Fenway Sports Group chairman Tom Werner sat down with Sidney Crosby in March of last season when it looked like the Penguins' playoff hopes were all but dead.
"We're going to be better next year," Werner promised Crosby.
"We're going to go on a run," was Crosby's response, refusing to give up on the current season.
Crosby was good on his word. The Penguins went 6-1-1 to start April before their playoff hopes were dashed on the eve of the season finale when the Capitals secured the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with a win over the Flyers. The Penguins fell short of their goal, but it was an encouraging finish to the season.
"We did go on that run," Werner said during the first intermission of the Penguins' season-opener Wednesday at PPG Paints Arena. "I'm hoping it carries over."
The Penguins weren't aggressive in free agency. They weren't in on the big-name free agents. Most of their big acquisitions were in the forms of picks and prospects to focus on the long-term success of the club, while making less-flashy moves as the NHL level to keep the team competitive while not limiting their flexibility. But make no mistake, the Penguins aren't thinking about a rebuild yet. Ownership is committed to still competing while this core is still around.
"We're here to win a Stanley Cup," Werner said. "(Fenway) got involved with this because this is an incredible team with a great legacy, and our responsibility is to bring the city a Cup."
Werner acknowledged that the team is in a period of "transition," something Kyle Dubas himself has acknowledged on a number of occasions. This Penguins team might be a playoff team. They might not be. Dubas has said repeatedly that they don't want to just sneak into the playoffs only to say they got in if they can't actually do anything with that run. The focus is on making this team a real contender as quickly as possible, without sacrificing that long-term future success. And ownership thinks that this "transition" period has the Penguins on the right path.
"We are so confident in Kyle's vision," Werner said. "You know, we brought on David Quinn this season. I think we're going to improve in various aspects, and our responsibility as FSG is to give (Mike Sullivan) and Kyle the resources that they need to win."
Werner reiterated Fenway's belief in Sullivan, too, calling him "one of the two or three best coaches in hockey."
The Penguins have made ample progress in providing those resources to Dubas and the coaching staff. The Penguins have added to the scouting staff. They've added to the development staff,. They've added to research and analytics, as well as the strength and conditioning departments.
Part of the reason for that level of involvement, Werner said, is that they "trust this core."
"I think it was really important for us to sign Sidney, and we've got to build around that core," Werner said. "Kyle's goal is to get the team younger. We brought in five new players, and we're confident in the direction that he's going."
Dubas and multiple representatives from Fenway Sports Group over the last year-plus have spoken on a number of occasions just how paramount it is that Crosby finishes his career in Pittsburgh. Signing Crosby to that two-year contract extension (at a severe discount, the same $8.7 million he's made for much of his career) does a lot to ensure that Crosby does finish his career a Penguin.
"He is once-in-a-generation player," Werner said. "He's a role model, not only in the community, on the team, but he's a leader in the clubhouse. So it's really important that younger players look up to him. I mean, he had more goals this last season than any season since, what, 2017? So he's still an extraordinary player. For us it was imperative to sign him."
While Werner and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry aren't based full-time out of Pittsburgh, Werner said that both of them speak to Dubas "every day." Werner's son, Teddy, is the new point man in Pittsburgh this season after the departure of Dave Beeston. Werner said that Fenway remains committed to growing partnerships, because "every dollar we get in partnerships, we can invest in the team."
Fenway has put the resources in place. They're confident in the people they have in place. It's up to those people to follow through.
"We're confident that between Sullivan and Dubas, we're going to be successful."
