um, excuse me have you not read the website here or just ignore the large media hacks who dislike Lemieux and will take their shots at any chance.
Considering I live in Pittsburgh, fan of the team, work at a bank, and have connections to the team, I think I may know a thing or two about the Pens financial health.
The Penguins are rebuilding because they couldn't afford to pay the salaries of players during a time period in which they have to pay more of their revenues towards paying off the debt.
This season, Pittsburgh was expected to have a payroll in the $27-32 million range before any revenue-sharing or CBA changes and teams can build a young contender with such a model, it is hard but it can be done.
Pittsburgh is running the team as a business and believes to only sign players to contracts that can be productive, not overpayments, which guys like Straka and Kovalev would have been at the time of their trades with the team's direction for a young team.
Now Lemieux and Recchi will be here, the young players gained invaluable experience last season and as Craig Patrick has planned for the last three years, the new CBA will allow him to sign or acquire some top notch talent due to his payroll being wide open for such moves.
Long-term, yes the Penguins need a solid CBA because that is about fair revenue-sharing to keep all 30 teams strong and balanced competition.
The Penguins will get their new arena, within the year, they will be filing for a casino slots license in the city of Pittsburgh, which many think they have a great shot to get since Lemieux isn't about to lend his name to a business without it being a top notch organization run by quality and experienced individuals.
When the league reopens, teams like Toronto will feel more pain than Pittsburgh because Craig Patrick, Ken Sawyer, and Mario Lemieux had a plan to build this team into the future with sound business and hockey decisions.
You can take that to the bank.