When it comes to what Dubas liked, it starts with the new coaching staff, led by Dan Muse, a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s Coach of the Year.
“They came into the organization and made a tremendous impact. I think not only on each individual player, but on the organization as a whole,” Dubas said. “If you’re a free agent or you’re an agent looking at a place to put your player, and you want an example of somewhere to get the most out of players, I think it would be tough to argue with what Dan and the staff can do for individual players.”
The coaches deserve a lot of credit for the environment they fostered here, as does the organization as a whole, with the culture being another positive for Dubas.
“The whole group had great camaraderie. And it wasn't just that they had fun together. They had great camaraderie about doing their work. That's not just the players, that's the staff,” Dubas said. “It changes your life when you go into a place, and you thoroughly enjoy it. And every single person in the building has a huge impact on that.”
He also liked how the Penguins dealt with adversity throughout the year.
“I just think the group showed the ability to handle whatever came their way and find a way to come out of it more positively than we entered,” Dubas said.
In terms of what stayed mostly consistent throughout the year, Dubas mentioned the offensive results and the penalty kill.
In terms of what had good stretches and not-so-good stretches, Dubas put the goaltending in that category, saying that it stabilized at the end with Arturs Silovs playing lights out in Games 4-6 of the First Round against Philadelphia. He also included the power play, saying that they had players in and out of the lineup, and weren’t able to get it going down the stretch and in the playoffs.
In terms of what needs a lot of work, Pittsburgh’s defensive play has been and continues to be a big topic of conversation for Dubas and Muse, “both in terms of what we’re expected to give up and in terms of what we actually gave up. Really, it’s the area that we have to improve upon the most if we’re going to continue to make strides and push the team back into being a contender.”
Watching Montreal and Tampa compete in Game 7 of their First Round series, Dubas said he questioned whether the Penguins could compete in that environment defensively. Then ,he watched Game 1 of the Second Round series between Colorado and Minnesota, and questioned whether the Penguins could compete in that environment offensively.
Ultimately, Dubas looks at where Pittsburgh stands relative to the teams in their division.
“And I think we have a long way to go,” Dubas said. “I don’t kid myself with that, it’s a big task. We took steps this year, but we have a long way to go to return to being a contender.
“In the end, it’s on me to continue to make the moves, both with the development model for our younger players, to continue to take greater steps than they did this year, but also continue to make smart acquisitions and utilize our assets and our cap space in ways that best push the team back to being a contender.”
The Penguins are fortunate to have excellent veteran players that set the tone and the standard. They also have a youth movement, highlighted by 19-year-old Ben Kindel and players in their early to mid-20s who can help get the team to where it wants to go. And Dubas said they will have to keep amassing more young players, whether through development, the draft, or trades.
But the area Dubas feels they are really lacking in is that bridge across the middle, players in their later 20s, or mid-20s, that are true difference-makers.
“I think if you’re one of those players that’s a free agent or your situation in your spot is not going well and you have some control, you can look at us and see very clearly that you’re going to be supported by a great coaching staff that gets the most out of players,” Dubas said. “But you’ll also have young players that are going to push from behind and older players that are going to set the tone.”
The Penguins have plenty of cap space at their disposal, estimated to be north of $40 million. Dubas knows if they want to take big, sustainable steps next year, they have to use it – along with the assets they have accrued since he took over three years ago – to acquire one or more of those true difference-makers.
However, patience will be key, as he doesn’t want to burn the space long-term.
“I don’t want to look back in a year or two or three and say, 'Geez, now we're costing ourselves with these deals that we overpaid for in the summer of 2026 because we had it,’” Dubas said. “It may not be as big of a July as everyone wants, but it's planting the seeds to make things come to fruition in the long run."
There will also be patience regarding the growth and development of young players and prospects currently in the system.
“We don't have a mirage in our view, in the office, that next year all these young guys are going to magically all hit. They're prospects for a reason,” Dubas said. “Some of them are going to reach their potential. Some of them are going to go beyond their potential. But you don't know if some of them are. We've amassed a good quantity there. We have to see which ones can develop into true quality guys, and then we have to use that to just supplement, really, on the proven players, that we know what we're getting.”
It can be a struggle to find a proper ending to a story like this, but Dubas wrote one for us:
“In conclusion. Have we made progress? I’d say yes, we have. Are we where we want to be and aspire to be? No, not even close. And the work has continued since the minute that our season has ended and will continue through the summer. That’s what we’ll aim for, is to continue to deliver contending championship hockey back to Pittsburgh.”
