The first full week of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ first season in over a decade was relatively uneventful, at least on the surface.
Fenway Sports Group officials are weighing several issues that will have a profound effect on the future of the franchise—who are the candidates to succeed Ron Hextall as general manager and fill other managerial slots, how the front office will be organized, etc.—but there hasn’t been much public movement on any from those fronts.
This is not to say that there has been a shortage of penguin-related topics to discuss.
Here’s a look back at the early days of Penguin season:
Sunday
Mike Sullivan puts up a solid Penguins defense, which finished in the middle of the NHL group despite having at least two Hall of Famers and 36-goal Jake Guentzel on unit #1.
Monday
Predict the Penguins roster and set a salary cap for next season.
An analysis of how each Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman and goaltender will perform during the 2024-23 season. (+)
Tuesday
Whatever changes the Penguins make ahead of next season, their core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Chris Letang should remain the same.
Four other candidates are worth considering for the GM job of the Penguins.
Wednesday
An analysis of how the Penguins’ forwards performed over the past season. (+)
A report by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman lays out the asking price the Pittsburgh Penguins refused to pay to acquire JT Miller from Vancouver last season.
Thursday
Defenseman Jean Rota is recovering from heart muscle surgery that took place this week in St. Louis.
Former Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero should be getting serious attention to be the liaison between the Hockey Ops department and the business side of the franchise, no matter the title of the position.
Friday
A look at what led to the Penguins’ front office changes, and where the road might go to find replacements for Ron Heckstall and/or Brian Burke.
Saturday
The Pittsburgh Penguins are facing a lot of questions as they prepare for their first draft post-shootout Ron Hextall.