Losing that qualifying-round series to the Canadiens this month assured that it will be a long offseason for the Penguins.
Long enough that they'll be able to relive every uninspired shift from the 2-0 loss that ended their cameo appearance in the postseason.
A few hundred times.
But also long enough that Jim Rutherford and Mike Sullivan need not rush any determinations of who should be hired to fill the vacancies created when assistant coaches Mark Recchi, Sergei Gonchar and Jacques Martin were told last week that their contracts would not be renewed.
"I don't feel this has to be a decision right away," Rutherford said. "We'll follow the playoffs, see what takes place there, especially in the first round."
Nonetheless, the process already is underway, and there are people available in whom the Penguins are interested.
"We've put together a group of names," Rutherford said. "We have some people who are very capable of doing this job. We'll start the interview process soon, and then go from there."
He'll enter those sessions with a pretty good idea of the qualities he's seeking in an assistant.
"You have to project some chemistry within the coaching staff," Rutherford said. "People who aren't afraid to speak up and give their views, have a strong personality and people who can teach. We're going to want a defenseman who can work with the defensemen.
"The reason we (let the previous assistants go) is not because the other guys weren't capable. It was to bring some new ideas in, some fresh ideas. See if one or two of those ideas make a difference.
"A guy who's good with defensemen is going to be a key, and then these guys have to have somewhat of a record of what they've done with specialty teams, penalty-killing and power play. Guys who can have good chemistry but are capable of speaking up."
He added that he and Sullivan will handle the interviews together, and that Sullivan "will have a lot of input on who he likes."
Ultimately, though, it sounds as if the decisions on who to hire will be Rutherford's.
"I guess everything is," he said.
MORE PENGUINS NEWS
• Exclusive: Penguins holding onto pick … for now
• Exclusive: Rutherford ready to make trades
• Evgeni Malkin undergoes elbow surgery
• Zach Aston-Reese has shoulder surgery
To continue reading, log into your account:
