Sheary endorses reunion with Crosby, Guentzel

When the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 2017, Conor Sheary formed a productive partnership with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel.

And when the Penguins try to claim the franchise's sixth championship later this summer, there's a pretty fair chance that those three will be together again.

Just like old times.

Despite everything that happened in the interim.

Like how Sheary was traded to Buffalo in 2017, at least in part because of salary-cap considerations. And how Guentzel suffered what could have been a season-ending shoulder injury Dec. 30, if the NHL hadn't been forced to suspend operations March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

That was not long after Jim Rutherford brought Sheary back from the Sabres, in an attempt to fill some of the goal-scoring void created by Guentzel's absence.

But Guentzel has, from all indications, recovered from his surgery and should be able to assume his former first-line duties.

After Sheary departed, Guentzel developed into one of the NHL's better goal-scorers, and was on pace to score 40-plus before he was injured midway through 2019-20.

Crosby, though, is pretty much the same player he was a few seasons ago, at least from Sheary's perspective.

"I haven't noticed much, specifically," he said. "I think he's a pretty consistent player. His work ethic has always been the same. ... I think his game is very similar, if not the same, as it was. He tries to stick to that and to play the same way, night-in and night-out."

Although Mike Sullivan hasn't divulged the forward combinations he plans to use when camp opens, a Guentzel-Crosby-Sheary unit figures to get strong consideration. That's something to which Sheary would not object.

"It would be nice if we were able to do that again," he said. "We had a good run together while I was here the last time, and I don't think much has changed in any of our games that it wouldn't be a smooth transition back to growing that chemistry."

Fact is, he said, the whole process of coming back to the Penguins had few complications.

"The transition itself was fairly easy," Sheary said. "There was a lot of turnover, in terms of players, but the core group of guys was still there. ... Most of the coaching staff is the same. As far as the system and the culture and everything like that, I think not much has changed."

The expectations definitely haven't. The Penguins remain in the same win-now mode they were during Sheary's first stint.

That urgency appears to be reflected in the high participation rate in the small-group skating sessions that began last week at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry.

Sullivan said when the sessions started that more than half of the team was taking part, and the number figures to grow steadily until training camp opens, which could happen July 10 under current plans. Many teams have had only a handful of players skate at their training facilities.

"Timing and things on the ice, you can't get that in the gym," Sheary said. "For myself and a lot of the guys who can back for these (sessions), I think it was just to have the access. I think it will really be beneficial for us that we're able to skate together."

Sheary, whose contract carries a $3 million salary-cap hit, will be an unrestricted free agent after this season and was, most likely, viewed strictly as a "rental" acquisition by the Penguins, a guy brought in solely for the stretch drive and playoffs this year, not because of any longer-term contribution he might be able to make.

But with the future finances of the game clouded by revenue losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Sheary could be going on the market at a time when the demand for his services might not be nearly as great as they would have been just four months ago.

"Obviously, this offseason will be a little bit different," Sheary said. "Obviously, a little bit shorter and things might have to be done a little bit quicker. But from my perspective, this will be a good opportunity for me to continue to play, continue to prove myself going into free agency.

"I don't want to think about it too much. Right now, the focus is on the team and what we can do in these playoffs. Hopefully, something good can come of that."

And from a partnership that might be resurrected after a three-year separation.