However, even though Sidney Crosby is 33 and Evgeni Malkin is 34, Rutherford believes his team can still make another deep playoff run.
"It’s a pretty standard thing for people to say," Rutherford told The Athletic's Josh Yohe. "To be honest, that’s what I would expect people to say. Those people don’t follow us very closely, though. They aren’t close to our team. So they don’t know as much about our team. We are still Stanley Cup contenders."
Rutherford believes critics are especially harsh on the Penguins because they're envious of the team's success.
"Here’s the thing," he said. "I think some of the comments … when a team like us has a lot of success, these are just negative and jealous things that are said. I see it in all sports. For whatever reason, some people can’t wait - assuming you’re not a fan of a certain team - to take joy when that team takes a step backwards. That’s how I view those comments. Some people just don’t like the Penguins and are waiting to see us fail."
Following back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 2016 and 2017, the Pens own a postseason record of 7-13 with just one series victory.
The Stars released their official roster for training camp on Wednesday, and Johns was designated as an injured player who's not participating.
The blue-liner missed the 2018-19 campaign and the first 47 games last season due to post-traumatic headaches stemming from a concussion suffered in March 2018. He appeared in four games throughout the Stars' run to the Stanley Cup Final, but left in Game 1 of the first round and didn't return during the postseason.
The 28-year-old is entering the final campaign of his three-year, $7.1-million deal inked in 2018. He was named as one of the three finalists for the Masterton Trophy this past season alongside Bobby Ryan and Oskar Lindblom.
Johns will likely be put on the long-term injured reserve soon. His cap hit for this season is $2.35 million.
Chara posted a heartfelt farewell to Boston on his Instagram, and revealed that it was the Bruins who initiated the divorce.
"The Boston Bruins have informed me that they plan to move forward with their many younger and talented players and I respect their decision," he said. "Unfortunately, my time as the proud captain of the Bruins has come to an end."
Here are three players unlikely to meet expectations next season relative to how high you'll need to draft them.
Brayden Point, C, Lightning
Elsa / Getty Images Sport / Getty
There's no denying Point is one of the best all-around players in the NHL, but when it comes to fantasy, he's not nearly as valuable. He doesn't rack up shots, hits, or blocks, so most of his value is tied to goals, assists, and power-play points.
However, Point may struggle to match the near point per game pace he played at last season now that linemate Nikita Kucherov is done for the year. Here's a look at Point's five-on-five metrics with and without Kucherov the last two seasons:
Stat
with Kucherov
without Kucherov
TOI
1558:58
519:07
GF/60
4.16
3.47
xGF/60
2.88
2.41
Point also does plenty of damage with the man advantage, ranking fifth in the league with 28 power-play goals over the past two seasons. However, Kucherov assisted on 21 of those goals, notching the primary helper on 11 of them.
Center is also the deepest position in fantasy hockey, so there's no point in drafting the Lightning pivot as early as you'll need to. He's currently listed at No. 22 in Yahoo's rankings.
Tony DeAngelo, D, Rangers
Michael Martin / National Hockey League / Getty
DeAngelo enjoyed a breakout season in 2019-20, finishing fourth among defensemen in goals (15) and points (53) in 68 games. However, history is not on his side when it comes to repeating that production, specifically in the goals department.
Since 2005-06, only two defensemen have posted a shooting percentage of 10 or higher in back-to-back seasons with a minimum of 100 shots: Lubomir Visnovsky (2005-07) and Ryan Whitney (2006-08).
DeAngelo's 10.1 shooting percentage last season ranked third among blue-liners with at least 100 shots. His chances of duplicating these numbers are unlikely unless he increases his shot volume. DeAngelo's 149 shots a year ago were the 26th-most among blue-liners.
There are further concerns with DeAngelo, though. Sixteen of his 38 assists came on the man advantage last season. And while he was a key member of the power play, it wouldn't be overly shocking if the Rangers eventually replaced him with teammate Adam Fox if the top unit gets off to a slow start.
Dominik Kubalik, LW/RW, Blackhawks
Bill Smith / National Hockey League / Getty
Banking on Kubalik to replicate the production from his excellent rookie season would be a huge mistake. He scored 30 goals last season, but did so with a 19.1 shooting percentage - the seventh-highest in the league among players with at least 100 shots.
Most of the players ahead of him on the list either take the majority of their shots from close to the crease - like Zach Hyman and Alex Killorn - or are proven snipers - such as Leon Draisaitl and Mika Zibanejad. Kubalik doesn't fit either description.
Kubalik's 79 hits help in certain leagues, but outside of his goal-scoring, he didn't provide much fantasy value. He had just 16 assists, only 157 shots, and didn't receive much power-play time.
Jonathan Toews - Kubalik's primary center last season - is out indefinitely to start the season with an illness, which doesn't help the sophomore's chances.
After an offseason full of trade speculation, Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff says he expects star winger Patrik Laine to take his game up another level.
"I assume he's probably going to have one of the best years of his career given the group of players that we have and the professionalism that is there," Cheveldayoff said Tuesday, according to NHL.com's Tim Campbell. "And the maturity level that all players gain year over year over year, I think just helps us move forward."
Laine tallied 28 goals last season and improved his ability as a playmaker with a career-high 35 assists. The 22-year-old was on pace for a personal-best 76 points over a full 82-game season.
The Finnish sniper, who becomes a restricted free agent after 2020-21, has been involved in trade talks all offseason.
Winnipeg re-acquired veteran pivot Paul Stastny, who played with Laine during the final few months of the 2017-18 campaign. Cheveldayoff believes the club boasts one of the deepest forward groups in the league and that Stastny's addition will help enhance Laine's game.
"We think with some of the acquisitions that we've made, obviously adding (Stastny) we think we've got one of the better if not one of the best top-sixes in the NHL," Cheveldayoff said.
"So we're excited about having the ability down the middle with (Mark) Scheifele and Stastny in our top six with the quality of wingers like Patrik and (Blake Wheeler) and Nik Ehlers and Kyle Connor. I think there's lots of different combinations that can be very, very dynamic."
Laine ranks seventh among all skaters with 138 goals and sits third in power-play markers (52) since the Jets selected him second overall at the 2016 NHL Draft.
The 35-year-old took to social media Wednesday to announce his retirement after 13 NHL seasons.
"Let's make it official. I did not play last year due to a back injury, but I am officially announcing my retirement from the NHL," Callahan said. "Reflecting on my career, it's hard to wrap my head around how lucky and grateful I am for being able to live out my childhood dream for 13 amazing years."
The Rochester, New York, native was selected by the Rangers in the fourth round of the 2004 NHL Draft and spent the first seven and a half seasons of his career with the Blue Shirts. He served as New York's captain from 2011-14.
Callahan was dealt to the Lightning for Martin St. Louis at the 2014 trade deadline. He helped Tampa Bay reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2015.
The 5-foot-10 winger amassed 186 goals and 386 points over 757 career contests and added 39 points in 121 playoff games.
The Devils don't consider the injury a long-term issue, and they believe Hischier's recovery will take a matter of days or weeks, Friedman adds. He didn't undergo surgery.
New Jersey selected the 21-year-old first overall in 2017, and he's spent the last three seasons with the team, accumulating 51 goals and 84 assists in 209 career games.
With the season set to begin on Jan. 13, it's unclear if Hischier will miss any time beyond training camp.
Team Canada was dominant once again, defeating Switzerland 10-0 on Tuesday for the country's third win at the world juniors.
Quinton Byfield led the way with two goals and four assists as Canada outshot Switzerland 52-15. Goaltender Devon Levi stayed in net for the entire game, earning a 15-save shutout.
The players of the game were Byfield and Simon Knak.
Canada has now won its first three games of the tournament by a combined score of 29-3. The nation will face Finland on New Year's Eve in its final game of the preliminary round. First place could be on the line if Finland is able to beat Slovakia on Wednesday.
Switzerland, which has now lost its first three games of the tourney, will clash with Germany on Wednesday.
