Source: Pens to hire Jim Rutherford

The Pittsburgh Penguins will announce the hiring of former Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford as their new general manager on Friday, a source told ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun.

TSN first reported the news on Friday.

A source told ESPN.com that Rutherford has left his advisory/president position wth the Hurricanes. The Penguins have scheduled a news conference for 1 p.m. Friday.

Rutherford, 65, would replace Ray Shero, who was fired after the Penguins lost to the Rangers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Rutherford spent 20 years as general manager of the Hurricanes, who won the Stanley Cup in 2006, before moving into his new role this past season after Ron Francis was promoted to GM.

Before stepping down, he was the second-longest-tenured GM in the NHL and compiled a record of 570-521-167-20 during the regular season after the franchise moved to Carolina.

The Penguins reportedly have chosen Rutherford over candidates who included current Pittsburgh assistant GM Jason Botterill, NBC's Pierre McGuire, Tampa Bay assistant GM Julien BriseBois and Nashville assistant GM Paul Fenton.

The Penguins also reached out to agent Pat Brisson for the job, but Brisson opted to stay in his current position with CAA. Brisson represents Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, John Tavares, Anze Kopitar and other high-profile NHL players.

Craig Custance and Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com contributed to this report.