When the Pittsburgh Penguins didn't make the playoffs last season, President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke and General Manager Ron Hextall were fired for failing to build a team around its core pieces. Enter Kyle Dubas, who took over as president and GM, with the expectation of doing the same. It's still not working, and it looks like plans are changing...somewhat.
While Lebrun didn't say who, exactly the core includes, it's safe to say Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang are members. It could also include names like Erik Karlsson, Jake Guentzel, and Tristan Jarry in broader terms. Guentzel will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, unless he re-signs before then.
It's hard not to think that Pittsburgh's ownership group isn't tying the hands of its executives by insisting they keep the core intact. The Penguins have been a very good team for some time now, and they had to know it couldn't last forever. Unless or until this team goes into full rebuild mode, another run at the Stanley Cup isn't going to happen.
