The reaction and public perception to this insignificant news is fascinating.
I get being unhappy with Dubas and being mad at FSG for the Sullivan contract. And I get not being thrilled with an outside group as owner after years of familiar faces.
But Mario and Burkle basically checked out after the Cups and let this franchise start to deteriorate. And I think people should be more upset with them for the current state of the franchise.
- It's been widely reported that the Penguins' analytics process was woefully outdated under Rutherford and Hextall, almost all of which occurred under Mario and Burkle's watch except the final year under Hextall and FSG.
- Mario and Burkle allowed Rutherford to gut the front office. As Fitzgerald, Guerin, Botterill and others left, Rutherford didn't replace them. The scouting department languished at both the pro and amateur levels.
- Mario and Burkle let Morehouse run the show to the point that it was Morehouse who hired Hextall and Burke. There was never any clarity as to what Burke's role was with the job, while Hextall was just a bad fit.
- And they allowed the arena development process to stagnate and piss off people in the community with their inaction.
Mario and Burkle won Cups. They saved the franchise in Pittsburgh, and for that they should always be commended. But they really let the franchise start to sag after those victories. We're now seeing a modern ownership group. It's cold. It's distant. But it's fully funded. They're spending to the cap. They're modernizing the arena. They're actually building around the arena finally. And they've upgraded the front office and support staff.
Ultimately it still comes down to making the right hires and the right personnel moves, and the hiring of coaches and GMs will speak the loudest.
But I truly think people should be more upset with Mario and Burkle and how they let the support system around the players start to crumble.
I am genuinely glad to make your acquaintance DP.
