On Friday, May 16, the Penguins made their first offseason change, firing General Manager Ray Shero.  This move came as a surprise to many, who figured coach Dan Bylsma would get the axe after five straight losses in the playoffs to a lower seeded team.

However, there is no guarantee that Bylsma will be behind the bench for the 2014-15 season, as the coaching staff will be ‘evaluated’ by whoever the new GM is.

So who will be the Pens next GM you ask? As of right now, Shero’s former Assistant GM, Jason Botterill, is the interim GM and considered to be one of  the front runners for the job and the only candidate the Pens have publicly acknowledged.

Other candidates include, but are not limited to, Tampa Bay Assistant GM Julien BriseBois, Pens’ assistant to the general manager Tom Fitzgerald, Rangers assistant GM Jeff Gorton, Predators assistant GM Paul Fenton, and Maple Leafs vice president of hockey operations Dave Poulin.

Another candidate that was interviewed for the position is current NBC sports network hockey analyst Pierre McGuire. In the 1990’s, he spent time as a coach, assistant coach and assistant GM before beginning his career in broadcasting.

Shero has been criticized for trading away valuable draft picks and prospects for rental players and failing to win a Stanley Cup. He has also been criticized for failing to surround Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin with a decent supporting cast and a solid defense.

Three weeks later on Friday June 6, the Penguins hired a former player as their next GM.

Jim Rutherford had spent the last 20 years as the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes GM before stepping down and giving the job to ex-Pens superstar Ron Francis. He also played goalie for the Pens back in the early 1970s.

He is only meant to be a temporary replacement and is expected to hold the job for two or three seasons but could be fired after one if he does not take the Pens further into the playoffs.

Jason Botterill was promoted from assistant to associate general manager, so it is assumed that he will take over after Rutherford is fired or his contract expires.

However, former Pens players Tom Fitzgerald or Billy Guerin could also find themselves the Pens next GM or assistant GM just as easily.

Was it a smart move by the Pens to hire someone who was kicked to the curb by one of the worst franchises in the NHL? He does have a lot of valuable experience and will no doubt be a decent mentor to the Penguins’ three young guns, but can the man who was ripped off by Shero twice take the Pens to the Cup? Fans will just have to wait and see.