CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — When Kyle Dubas took over because the Pittsburgh Penguins basic supervisor and president of hockey operations, I’m unsure he had a plan.
In his protection, he actually couldn’t have. He was inheriting a fabled however outdated crew, one which had barely missed the playoffs and possessed no prospects to talk of. The NHL Draft was a mere three weeks away when he took over the publish. Dubas acquired loads of wealth and energy when he assumed management of the Penguins, but it surely was going to take him a while earlier than a real path grew to become clear.
Full rebuild? Reload? Retool? Not one of the above? All the above?
I feel we now know what the plan is.
Dubas certainly has some management freak in him as a result of basically each individual in his footwear does. Fascinating sufficient, although, I really suppose he’s letting his crew dictate his subsequent transfer.
Final season, the Penguins weren’t excellent. They particularly struggled early within the season. Whereas assembly with the media on the UPMC Lemieux Sports activities Advanced on Monday afternoon, Dubas mentioned he concluded pretty early into the season that his Penguins weren’t a Stanley Cup contender.
Thus, a few months later, Jake Guentzel was dealt. To Dubas’ credit score, that deal now seems like a house run. Dropping Guentzel was troublesome, after all, however take a look at what the Penguins acquired in return:
• Michael Bunting, who has been an exquisite match on the second line with Evgeni Malkin.
• Cruz Lucius, Vasily Ponomarev and Ville Koivunen, all prospects who determine attain the NHL. Ponomarev and Koivunen are already shut, and whereas their ceilings won’t be sky-high, there’s each cause to imagine each will turn into stable NHL gamers.
• Harrison Brunicke, chosen with the second-round decide the Penguins acquired from Carolina, who may be a very powerful title of all. He’s solely 18 and after a shocking coaching camp, the Penguins made the robust option to ship him again to the Western Hockey League. In a yr or two, nonetheless, he’s going to be within the NHL and appears like a really impactful defenseman.
I might envision an analogous story happening this season. If the Penguins battle within the first half and Dubas doesn’t like what he sees, I think about he’ll unload some extra pending free brokers. It’s the best option to improve a corporation’s system and Dubas, upon trying over the job, astutely realized the Penguins’ system was utterly barren of expertise. He’s rapidly engaged on that, to his credit score.
But when the Penguins exceed expectations? I sincerely suppose he’ll assist them get higher earlier than the deadline, if solely with a minor deal or two.
Dubas spent the primary quarter-hour of his press convention talking of the Penguins’ franchise, what an honor it’s to work for them and what he believes the group stands for. He mentioned all the correct issues. However he didn’t point out one factor: The Penguins, of their essence, are about star energy. Mario Lemieux. Jaromir Jagr. Sidney Crosby. Evgeni Malkin. Ron Francis. Paul Coffey. Kevin Stevens. Kris Letang.
We might play this recreation all day. It’s a franchise of stars and the celebs have energy. Additionally they nonetheless need to win, badly. As greatest I can inform, there’s a basic settlement between Dubas and the large guys: “I’ll do proper by you for those who guys have an opportunity to win.”
Thus the Penguins aren’t actually rebuilding. They’re retooling on the fly. Ron Hextall principally tried the identical method however failed.
Perhaps Dubas shall be totally different.
Among the Penguins’ prized younger gamers made the roster on Monday and can probably be within the lineup towards the New York Rangers on Wednesday night time. Dubas is attempting to encompass Crosby, Malkin, Letang and Karlsson with as a lot expertise as potential.
On Wednesday, 20-year-old Rutger McGroarty will presumably make his NHL debut. It doesn’t sound just like the Penguins predict his time in Pittsburgh to be transient.
“If he wasn’t going to be within the lineup, then I wouldn’t need him to be round as a scratch,” Dubas mentioned.
Jack St. Ivany is a stable younger defenseman who seems to have an extended NHL future. He’ll play on Wednesday. McGroarty seems like an influence ahead with appreciable potential.
Brunicke seems like a future star. The Penguins are oozing with expertise between the pipes. They’ve a big quantity of draft picks — together with all of their first-round alternatives — within the subsequent few drafts.
Expertise — actual expertise — is on the away. It’s already beginning to arrive.
On the opposite finish of the spectrum, Crosby, Malkin, Letang and Karlsson can nonetheless play. They’re all enjoying at a excessive stage, significantly Crosby. The purpose is for increasingly younger expertise to indicate up concurrently to the Huge 4 nonetheless enjoying at a excessive stage.
Is it bold? You guess.
Is it potential? Positive.
Greater than something, Dubas now has a plan. The worst factor an government in his place can do is function with out a clear thought of what’s greatest for his franchise. Dubas in all probability is intrigued by the thought of a full rebuild — I’m optimistic he’s — however he is aware of he can’t with Crosby on the roster. It simply gained’t work that manner.
So Dubas is doing issues the arduous manner.
He had a really, excellent summer season. Progress was made. We’re about to see how a lot. Someway, there’s a suggestion for what to do subsequent, based mostly on how Dubas’ crew performs. It’s unorthodox, however then so too is the Penguins’ franchise in so some ways. It’s a plan that abruptly makes plenty of sense.
The Penguins need to see improved efficiency from defenseman Ryan Graves this season. (Michael Reaves / Getty Photos)
It’s no secret the Penguins have been completely displeased with Graves’ efficiency final season.
After signing a six-year cope with the Penguins, Graves’ play was typically dismal all through his first season in Pittsburgh. Dubas was bluntly direct following final season, saying the Penguins wanted the defenseman to be higher within the 2024-25 marketing campaign.
Graves has been shaky in the course of the exhibition season but it surely seems he’ll start the season on the third pairing beside St. Ivany.
“He’s a proud skilled,” Dubas mentioned. “He needs to come back in and have an excellent season, and we’ll get happening Wednesday night time and he’ll have greater than sufficient alternative to get shifting in the correct route. He’s an exquisite child, and he’s put the phrase in, so I’m optimistic that he’ll.”
Free agent-to-be
Marcus Pettersson, like Guentzel a yr in the past, is getting into the ultimate season of his contract and is eligible to turn into an unrestricted free agent subsequent summer season. Pettersson isn’t a star like Guentzel, however he’s a really reliable defenseman and one of many locker room’s hottest individuals.
Dubas was requested if a brand new contract could possibly be on the horizon for the 28-year-old defenseman.
It doesn’t sound like it’s. Not but, anyway.
“With reference to the contract conditions of all of our unrestricted free brokers, I feel the perfect course for us with the place we’re proper now, we’ve got to have a look at all of them case-by-case and the place we’re at, and the place we’re going,” Dubas mentioned. “I feel the secret is to guard all of our choices all year long.”
Dubas did point out, nonetheless, that Pettersson and Drew O’Connor are impending free brokers he wouldn’t thoughts holding round for years to come back.
“He and Drew,” Dubas mentioned, “I put in that case of treating a bit of bit in a different way.”
Rust, absent from apply for nearly per week after absorbing a success in a preseason recreation towards the Detroit Pink Wings, was positioned on injured reserve on Monday. This was retroactive from six days in the past, nonetheless, so Rust might in a short time be again within the lineup. Dubas mentioned Rust is eligible to return to the lineup at any level.
Dubas didn’t sound particularly involved about Rust, explaining merely that Rust tends to race again into the lineup, one thing that aggravated an harm final season.
“I’d moderately be extra cautious with Rusty,” Dubas mentioned. “For those who don’t chain him down, he’ll play. It’s day-to-day, in essence. However I need to be protecting of it not growing into one thing far worse.”
Alex Nedeljkovic (lower-body harm) and Blake Lizotte (concussion) are additionally on injured reserve whereas Matt Nieto has been positioned on long-term injured reserve. Ponomarev has been designated as injured non-roster participant.
(High picture of Kyle Dubas and Harrison Brunicke: Jeff Vinnick / NHLI through Getty Photos)
