On the eve of his first game of consequence as president of hockey operations and general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Kyle Dubas doesn’t have expectations.

Hopes? Certainly.

But he stops short of stating the team he has inherited and crafted this past offseason has to accomplish anything specific in order to be considered successful.

However, he acknowledges what is demanded and what he needs to do to satisfy those mandates.

“The standard that’s set here, when you walk in every day, is that the group expects that they’re going to win each day,” Dubas said before Monday’s practice at PPG Paints Arena. “And then they’re going to stack all those days, one on top of the other. It’s going to lead to contending and winning the Stanley Cup. That’s the only thing that’s talked about here. And the only thing that the people within the room strive for.

“I know that based on the fact that we missed the playoffs last year, that on the outside, there’s not that same belief. And I think that’s totally fair. It’s up to us to earn that belief back. For me, it’s been great to be a part of that group and try to help as best I possibly can. … Try to supplement and add to the group as best we possibly can, across everything — roster, staff, systems — to try to help the team get its way back to winning the Stanley Cup again.

“Just keep stacking every single day one on top of the other and put ourselves back to where the Pittsburgh Penguins want to be.”

The Penguins will open their 56th season Tuesday at home against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Just 183 days earlier, the Blackhawks brought the Penguins’ 55th season to a conclusion — virtually — with a stunning 5-2 win at PPG Paints Arena that ended the Penguins’ hopes of reaching the playoffs for all intents and purposes.

That’s why former general manager Ron Hextall and president of hockey operations Brian Burke were fired a few days later and replaced by Dubas on June 1.

Since then, he has remodeled much of the organization. On the ice, he acquired the likes of defenseman Erik Karlsson and forward Reilly Smith. Off the ice, former NHL stars Jason Spezza and Doug Wilson took on front office roles.

Even smaller details, like requiring all of the goaltenders in the organization to wear white pads, have been altered.

Dubas understands the assignment and the responsibility that comes with it.

“When it doesn’t work out and when we fall short, it’s on me in this role,” said Dubas, who expects to open the season with a roster of 22 players. “That’s part of what comes with this role. You get judged on it. When it doesn’t go well, it’s on me at the end. So my view of it is we’re going to continue to build that way. Supplement around it with anything that we need. If it doesn’t work at the end of the year, that’s on me.”

The team that will open the year Tuesday will be Dubas’ creation in a lot of ways.

On Monday morning, he held court with media and discussed a variety of subjects.

AP In 78 games last season, Penguins forward Jake Guentzel had 73 points (36 goals, 37 assists).  

• Forward Jake Guentzel has been labeled as a “game-time decision” for Tuesday’s contest just over two months after surgery on his right ankle. In August, Dubas indicated Guentzel might miss the first five games of the regular season in his recovery.

With Guentzel apparently able-bodied, Dubas was asked about potentially signing the All-Star left winger to a contract extension as Guentzel is entering the final year of his current contract. Dubas offered few specifics on that matter.

“I’ve got a great relationship with (Guentzel’s agent, Ben Hankinson), and the major priority right now has just been on Jake’s health. So, there’s really no real focus on anything other than the health portion of it. Seeing that he had surgery (in) early August and he’s pushed it, day to day, the level of competitor that he is, is unsurprising. So, it’s not a true surprise that he’s at this point and, of course, trying to push his way to be ready to go for tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes today and tomorrow morning, and as (coach Mike Sullivan) has outlined, it’ll be a day-by-day decision, we have to do what’s right for him in the long run.

“With regards to the contract, I think it’s with Ben and I’s relationship, we can have discussion about that as he wants. But right now the priority has been on his health and getting better.”

• Having acquired Karlsson via a blockbuster trade Aug. 6, Dubas has been happy with what he added to the Penguins:

“Off the ice, I’ve been extraordinarily impressed with him,” Dubas said. “His energy that he brings every day, but also the professionalism, how hard he works. The condition that he came into camp in, it was not something that I knew (of) when we acquired him, to that degree. I knew he was very well prepared, very professional obviously — his pedigree speaks for itself — but to see how prepared he was and what he does each day to get himself ready for practice, ready for games has been quite impressive. And then the energy level and confidence that he brings each day has been great to see and well received by everybody. And it’s been quite refreshing. He’s a lot of fun to have.”

AP In 79 games last season, Penguins forward Jeff Carter had 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists).  

• The Penguins still have veteran forward Jeff Carter in their nest. A favorite of Hextall, Carter became the target of public scorn last season as his play slipped. A former All-Star who was a legit top-six center earlier in his career, Carter is expected to open the season as a right winger on the fourth line (and with a hefty salary cap hit of $3.125 million).

Dubas professed optimism that Carter can still contribute.

“I’ve known Jeff for a very long time,” said Dubas, citing their connections at the junior level with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League. “So I know what he’s about. … He’s in that role (on the fourth line) now. He’s lining up there now. But is he capable of doing more for you during the year? We’re trying to always have that depth and have him prepared to do. We tried to build out the team deep enough so we didn’t have to rely on every single person to be firing all cylinders at all times. It’s just not going to happen during the course of the year. We’ve tried to build up the team so it’s deep enough so we can slot people a little bit lower and then try to get the most out of them.

“In Jeff’s case, I think he said he’s had a very good training camp … good exhibition season. I think the doubt that may be there will probably fuel him to show that he’s still capable of being a strong contributing member of a contending team. And that’s what we expect from him.”

• During the offseason, Dubas signed several veteran forwards with designs on them serving as role players, including at the American Hockey League level with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He expressed satisfaction with his depth up front.

“I am happy with where it’s at right now,” Dubas said. “Not only with what’s there right now with the group and with the addition of (Jansen) Harkins last week, but also with the play of a lot of the players during training camp, whether that was (Radim) Zohorna, Vinnie (Hinostroza), (Alex) Nylander, (Andreas) Johnsson, (Valtteri) Puustinen, all those guys performed quite well. And so I’m happy both with where it’s at right now, but also the options that we have in case there is some ineffectiveness. We’re able to move guys in there.”

• The progress of forward prospect Sam Poulin — a first-round pick in 2019 who missed most of last season while on a leave of absence to address his mental health — was lauded by Dubas.

“I was really proud of Sam and the camp that he had,” Dubas said. “He should be very proud of himself. It’s well documented what he went through last year. The decision to assign him (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thursday) was, I just feel like he’s going to be better suited playing huge minutes for (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) and being a hugely reliable player for (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) — especially considering the time he missed last season — than he would be as the 12th or 13th forward here. If Sam just keeps on stacking up the days and weeks as he has … he’s going to push himself to earn his way back on. Can I see him spending significant time in the NHL this year? Absolutely, based on everything we’ve seen from him so far.”

• During the team’s preseason finale, a 7-4 road win against the Buffalo Sabres, Penguins forward Sidney Crosby fought Sabres forward Peyton Krebs after Krebs was involved in a hit on Penguins defenseman Kris Letang.

Dubas felt the moment offered a vivid display of what Crosby means to the franchise.

“I never like to see Sid fighting,” Dubas said. “But I loved the moment for the team. You hear all these things about Sid when you come in here. And then every single day, you see a number of things that back it all up, because you can’t really believe on the outside that it’s real. And it’s more than real. Every day you see more and more things from him on the leadership side, commitment, how he brings other people with him to everything. It’s not just about him and his routine, he wants the team to be together.

“When I’ve always observed the Penguins from the outside, whenever there’s something that happens in a game, they attack it as a group. And it’s team toughness. It’s not a true enforcer, per se. But you know, you’re not going to get away with anything against them. Even if the (opponent is) a little bit bigger and a little bit more physical, (the Penguins are) going to stand up for themselves.

“Sid embodies that most unsurprisingly. And it was great to see him do that on Friday. And I think it sets the tone for our team going into the year about what’s expected if we find ourselves in those situations. With Sid, he’s accomplished nearly everything you can want to accomplish in hockey. But the amazing thing about it is that you see, (during a recent practice), he skates onto the ice and he has the biggest smile on his face that you could imagine seeing from a hockey player. He loves it an incredible amount, loves leading the group and is determined to continue to win. We should never take for granted how special it is to be around someone like that each day.”

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