CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — I’ve been repeating the topic in this space for a few months now.

The Penguins want to go young.

At first glance, this appears to be confusing, if not impossible. It’s not just Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson — plenty of other Penguins are on the wrong side of 30, including Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Kevin Hayes and Danton Heinen.

So, how do the Penguins get younger? And what would compel them to get even younger if this season is a wash?

Well, I keep hearing the same theme from people who know: This roster is going to be younger than people think.

When talented young forward Rutger McGroarty is healthy, he’ll be on this team. Fellow forward Ville Koivunen is a lock to start the season in Pittsburgh, too. He’s here to stay.

What about the others?

Team sources told me that, while the plan isn’t for defenseman Harrison Brunicke to be ready this quickly — he doesn’t turn 20 until next spring — the Penguins won’t stand in his way if he is ready. And he was among their best players in the exhibition opener on Monday against Montreal.

Could they give Brunicke a nine-game stint before sending him back to junior hockey? Sure. Could they keep him all season if they think he’s ready? Indeed, and they won’t put up any roadblocks if they deem that to be the case.

I think goaltender Sergei Murashov (more on him later) is an extreme long shot to make the team, but that’s no knock on him.

Everyone I speak to within the Penguins organization insists that general manager/president Kyle Dubas and coach Dan Muse want this team to be young and aren’t afraid to hurt veterans’ feelings when it comes to roster spots and playing time. This is something to keep in mind.

Murashov’s rise

As I wrote last week, many of the Penguins are very impressed with Murashov.

My opinion on that matter is that the players I spoke to, Rust and Rakell, weren’t just being polite. I’ve also talked with some other veterans about Murashov.

No one wants to put too much pressure on a 21-year-old player. Still, plenty of people in the organization — players and front office people alike — feel Murashov has a real opportunity to be the Penguins’ No. 1 goaltender within the next 12 to 18 months. They love his talent. They love his athleticism. And more than anything, they like how grounded and hard-working he is. In Murashov, they think they’ve found someone special.

The more people see him practice, and the more they see him in games, the more everyone seems cautiously optimistic that the Penguins’ goaltending woes have a light at the end of the tunnel.

Muse’s reputation

Early reports on Muse from around the organization are overwhelmingly positive.

Now, you might be saying to yourself, “It’s only been a few months. Of course, they’re going to say good things about the new coach.”

OK, OK. However, I’m old enough to have covered a guy named Mike Johnston. Mind you, Johnston was and is a delightful human being, and I have no doubt he’s among the best junior coaches of his era. There is plenty of evidence of that. However, he was never fit to be an NHL coach, which was made extremely clear from the very beginning.

Even during Johnston’s first training camp in 2014, players and other members of the organization were already rolling their eyes when his name was brought up.

That’s not the case with Muse. Will he work in the long run? That’s anybody’s guess.

However, I can tell you after conversations I’ve had with Penguins veterans, young players and staff members, everyone likes this guy. More importantly, everyone respects him. I’ve had three players independently use the word “prepared” when discussing Muse. The number of hours Muse spends around the rink is already becoming a regular topic of discussion.

It’s early, and this team probably isn’t very good. However, in terms of how he’s being perceived around the organization, Muse is off to a great start. Everyone seems to be quite impressed.

Ownership update

There is nothing new to report on the Penguins’ ownership situation. The Hoffmann family remains heavily interested and is still in talks with Fenway Sports Group. I sense that FSG isn’t desperate to move away from the Penguins, but there is still a legitimate chance that this deal will take place.

A sale is not a given. In fact, this is typically the time when deals of this nature often fall through. We’re talking close to $2 billion here, and a lot of influential businesspeople are involved. Nothing is a given, but FSG is very ready to move on if a deal is officially struck.

On the hockey side, a potential sale hasn’t influenced Dubas at this point. I’m not under the impression he’s been told that he can’t make a move or that he must do anything that would divert from his plan. If I were a member of the Hoffmann family, for instance, I probably wouldn’t be thrilled about the idea of Sidney Crosby’s name being in trade rumors. You wouldn’t want your most valuable player, even at his age, being traded before you were about to buy the team.

Still, I don’t think Dubas is under any orders to keep the status quo. I sense that Dubas is running the team as he sees fit, that the quiet summer was more about a lack of dance partners and that not much has changed since the end of last season.

Rust, Rakell and Karlsson are available, but only for the right price. That price remains exceptionally high. Could it happen? Of course. Dubas all but admitted it during his annual preseason news conference last week. He’s open for business, but only if he has extreme leverage. He’s not in a rush.

McGroarty’s mysterious injury

I’m not sure about the severity of McGroarty’s injury because the Penguins are being tight-lipped about it. The good news is that McGroarty has been a visible presence around training camp, doesn’t appear to be wearing a cast or sling of any type and has been flashing his omnipresent smile at every opportunity.

(Photo of Ville Koivunen: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)