PITTSBURGH — Jim Rutherford celebrated a new contract in the most expected of ways: by putting together a trade he hopes will jump-start his struggling team.

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ general manager signed a contract extension on Wednesday that will keep him with the club through the 2021-22 season. Moments later he dealt forward Carl Hagelin to the Los Angeles Kings for forward Tanner Pearson.

All of it unfolded as Penguins captain Sidney Crosby skipped practice while being evaluated for an upper-body injury. Just another busy day for the 69-year-old Rutherford.

The only general manager to win Stanley Cups with multiple teams in the expansion era remains fervently committed to his job. He didn’t hesitate to make a trade that sent the speedy but slumping Hagelin to the Kings for the younger Pearson, the first of what could be several moves as Pittsburgh tries to shake itself out of a 7-6-3 start.

“Despite the fact it hasn’t been a happy couple of weeks with the Penguins as a whole, I’m very happy to be staying and will do my best to fix it,” Rutherford said.

The Penguins hired Rutherford in the summer of 2014 to replace Ray Shero. He revamped the team’s roster and coaching staff, surrounding Crosby and Evgeni Malkin with a talented group that helped Pittsburgh become the first franchise in nearly 20 years to win consecutive Stanley Cups, in 2016 and 2017.

PREDATORS: Forward Austin Watson was reinstated after serving an 18-game suspension for domestic abuse, and he issued a statement apologizing to everyone for the June incident that cost him the start of the season.

Watson was suspended for 27 games on Sept. 12 after he pleaded no contest in July to a domestic assault charge. An arbitrator reduced the suspension to 18 games.

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