When the Pittsburgh Penguins hired Ray Shero on May 25, 2006, Shero said, “I want to be in Pittsburgh. I want to be here for a long time.”
Entering the final year of a five year contract, ownership is prepared to keep Shero in Pittsburgh for a long time.
A high ranking official tells me ownerships top priority this summer is not Matt Cooke or Sergei Gonchar… it’s Ray Shero.
In four years at the helm, Shero has guided the Penguins to four straight playoff appearances, two Stanley Cup appearances and most importantly a Stanley Cup title in 2009.
An ownership group led by Mario Lemieux is expected reward Shero with a 4-to-5 year extension worth more than $2 million per season, which will make Shero among the highest paid general managers in the game.
Shero has not only built the Penguins into a Stanley Cup Contender on the ice over the past three years, off the ice he has played a vital role in the Penguins being a first class organization in all areas of how they operate.
I’m told that Shero has asked to put talks on the back burner until after free agency. A new extension is expected to be in place before the start of training camp and likely at somepoint in July or August.