While the Penguins finished short of making the playoffs by a wider margin than they did in the previous two seasons, Kyle Dubas feels better now than he did previously.
“Maybe we had less points than we had last year, but I feel like we're slightly better positioned as we move ahead because of the younger players here,” Pittsburgh’s President of Hockey Operations and GM said during his season-ending media availability on Monday (April 21).
“We have our own younger players that have come up, performed well, and I'm more optimistic going into next year than I was organizationally. The results are going to be what they're going to be, but I feel we're closer to where we want to get back to now than last year.”
As for that destination, it’s back to legitimate contention.
“It’s not trying to find a way just to sneak into the playoffs. It’s trying to find a way to arrive back there and then remain back there,” Dubas said. “We continue to (be) committed to our plan and program to return there as urgently as possible.
“When I say as urgently as possible, I try not to put a timeline on it because I don’t want to be a perpetual and evergreen conference when we come in and say ‘Ah, we’re a year or two or so away.’ We’re pushing. That’s what the organization is used to and what the fans want. We just have to stick to a very concise plan and execute our butts off. That’s for sure.”
The main focus of that plan, as Dubas reiterated, is:
- Continuing to acquire assets, like the accumulated draft capital, that can help the Penguins
- Continuing to acquire prospects like Ville Koivunen, who came to Pittsburgh at last year’s deadline as part of the Jake Guentzel trade; and Rutger McGroarty, acquired in the summer from Winnipeg in exchange for another first-round pick, Brayden Yager
- Then, using those in combination if there are young players that become available who are going to be in their key performing and prime years when the team is back in contention. “Can they help us get there; then can they perform at that level all the way through? Not looking to acquire players in their early 30s and sign long-term and have those on our books,” Dubas said.
Dubas has been asked several times about learning from Washington. He noted, “We have to haul ass and catch them because they're way ahead right now, as the standings show. But they weren't two years ago.”
He went into some detail about where the Penguins and Capitals are alike, and where they are different. They both have high-end talent the franchises built around. But Dubas said the Penguins are lacking in the middle range, using players like Martin Fehervary and Connor McMichael as examples.
“We're trying to rapidly get to that point. The two guys that came up and showed the most promise at the end were guys that one wasn't here 10 months ago, the other wasn't here 15 months ago. So, we're trying to use our assets to get us there and push us there,” Dubas said. “That's where we lack. So, I think that's what we can learn.
“The other part is they went into the mass acquiring assets mode, and they used the assets to add players that they thought complemented. They had to do one thing, we have to do two, which is fill that lack of the young 22, 23, 24, 25-year-old NHL player and also continue to build out or assets to use them to acquire and trade.”
That’s more of a 10,000-foot view. Zooming into the potential of the team itself – which means competition during training camp in the fall – Dubas outlined where each position currently stands.
Goaltending
Dubas feels they have good organizational depth between the pipes, and the competition should be robust.
The message given to Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic is that “they’re going to be competing for their spots in camp,” said Dubas, who noted that the overall performance flat-out has to be better.
“We also conceded a lot defensively in terms of what was expected to be given up. But we also allowed more than expected, so that's a really poor combination. Both need to be rectified,” he said.
But Dubas was proud of how Jarry and Nedeljkovic handled the end of the year. He wants them to try and carry that over, knowing it will be a challenge facing the pressure of two young guys who are pushing. Joel Blomqvist and Sergei Murashov have had excellent seasons to date in the minors.
“They are still in competition. Sergei is leading Wheeling in the playoffs and Joel will start with (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) on Wednesday against Lehigh Valley,” Dubas said. “Those are two massive developmental opportunities for the two of them, and they’re very important development opportunities for us to continue to watch.”
Filip Larsson and Taylor Gauthier are in the mix as well.
Defense
Dubas said the blue line is a major area of focus throughout the organization. When asked, he specifically mentioned the left side, which has been a problem. Especially after moving Marcus Pettersson to Vancouver.
The Penguins currently have Ryan Graves, Ryan Shea and Vladislav Kolyachonok on the roster, who have all gotten some level of opportunity to establish themselves. Dubas wants them to keep taking steps. “That said, you can't just wish that all of them are going to improve and all move up into 1-2-3, the left side of the defense,” Dubas said. “So, that's an area I think, externally, that we have to (improve). So, we’ll be on the lookout for that as we go through here.”
Younger players and prospects-wise, the Penguins need to improve their overall pool.
“We’ve got a few guys that have good potential, some of whom have been up here and played, like Owen Pickering and Jack St. Ivany,” Dubas said. “But the other parts of those of groups, some of them are filtering into Wheeling now – Finn Harding and Chase Pietila – but the others are a ways away.”
Forward
Dubas believes the Penguins are in a decent spot up top.
“As you’ve all seen, some of the guys came up here at the end of the year and I thought performed well,” he said. “They have a long way to go. We’ll continue to push them there. And we need to continue to add to that on the higher end through drafting and different trade opportunities that come up.”
Dubas does want to make the supporting cast around Evgeni Malkin more consistent, which they attempted to address with Tommy Novak, who was injured shortly after being acquired from Nashville and missed the rest of the season. But otherwise, having a captain and leader like Sidney Crosby is as good as it gets.
Dubas was also asked to address specific individuals. Here’s what he had to say.
Mike Sullivan
Do you anticipate making any changes to the coaching staff, and does public sentiment play any sort of a role in decisions like that?: "Public sentiment, no. I think you have to do everything that's always best for the Pittsburgh Penguins and some of those decisions – and we've made some of them in the previous couple of years – I don't think the public would have fully supported Jake Guentzel moving on, or Marcus Pettersson. But we have to do what we think is best. I think what the public wants is they want the team to contend to win championships and that's what the expectation is here. When it comes to the whole staff at large, I go through the same process at the end of every season. I'm in the midst of it right now where I meet with the heads of every department. I meet with Sully tomorrow and from there I'll form my opinion on how to proceed with every department, that's not just coaching. It's coaching, performance, medical and others. But that's the method that I go through, and if we have any changes, we'll have them for everybody.”
Will Sullivan be back next year? "I haven't had any postseason meetings yet with Sully, just with the way the season ended (and) with it being a holiday. So, I'll meet with Sully tomorrow. Sully is under contract. I think he was very clear with his intentions last week and what he's expressed in our conversations. So, I'll meet with Mike tomorrow and sort through everything. I think with a coach like Sully, he's an elite-level coach as he's shown through his time here and as well as for Team USA. There's always the point that very few coaches who are in that realm often want to see a team through this, but he's been very open about this is what he wants to do. So, we'll just continue to reaffirm that and as long as he's on that side of it, then we’ll roll with that."
Erik Karlsson
“I think in all of the exit meetings, everybody says how much they enjoy it here. I think that's a testament to the community and the people around the organization that makes it a great place to be. The players are treated exceptionally well. I start to, when I hear, this team has missed the playoffs three years in a row, and so I start to get this inner anxiety and fear when you aren't performing at a high level and people still say that, you're at the risk of complacency and stagnation setting in. That's not to say that we need to stop doing things that way on the outside. I think it's just we just have to get back to increasing our level of expectation to get players to feel that, if that makes sense. Erik, I think is, and will forever be, a polarizing figure. I don't know his exact comments that he made. My view would be that we expect him to be one of the people that pulls us from where we're at and into contention. And so, I would, I had a long meeting with Erik on Friday. My push to him would be that his actions have to match his ambitions. That's in consistency, preparation, training like every other player on the team. I think he's shown throughout the year that he has another level to him, at times playing for us, certainly playing for Sweden in the 4 Nations Face-Off. He was a player that you would watch and say, 'This guy can help any team, not only contend but probably win.' It's emblematic of the rest of the group as well. There were moments of great play with too many inconsistent. We have to push him to get there. That's the expectation that's dictated by his talent level and the impact he can make. It's a joint venture. So, yes, some of it is on the team. Part of it is on Erik. We have to find our way through."
Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust
“I go back to the thing about how everybody wants to stay. My view of it is that both on and off the ice they are [valuable]. As good of seasons as they had production-wise – they were at their best – but in terms of what they contributed defensively, they were both excellent for us the whole year. Their competitiveness. Especially in Rusty’s case. He’s been here his whole career. His daily commitment to be an elite Pittsburgh Penguin and setting the example. He also bridges the gap. One of the things we see here with the young guys, there is such a reverence for Sid, who’s earned that reverence. So Rusty, he sets the example that guys will always look to. And if you start to lose too many of those players, then you can get yourself into a bit of a quandary fast. Both have set great examples. Both of them are excellent players and people and members of the community. All of that said, we value both of them very highly. But if there are moves that are going to make our team significantly better in the short and long run, we’ll look at anything with anyone. That’s just where we’re at.”
Matt Grzelcyk
“He’s a UFA that did have a very good year for us, stepped into a very difficult role running the first power play over Erik and over Kris, which is a lot of pressure. Did a very good job, produced well. So, I know what his intentions are. He’s an awesome, zero maintenance person for us. Just comes, works, does his job, quietly and effectively. I think the goal of the year for him – I don't know how much he got into it with you all in the room – but he wanted to use this to get everything back on track with his (play, which) fell off last year in Boston. We thought we had an opportunity to give him, and I think it was a situation in free agency that really worked out on a one-term, one-year deal for him to jump into the mix. So, we'll have conversations with him, and we'll look and see what's available and how it fits our overall needs, and determine whether we can offer him that same opportunity again.
Up-and-coming prospects
"When it comes to other younger guys, I think it's hard to predict what guys will break camp. But I think the guys we expect to make a push are obviously, Jack St. Ivany finished the year how he started this year. He had an ill-timed injury at the end when he probably could have come up. We would expect Jack to push for sure. Owen Pickering, he's got to have a real strong playoff here for Wilkes-Barre and he's got to have a great summer. We can't have him same as we had him go down, settling into a 12-13 minute a night role. He needs to come in and push his way into 17-18-19-20 minutes and earn that. And then Harrison Brunicke's down there again playing very well. That's on the back end. It'll be wide open for the guys, otherwise we probably build up the depth and address the position in general. Up front, I think mostly everybody, because of the injury situation we had, everybody that had a chance will be the same people again in camp. But I would add Tristan Broz to that, as well. He had a really strong start to the year but had a really tough case of mono. We could have probably brought him up last week but we just didn't think that those types of games should be his first recalls into the NHL, notably the game on Thursday night, playing a team that's dressing 14 forwards and four (defensemen) — best to have him stay down in Wilkes and come up next year where we can guarantee him a legitimate opportunity.”
Watch Dubas' full media availability here:
