Pittsburgh Penguins Kyle Dubas
CRANBERRY — President of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas put the Pittsburgh Penguins veterans on notice.
Except for the handful of premium talents, no veteran is safe, and if a young player earns a spot, Dubas will deal with the fallout regardless of the veteran’s salary.
It was the boldest proclamation yet that a new era is dawning for the Penguins. Dubas was precise in his language in his early Thursday morning press conference that lasted more than 26 minutes. Gone were the caveats and equivocations, circuitous language and hesitation.
It’s go time for the young players, prospects, and it’s open season on the veterans’ roles.
“What we’re notably looking for is our younger guys who have earned opportunities and chances. Can they run with it? Can they push themselves to play more exhibition games? Can they assert themselves in the training sessions that are going to start here today, in addition to the exhibition games that they get?” Dubas said. “And especially as the lineups get better and the games get harder, can they continue to maintain their level? If they continue to push all the way, and it’s very clear that they should be on the team, then they’ll make the team.”
Specifically, the players in question on the young end of the age scale are defensemen Harrison Brunicke and Owen Pickering, forwards Tristan Broz and Avery Hayes.
It also includes any other young player who earns it.
“We’ll deal with whatever the ripple effects of those are on some of the more veteran guys. The message to the veteran guys is that the young guys are coming. They’re going to get opportunity,” said Dubas. “They’re gonna have to earn everything, but it’s been very clear to them what the expectation is and it’s up to them to hold onto their jobs and hold on to their spots with the Penguins and in the NHL.”
Dubas also borrowed an expression from a colleague in another sport to describe the Penguins’ rebuilding plans.
“Shortcuts cut long runs short,” he quipped.
However, Dubas didn’t shy away from both the urgency of the rebuild and just how far away the Penguins are from having enough depth and enough competitive players. When Pittsburgh Hockey Now asked about a short list of wants or needs to get to the next level of the process, Dubas responded that, in fact, it’s not a short list.
The Penguins have a lot more work to do. One might say, there’s a long way to go, and a short time to get there.
“I think that our commitment to development across the whole organization is going to be the key to it. And then anytime we have a chance at any position to improve ourselves, we’re going to do that,” said Dubas. “And so I don’t think we’re perfect or near perfect or anywhere close to where we want to be at any of the three positions …
“(It’s about) our staff more deeply integrating the developmental part in and everything that we’ve talked about on that front to really expedite (rebuilding) and what we want to really become here is–I know that they’re not the biggest things–the players that we sign in free agency for example, Anthony Mantha, Raphael, Harvey-Pinard, Caleb Jones, Parker Wortherspoon–that we’re looked at as the place that if you’re a player that hasn’t gotten the opportunity you think you deserve or you’re coming off injury, that we’re the place that you know we are going to get the most out of you. We have to earn that, (but) we’re not close to that at all. There are other teams that only do a great job of that, but that’s what we really want to become and stay there for a very long time.”
As Dubas was more succinct and provided more clarity, there were also more questions:
Full Kyle Dubas Presser
**On Sidney Crosby’s agent Pat Brisson’s comments about wanting Crosby to be in the playoffs every year and seeming to indicate that Crosby could leave:
“I think he’s entitled to make whatever comments he wishes, but all that said, we can’t alter the course that we’re on, which is to bring the team back into a team that can contend for the Stanley Cup year in and year out because of what different media members may want, where they may want to see Sid play,” said Dubas. “We have to focus on doing what’s right for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and regardless of any sort of commentary or things that are said in the media, we can’t change that.”
**The questions surrounding Erik Karlsson’s future, whether a trade or improving his play with the Penguins:
“Nothing has changed in my opinion about Erik. I think he’s in excellent condition. Just for me, I think Erik’s an extraordinarily proud person, and I think he comes into the year with a lot to play for, both reputationally for himself, but also, I think more importantly, he wasn’t named to the Swedish Olympic first six, and that’s a very important item for him,” Dubas said. “So, I think you’ll see… he has a huge amount of incentive this season. He’s going to want to win before he retires, and he’s gonna want to play at the highest level of best-on-best hockey. He’s right in that kind of sweet spot of guys, between 2014 and 2026, who had their whole prime of their careers, but they’ve missed that best-on-best situation. So I think the way that he played last year at Four Nations is any indication, we’ll see a great version of Erik this year.”
**Dubas also provided a full Penguins injury update.
**The goaltending situation is a bit crowded as the team has five goalies for four spots at the top two levels. Dubas gave a nod to Tristan Jarry and Arturs Silovs as the senior members of the competition:
“We have two young goalies who have an extremely high potential, Joel Blomqvist and Sergei Murashov. I think everyone has seen it at times, whether it’s been in the American League or whether it has been up here, in Joel’s case,” Dubas began. “And we have Tristan (Jarry) and (Arturs Silovs) that are a little bit older, a little more advanced. Arturs has had the ultimate success at the minor league level, winning a championship and being the MVP. But all that said, they’ll start competing here today, and the best two goalies, the way that they perform in camp and we deem as best for their development, but notably the way they perform at camp and preseason, will determine who the two goalies are that start with the Penguins.
“Their contract situations–none of that matters.”
**With a little scoff and chuckle, Dubas shrugged off a report that the Penguins have reached out to Carter Hart’s agent. Dubas didn’t specifically rule out signing any of the five acquitted Team Canada players, but very obviously shied away from it, too.
**Dubas on the lack of trades this offseason:
“There’ve been tons of discussions on a lot of our guys throughout the summer, but we also aren’t just going to make deals that offload very key, important people in the organization and that have given a lot to the organization in their time,” Dubas said. “So if the right return is there, we would look at anything, and in the meantime, we’re gonna do everything we can to get the most out of those guys.”
**Dubas on the pending ownership change from The Fenway Sports Group to the Hoffman Family of Companies:
“Obviously, it’s something that takes up a lot of bandwidth internally. The way that I’ve come to view the ownership stuff is that for me– after the situation in Toronto and making the decision of where to go next–ownership as a team was vitally important. Where I’ve come to land since is that, is the ownership is important, but what’s more important is where you work and who you work with.”
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