Anaheim for Ben Lovejoy. The swap of defencemen at the deadline was notable for the fact there was an eight-year age advantage for the Ducks (Despres 23; Lovejoy 31), and Despres had first-round draft credentials, unlike those of Lovejoy, an undrafted free agent. That Lovejoy was returning to his first NHL team in Pittsburgh served as something of an explanation, but not one that removed the question mark surrounding Rutherford's move. Candidly, he addressed the error of his ways yesterday while speaking about his club's future that will see no change in the status of the GM or the coach, Mike Johnston.

As for the ultimate verdict regarding Rutherford's candor, it has to be "thumbs down". I don't think an NHL general manager, even one who knows his current post will be his last, should ever discuss a trade by saying he wished he hadn't made it. He can say it didn't work out as planned, or that circumstances didn't allow the acquired player to fit in properly … anything but a full second-guess. That's an open invitation to question everything else Rutherford did in his first year with the Penguins.

-Dave Hodge of TSN where you can read more on the Kronwall hit.