PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby has spent months politely rehashing the Pittsburgh Penguins’ nightmarish spring, a stretch that included a meltdown against the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference semifinals and a sizable front office overhaul that shook one of the NHL’s most stable organizations.

The league’s reigning MVP is happy to turn the page.

“I’m tired of talking about last year,” Crosby said. “It’s nice to move on, get a fresh start here for everybody. We’ve got a lot of new faces, we still have a lot to improve on and get better.”

The Penguins should get an idea of how far they have to go starting Thursday when they host Anaheim in the season opener. Pittsburgh has been one of the league’s best teams out of the gate over the last five years, going 44-24 during the opening month since 2009.

Matching that October success may be difficult this time around. A schedule that includes games against the Ducks and defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles won’t help. Neither will expected growing pains associated with trying to adjust to first-year coach Mike Johnston’s style.

General manager Jim Rutherford stressed during the offseason he’d be OK with sacrificing a point or two in the fall if it led to success in the playoffs for a franchise more than five years removed from its last championship.

While Crosby cautioned it’s important not to get lulled into the idea that losing will be tolerated, he said there will be missteps along the way as the Penguins try to forge a new identity under Johnston following five-plus seasons in coach Dan Bylsma’s high-risk, high-reward attack.

Pittsburgh forward Pascal Dupuis likened learning Johnston’s system — one that focuses on puck possession rather than the dazzling if dangerous stretch passes favored by Bylsma — to picking up “new slang.” The goal remains the same regardless of who is behind the bench.