Sidney Crosby looked like someone ready for the beach.
He wasn’t wearing shoes when he spoke with reporters in the dressing room of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ practice facility in Cranberry on Friday.
But the captain wasn’t necessarily eager for surf and sand.
Crosby, obsessive in his superstitions, indicated his loafer-free appearance was just a preference he likes to maintain in the room.
In some ways, Crosby’s steadfast commitment being comfortably barefoot illustrated how uncomfortable he is at the moment.
Staying in that room — regardless of footwear — past the midway point of April would mean Crosby and company are preparing to compete in the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs.
Instead, they will be scattering all over the globe for the summer after missing the postseason for the third consecutive year.
“That’s not a fun feeling when other teams are playing,” Crosby said during his team’s final interviews of the season. “And you’re going home.”
The Nova Scotian’s professional home is Pittsburgh and it’s fair to wonder how many of the other occupants of that domain will be changing addresses this season.
With a few exceptions — Crosby certainly being the leading example — no member of a team that has missed the postseason — for three consecutive turns of the calendar, no less — should feel secure in their station.
Change will once again be coming to this team one way or another.
Those with the more secure futures with the franchise see it as being capable of quickly reversing its fortunes.
“I think the people around this organization, they care so much,” forward Bryan Rust said. “And they are so invested in making this team great again that I have no doubt that this thing’s going to be turned around quickly.”
Those ambitions could be accelerated by youth. In this case, rookie forwards Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty are leading candidates to claim leading roles on the team after offering promising apprenticeships following late-season recalls.
“They bring a lot of energy,” said Crosby, who skated with each as linemates. “They’re eager. They really want to learn and they’re excited for the opportunity that they have. It creates competition. When you have young guys coming in that are hungry for a spot and for a role, I think it pushes everyone. Ultimately, just that energy, that kind of environment is important to having success. I thought they did a great job with us. That’s the kind of thing that you kind of get when you have young guys coming into the lineup.”
As far as what veterans will remain in that lineup, that process will unfold over the next handful of months.
Unlike previous offseasons, the Penguins don’t have any major questions about pending free agents or those entering the final year of their existing contracts.
But there is plenty of justified curiosity over veterans who have underperformed while carrying ample salary cap hits with several seasons remaining on their contracts. Defensemen Erik Karlsson and Ryan Graves come to mind in that regard.
So does goaltender Tristan Jarry.
In the second year of a five-year contract with a salary cap hit of $5.375 million, Jarry’s season was far from satisfactory considering he was waived in January.
And with promising prospects such as Joel Blomqvist and Sergei Murashov on the rise, the Penguins have options if they choose to jettison Jarry.
“I can’t let someone steal my job or take my job away,” Jarry said. “I have to play to my experiences and what I know and be the person who I am. Doing that is what I need to do.
“At the end of the day, it’s about wins and losses for this team.”
A greater number of wins and a return to the postseason would make everyone involved much more comfortable.
“Missing the playoffs the last few years, there’s always going to be thoughts and opinions and we’ve got to prove it,” Crosby said. “We’ve got to find a way to get back there. It takes a lot of different things.
“But when you lose, you’re going to hear (criticism). That’s part of it, that’s part of what (stinks) about losing. It’s up to us to find a way to get back there.”