Crosby, the Penguins captain, was informed of Rutherford's departure after practice Wednesday afternoon. He said a discussion took place Thursday before the Penguins moved on to prepare for their game against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, SNE, SNO, SNP, NESN, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV).
"It wasn't anything formal, per se," Crosby said. "I think everyone got the news all at the same time. I think everyone was surprised. But it was addressed today, since we basically kind of left the rink yesterday when the report came out."
After acknowledging Rutherford's success with the Penguins, who won the Stanley Cup twice (2016, 2017) in his seven seasons, Crosby said the players can't dwell on the change..
"We addressed it," Crosby said. "I think it's something that, you just have to continue to move on. Like I've said, these things do happen, whether it's a trade or signings, or [player] movement. There's a lot of that within a season. Not typically with a general manager, per se, but things like this, they come up.
"I think that's part of hockey that you learn to understand, that sometimes these changes, they happen. You've got to continue to move forward."