The pressure is on.
Jim Rutherford, the Penguins' general manager, badly wants to acquire a big-time winger, the sooner the better. But he won’t force it. The market is very much favoring sellers. So even Rutherford, the gambler whose instinct is almost always to swing a big deal, admitted on Monday afternoon from Las Vegas, of all places, that a patient approach is preferred.
“Here’s the thing,” Rutherford said by phone. “My preference is to do something now. I want a winger, no question about it. But we have certain people targeted, and if they’re not available or if the price is too high, then we will wait until the season starts.”
Few teams have engaged in legitimate trade talks, he said.
“It’s hard to read the market right now,” Rutherford said. “Usually, things begin to pick up this time of year. But not yet.”
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