PITTSBURGH -- Jim Rutherford doesnt believe the Pittsburgh Penguins need to undergo a massive overhaul to regain their spot among the NHLs elite. One thing is for certain: Dan Bylsma wont be part of the process. The Penguins fired the franchises all-time winningest coach on Friday while hiring Rutherford away from the Carolina Hurricanes to replace Ray Shero as general manager. Rutherfords first decision was to end the three weeks of limbo for Bylsma, whose star-laden teams had fallen well short of the Stanley Cup since winning it all in 2009. "What ownership wants here is a complete change in direction, one with the GM and one with the coach," Rutherford said. Bylsma won 252 games behind the bench and was the Jack Adams Award winner in 2012 as the NHLs Coach of the Year but failed to produce a bookend to the championship he captured with stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in 2009. The Penguins were just 4-5 in playoff series since raising the 2009 Cup, with each loss coming to a lower-seeded team. Pittsburghs latest defeat came last month when the Penguins fell to the New York Rangers in seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Rutherford met with Bylsma on Friday morning as part of an organization-wide shake-up. In addition to dismissing Bylsma, the Penguins promoted Jason Botterill to associate general manager, named Bill Guerin and Tom Fitzgerald assistant general managers. The 65-year-old Rutherford takes over for Shero, who was fired on May 16. The new gig is a homecoming for the former goaltender. Rutherford played for the Penguins in the 1970s before spending 20 years with the franchise that began as the Hartford Whalers, moved to North Carolina in 1997 and won the Stanley Cup in 2006. The Hurricanes struggled maintaining that success, missing the post-season each of the last five years. It led to Rutherford stepping down in April when the Hurricanes promoted Ron Francis -- who helped Pittsburgh win consecutive Cups in 1991 and 92 -- to the GMs job. Rutherford took on an advisory role in Carolina with a small ownership stake in the team, a position he will relinquish in the near future. The Penguins, meanwhile, plan to get their moneys worth out of a man closer to the end of his career than the beginning. Rutherford allowed he will likely only be around "two or three years" and will serve as a mentor to his new staff, adding he will give Botterill and company "big roles with a lot to say." Rutherford hopes to find Bylsmas replacement by the time free agency begins in July. Considering the talent at the top of the roster, the job will certainly be attractive. Finding the right fit, however, may be challenging. "With some changes, they dont have to be sweeping changes, we can (win another Cup) in the near future," Rutherford said. While its unlikely Rutherford will do much to mess with the core of Crosby, Malkin and defenceman Kris Letang, there are some serious depth issues, particularly along the bottom two lines. "Our supporting cast needs to be improved," Rutherford said. "I look at our fourth-line players and some of those guys are in double-digit minuses and we cant have that." What the Penguins do have is arguably the leagues best player in Crosby and one of its most dynamic in Malkin. The duo has dominated during the regular season when healthy -- with Crosby the favourite to pick up his second Hart Trophy as league MVP after leading the NHL with 114 points this season -- but that success hasnt translated into deep playoff runs. Crosby struggled in the post-season. He scored just once in 13 games while maintaining he was not injured. Rutherford will try to find the right kind of role players to take some of the pressure off his high-wattage stars. Coincidentally, the Hurricanes are also looking for a new coach -- Francis first big decision in his new job was firing Kirk Muller after three years -- and Carolina has been mentioned as a possible landing spot for Bylsma. The move by Rutherford -- who won 44 games in net for the Penguins from 1971-74 -- is the latest in a series of significant ties between the organizations. Carolina has the longest active playoff drought among Eastern Conference teams. Its last post-season appearance came in 2009 -- when the Hurricanes were swept in the East final by a Penguins team that went on to win its only Stanley Cup under Sheros leadership, the crowning achievement of his eight years as Pittsburghs GM. Rutherford and Shero orchestrated the blockbuster trade of the 2012 NHL draft when forward Jordan Staal was sent to Carolina and reunited with big brother Eric in exchange for Sutter and prospects. 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DQwell Jackson just wanted to play for a winner. On Thursday, everybody got their wish. Jackson, who spent his entire career with Cleveland until being released last week, signed a four-year, $22 million contract to play with Indianapolis. "It wasnt a financial decision, it was a decision to be around a good group of guys first and foremost and the chance to get to a Super Bowl," Jackson said. "It wasnt about money." A chance to learn from one of the best pass-rushing linebackers in football made the decision easy, too. The 6-foot, 240-pound, eight-year veteran who had watched Robert Mathis for years will now be paired with the perennial Pro Bowler, who set a franchise single season record with 19 1/2 sacks and won his first league sacks title in 2013 at the age of 32. Jackson has been productive since Cleveland drafted took him in the second round of the 2006 draft. He started 96 games, had 891 career tackles, 11 1/2 sacks, eight interceptions, seven fumble recoveries and one touchdown. Last season, at age 30, he still led the Browns in tackles (143), posting his sixth 100-tackle season. He also had 1 1/2 sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery. But hes hoping Mathis can teach him something else. "I want to know how he found the youth somewhere. Im excited to pick his brain. Ive watched him throughout his glory days and hes still having his glory days," Jackson said. "Ive just got a good feeling in this situation." Hes not the only one excited about the move, which comes five days before the full free-agent market opens. "The Colts defence needs new members to turn up the bluheat.....maybe we should take a ride down 5200 Jackson Street," Mathis wrote Wednesday on Twitter, before the official announcement was made. It didnt take long for Jackson to figure out this would be a good match. He visited Tennessee, Denver and Miami before signing with the Colts, who guarranteed him $11 million in the deal.dddddddddddd In Indy, he is reunited with running back Trent Richardson and new Colts assistant Rob Chudzinski. A year ago, Jackson and Richardson were projected to be starters under Chudzinski, then the Browns first-year head coach. Richardson was traded to the Colts in September for a first-round draft pick. Chudzinski was hired as a special assistant to coach Chuck Pagano last month. Jackson now gets a chance to play for a team coming off two straight playoff appearances and with an organization that has reached the post-season in 11 of the last 12 seasons. After reaching the divisional round last season, Paganos second in Indy, the Colts are hoping Jackson can help them take an even bigger step. "The tempo, energy and determination he plays with are right up there with the best in this league," Colts general manager Ryan Grigson said in a statement released by the team. "He brings a welcomed element of experience and natural leadership to our team." With roughly $42 million to spend in free agency, the Colts were expected to continue improving the defence. At times last season, the Colts defence played well. At others, it really struggled. Adding Jackson may not give Indy the big pass-rushing presence to complement Mathis, but it should help shore up a position where four players could leave in free agency -- Pat Angerer, Kavell Conner, Scott Lutrus and Lawrence Sidbury. Angerer, Lutrus and Sidbury all finished last season on injured reserve. But Jackson came to Indy for one reason: To win. "The last few years this team has been productive and the success has been building for years," Jackson said, acknowledging he was willing to restructure his contract in Cleveland and left with no ill feelings toward his former team. "But this is a business. It didnt work out and I have a ton of respect for what theyre doing in Cleveland, but now Im an Indianapolis Colt." Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '