Pittsburgh Penguins Kyle Dubas
There was no equivocation and very little sidestepping in the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas’s early Thursday morning press conference.
The team has notified veterans that young players can take their spots, and if the young player claims it, there’s nothing the veterans can do about it.
Dubas’s claim of promoting young players into the lineup as soon as they are ready. Dubas wants to see the young players excel in practice drills, then preseason games, and if they do, they’re in.
And Dubas said he’s prepared to deal with whatever fallout might occur; the results could be a glut of unhappy veterans in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, losing players to waivers, or presumably some sort of trade with or without a good return.
On that point, Dubas was quite clear.
“We’ll deal with the rippling effects,” he said to brush away concerns that a close call would go to veterans, thus shoving a youngster back to juniors or the minors.
Keeping Rakell and Karlsson, No Trade?
Interspersed amongst the 26 minutes of questions and answers regarding the Penguins’ present, future, the intersection thereof, and Sidney Crosby, was a subtle yet telling sentence.
Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, and Erik Karlsson have dominated the trade speculation and the expectation. However, all three are still with the Penguins.
Dubas often splices explanations in the middle of his answers and may have tipped off Penguins fans as to when to expect any trades for the three, or rather, when not to expect them.
“We’re gonna do everything we can to get the most out of those guys. We talked (about) all three of them having a huge amount to play for (to make it to) the Olympics. I know perhaps locally on Sept. 18th–it’s not a massive deal–but I think for those three players in particular … they all want to be there, they want to play in it,” said Dubas. “And I think that provides us the opportunity to really push them forward and continue to preserve where they’re at as they continue to age, but also try to find another level for them that can help them be on those national teams.”
It’s a rather inventive approach by Dubas, probably born of watching a much better version of Karlsson at the Four Nations tournament than he saw with the Penguins. He’s using the Olympics carrot to elevate his own players in the NHL, hoping to up their value either to the Penguins or to another team.
However, the Olympics aren’t until February. Are we looking at a late February or early March push?
Final Analysis
Words can be read in different ways, especially when colored by emotion or emotional investiture in a specific outcome. Dubas is typically a little more vague or cryptic in his answers on larger topics.
Make no mistake, his direct words on Thursday were a salvo to the organization. He removed any hesitation or wonder. He rolled out the red carpet for young players and gave fair warning to the veterans:
The tie goes to the young player.
That’s a new path and certainly one to which former coach Mike Sullivan may have objected. While Sullivan didn’t suppress any young players, they surely didn’t get the benefit of the doubt, either. Owen Pickering is a perfect example of playing 25 games last season, but as his play dipped, he was jetisoned back to the AHL.
Teams hoping to rebuild would most likely have let him play through it and used it as a learning experience as to how to work out of a funk or a dip to find a better game.
There was another little nugget that many will overlook. Dubas wants to be a place where players looking for a bigger opportunity or a second chance flock.
Suddenly, it seems much more plausible that Tristan Broz and Avery Hayes make the NHL squad. It seems almost a given that other players, such as Alex Alexeyev and Justin Brazeau, will go to the front of the line, even ahead of players like Ryan Graves, who, despite still being in his 20s, has been a disappointment in his first two (of six) years with the Penguins.
In fact, Dubas rattled off several more players who are bellying up to the Second Chance Saloon, hoping the Penguins are the ticket to a better NHL career. Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Anthony Mantha, Caleb Jones, and Parker Wortherspoon were the players Dubas specifically named as those who could help[ the team build their reputation amongst others who are hoping for more.
He could have also mentioned Brett Murray and Robby Fabbri, who were in training camp on PTOs.
It has been slow going for the Penguins. Perhaps even Dubas would like to be further ahead in the construction of the future by now. This begins his third season, and the middle of his six-year contract.
He’s been a patient and steadfast builder of the organization, from revitalizing the analytics department to sweeping changes to player skills and development.
While building a good organization off the ice is essential, success on it will be how he is judged. Thursday marked the first time that he put his foot down not just with personnel but with direction.
Dubas was blunt. He was clear. But now it’s time to execute. March is shaping up to be a transformative moment in the Penguins organization … because if it’s not, new owners and concerned fans might get loud.
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