The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to overhaul their front office and management after a recent sale to Fenway Sports Group. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Mike DeFabo reports that the team is expected to name Kevin Acklin the team’s President of Business Operations, filling the role left by longtime executive David Morehouse.
Morehouse vacated the role two months ago when the CEO of 16 years stepped down, reportedly on his own terms.
As DeFabo notes, Acklin is an internal promotion. Since 2018, Acklin had been the team’s COO and general counsel. Similar to Morehouse, Acklin is a Pittsburgh native.
The changes in leadership come as the Penguins are set to embark on a tough road ahead over the next decade or so. As stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang age and/or leave the organization, the team will need strong leadership to avoid the business concerns the team has had in the past during periods of poor play. Acklin will now have a big part to play in that role, and his choices will have a significant effect on the team’s future.
“..the team will need strong leadership to avoid the business concerns the team has had in the past during periods of poor play.”
This is diplomatic way of saying “the bandwagon yinzers might yet again jump ship the absolute second we don’t have a Cup caliber team built around the BEST player in the world…like they always do.”
In the meantime, they’ll bash our (now former) HOF GM who won us two Cups as Mr. Magoo and want to run 2/3 of our franchise icons out of town with no non-stupid plans to replace them before they jump ship.