It does not sound like a full-scale rebuild is on the horizon for Penguins

19/04/2024 17:24

Kyle Dubas addressed the media on Friday.

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager/president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas addressed the media on Friday, and he made two things very clear — changes are on the horizon, but a full-scale rebuild is probably not going to be among them.

Dubas did not make an official declaration on the future of head coach Mike Sullivan (or any other member of the staff) and also said that he did not think a "scorched-earth" rebuild is the way to approach things this offseason.

Instead, he wants to re-tool around the veteran players in place and add youth around them, adding that players like Owen Pickering, Brandon Yager, Sam Poulin and Joel Blomqvist to compete for roles on the 2024-25 roster.

Part of that could be his desire to not completely tear it down.

Part of it could be the fact a lot of the veteran players on the team have no-trade clauses and would be extremely difficult to move.

Either way, just like last offseason, I do still think that is the best move, mainly because the top core players are still productive, and for as bad and disappointing as the past two seasons have been they are still not that far away from getting back in the playoffs and still having a chance.

A few more takes from what Dubas had to say and the short-term offseason outlook.

— I am not fully on board with not making a coaching change if that is indeed the way things go. Sullivan's career he has been a tremendous success overall and when he does eventually leave Pittsburgh he will have a special place in franchise history. But sometimes a change is necessary, and I think both he and the team could benefit from a fresh start.

The team has missed the playoffs two years in a row. It has not won a playoff series in six seasons. Regardless of what he did prior to that most coaches in the NHL do not get that sort of a leash.

Is it about Dubas still having faith in Sullivan? Or is that a call from above, whether it be because of FSG's love of Sullivan or their desire to not have to pay two head coaches?

Sullivan would get hired immediately.

He would probably do well where ever he goes.

And I am fine with that. Sometimes you just need a new voice and new ideas.

— I thought Dubas' assessment of defenseman Ryan Graves was one of the most eye-opening things he discussed. He pretty much admitted that Graves had a tough year, specifically said "system wasn't an excuse" and that it was going to be a huge summer for him.

He also pointed out that he was a very good player in New Jersey and Colorado, indicating he still has some belief that he can again be a productive player.

The counterpoint to that is if he was truly that good in Colorado and New Jersey is very likely that one of those teams would have made a bigger push to keep him, as most NHL team's don't let good, mid-20s defensemen get out of their grasp. But here we are.

The biggest concern there was Dubas talking about Graves needing to work on his strength and mobility this offseason. Obviously those two things were big issues this season. But this isn't an early-20s prospect coming up through the system trying to find his place in the NHL and still improving/developing as a player. This is a soon-to-be 29-year-old veteran with more than 370 NHL games on his resume. You should have known what his strength and mobility were when you signed him for six years in the offseason.

— It sounds like Kris Letang could be facing the possibility of a major surgery this offseason to fix everything that ails him. Dubas called it "significant," and that Letang played with it all season.

— Dubas liked what he saw from Karlsson down the stretch and argued that is exactly why they acquired him.

"I thought at the end of the year, he showed exactly why we acquired Erik Karlsson. He skated, took charge, shot the puck rather than tried to slap pass it through five people every time - which he and I have had many discussions about... He's going to be in his mid-30s, so it's a massive summer to maintain his level and improve it and start next year rolling. I think he's going to be able to play at a high-level for a long time."

— It sounds like a Sidney Crosby contract extension is going to be a big order of business, with Dubas emphasizing that he thinks Crosby should finish his career in Pittsburgh. He just has no idea how many years that will be.

"The intention has always been clear. I think he should finish his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins. How long that is? I'm not going to put any limits on Sidney Crosby. He's capable of great things and is still performing at an extraordinarily high level."