from Damien Cox of the Toronto Star,

The Wings, Kings and Hawks, three of the NHL’s powerhouse teams of the past decade, all either didn’t see what was coming or preferred not to look. You could argue L.A. and Chicago are still putting off the inevitable.

The question now is whether the Pittsburgh Penguins will avoid that scenario.

As we’ve seen this week, the Pens are still very much intent on going for another Stanley Cup. General manager Jim Rutherford, 69, was rewarded with a new three-year deal, and his contract was announced simultaneously as he made a deal with the floundering Kings, sending speedy winger Carl Hagelin to L.A. and receiving struggling winger Tanner Pearson in return.

Pearson’s only 26, so he’s still theoretically moving into his prime. Maybe he’ll recapture his scoring touch as others have in Pittsburgh. He’s also got two years left on his deal at $3.75 million per (all dollars U.S.), compared to Hagelin, who is up this summer. So by making this move, Rutherford was committing even more to the win-more-now philosophy.

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