Do the Penguins Lack a Clear Direction?

You’ve likely heard the old saying, “Your right hand doesn’t know what your left hand is doing.”

Or…“No one can serve two masters.” Both based in the Bible.

But wait. How about three masters? In the case of our Penguins, Fenway Sports Group, POHO/GM Kyle Dubas and our “Core Four.” Each with a different agenda.

While acknowledging the team is in transition in a recent interview, FSG Chairman Tom Werner boldly stated, “We came here to win another Stanley Cup. That’s what it’s all about.”

A lofty goal, for sure. Whether it’s a realistic one at this stage is a whole other matter.

Franchise icons Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang don’t seem to harbor any such illusions (delusions?), but they want the team to remain competitive as they skate off into the sunset of a glorious black-and-gold run. In fact, Sid was given assurances to that effect when he signed his extension.

And Dubas? He’s kind of the monkey in the middle, if you’ll pardon the expression.

Actually, I think he has the clearest vision of who we are and where he wants to take us.

“I think we all understand the task at hand,” he said during a press conference in October, a week before Werner made his bold statement. “We aren’t favored by anybody to accomplish anything, and that’s not to build a narrative. That’s just a simple fact. We’ve missed the playoffs the last two seasons here, and as a result, I think that sets the external expectation for the season. But I think that everyone in the building knows that this season is going to be hard.”

Wow. Talk about letting the air out of the balloon.

Dubas basically let his transactions do the talking this summer when he signed/acquired a passel of veterans who would be considered reclamation projects by even the most charitable observers. Nearly all were signed to short-term deals.

In other words, don’t get too comfortable here in the ‘Burgh.

Although I have absolutely no insider knowledge, I’m guessing…privately…Dubas wouldn’t be too upset if the team he cobbled together tanks. The better to peddle the aforementioned recent acquisitions (and perhaps others) at the trade deadline for draft capital. Which would, in turn, help expedite a rebuild.

With the next phenom, Gavin McKenna, eligible for the 2026 Entry Draft?

A good time to be bad.

But now?

I believe Dubas’s hands have been tied, at least to an extent, by promises he made to Crosby, not to mention the expectations of higher-ups.

Speaking of, I’ve often wondered why FSG bought us when they did. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad of it. There are a lot worse things than having owners with deep pockets. However, the naked truth is they shelled out $900 million for a fading former champion with a bankrupt prospect pipeline that really had nowhere to go but down. Which probably underscores how little they really know about hockey.

But I digress.

Unfortunately, the confusion about who we are seems to spill onto the ice. As a team, we don’t seem to have an identity. We aren’t fast any more, yet we still try to play Mike Sullivan’s speed game. We aren’t especially physical, yet our game is predicated on winning puck battles down low in the offensive zone. We’re supposed to be rebuilding on the fly, yet we’re a hodgepodge of fading franchise players and a mostly mid-career supporting cast, with precious few kids dotting the roster.

There doesn’t seem to be any clear plan or direction. We’re just kind of there. A Mulligan’s stew of competing objectives and conflicting interests.

It shows on the ice.