Penguins’ Kyle Dubas is doing things his way — patience required

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — With all due respect to Blake Lizotte and Matt Grzelcyk, there was a bit of a somber atmosphere at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex on Monday.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, after many years atop the NHL mountain top — and many other years in which they tried with all of their might to get there — are finally, after 18 years of aggressively seeking championships, a team in transition. You can read it in Kyle Dubas’ words, you can hear it in his tone.

When Dubas was asked to provide his vision for the Penguins’ on-ice product moving forward, the Penguins president/general manager was pretty direct. He wants to win. But he doesn’t just want a team that squeaks into the postseason and catches lightning in a bottle. Rather, Dubas wants to build a machine, a team that has the potential to be great every season.

That doesn’t necessarily require a five-year rebuilding plan, but it doesn’t figure to happen overnight, either.

“It’s not a strip it down to the studs situation here,” Dubas said. “It’s trying to use every method we can to acquire future assets.”

Dubas sees the wildly expensive deals being signed around the league, and he knows that strategy isn’t appropriate for this team. He’s right.

And he’s being very transparent about it.

“What we’re not going to do is get into the free-agent quick fixes like some of the longer-range things we’ve seen today,” he calmly explained.

Dubas is almost apologetic when he talks about it. He realizes there’s a generation of Penguins fans that has known only winning, and being a buyer at the NHL trade deadline, and being an annual Cup contender.

But he knows this is the only way.

Dubas says he doesn’t know how long it will take. Maybe a year, maybe two. Maybe more.

The time came for the Penguins to change their ways. For a time, it will make Dubas unpopular in some circles. That doesn’t mean he’s wrong.

Ten Observations 

• This is going to take some getting used to.

It’s not that the Penguins are going into rebuild mode. They aren’t, at least not in the conventional sense. I’d consider it a mini-rebuild. Don’t look for the Penguins to acquire help at the trade deadline this season. They’ll spend to the salary cap. Dubas confirmed as much today. But their days of casually giving up picks and prospects like they were dollar bills are long gone.

Think about what we’ve seen from Penguins general managers in the Sidney Crosby era. Ray Shero isn’t remembered enough for the gunslinger he was. Jim Rutherford made 50 trades in his first 50 months as Penguins GM. Really. Even Ron Hextall was a bit more aggressive than he’s given credit for.

Dubas, two months into the job, had already acquired Erik Karlsson, Reilly Smith, Lars Eller, Ryan Graves, Noel Acciari and others. It was as though he was doing his best Rutherford impersonation. He attempted to give the mighty Penguins of yesteryear one final chance to make a championship run. Dubas wasn’t perfect, but ultimately his team failed him. The Penguins couldn’t do it anymore.

Thus, the change. It’s the only way at this point. The Penguins will not compete for a championship until a new wave of players comes along.

• Don’t worry about Sidney Crosby’s contract. There’s no reason to believe it won’t get done.

Is he displeased with the team’s direction? Maybe. I haven’t talked with him in a few weeks and I don’t know what his feel is for this team. Crosby always thinks the Penguins can win and always chooses optimism. So, I imagine he’d like Dubas to be more aggressive. But I also think he’ll sign a deal this summer and I think he’ll convince himself, rightly or not, that this team can win when October arrives.

• Good riddance to Reilly Smith.

Smith made it clear from the very beginning he never wanted to be in Pittsburgh. He was never going to run through a wall for the Penguins.

He’s a wildly popular guy in Vegas, an original misfit. That can’t be denied. In Pittsburgh, he never fit in, on the ice or off.

Dubas did an excellent job to secure a fifth-round pick next year and a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. That’s a good piece of business.

• The Penguins would still love to find a left wing for Crosby, but, given that they don’t have a ton of cap space remaining, it won’t be a sexy name.

In fact, it might be Drew O’Connor.

The Penguins had better hope the guy who showed up in March and April last season was the real O’Connor. He was impressive.

• I love the signing of Blake Lizotte. Really good, under-the-radar player.

He has 37 career goals in 320 games and projects as an above-average fourth-line center. He’s undersized but possesses a fair amount of skill. Lizotte is also only 26. He will earn $1.85 million over each of the next two seasons and I think he’ll make the Penguins’ bottom-six better.

• I don’t recall seeing a roster that showcased more quality fourth-line centers than the Penguins’ current lineup.

Lizotte, Eller, Acciari and Kevin Hayes all project as solid fourth-line centers on a good team.

Dubas already stated that Acciari figures to move to right wing. Someone else will need to move to wing, too, unless another trade is coming.

• Dubas and coach Mike Sullivan are always quick to bring up Sam Poulin’s name when discussing players who could make a dent in the lineup next season. He’s a center, and most certainly not one in the top six.

Where on earth does he fit in this lineup? I just don’t see it.

• Anthony Beauvillier signed a one-year deal worth $1.25 million. The Penguins are extremely familiar with him. He always played well against them when he was a member of the Islanders.

Since leaving New York, his stock has dropped pretty dramatically. If the Penguins are getting the guy who played with the Islanders, this will be a bargain. If they’re not, it’s not like they spent much to get him.

• Grzelcyk figures to replace P.O Joseph in the lineup. He received a one-year deal worth $2.75 million. Many fans grumbled at this move, and, make no mistake, he wasn’t very good in Boston last season.

But again, like so many other contracts Dubas signed on Monday, there isn’t much risk here. The Penguins probably aren’t going to be a playoff team next year. Regardless, Grzelcyk probably won’t make or break them.

While Joseph certainly played better down the stretch last season, he has been a disappointment with the Penguins.

• What does it all mean?

Dubas is planning for the future. I’ve seen a lot of people suggest that Crosby should be outraged by Dubas’ preference for future assets and that the GM should be doing everything in his power to help Crosby win the Cup one last time.

Here’s the thing: That’s what Dubas is doing. This team isn’t close to being a contender, and no spending in free agency is going to change that.

Dubas wants to create a wave of talent to arrive in Pittsburgh within the next two or three years, in time for Crosby to lead the way and make a final run or two before he walks away from the game. That’s absolutely the proper approach.

It will require some patience from a fan base that has never been asked to show it. That doesn’t mean it’s the wrong decision.

The Penguins won’t be terrible this season, but they probably won’t be a playoff team. Along the way, though, they’re likely to take baby steps toward being a championship contender once again, even if it isn’t clear to the naked eye.

This organization has always judged itself on championships and nothing else. In that way, Dubas is making the right call.

(Photo: Joe Hrycych / NHLI via Getty Images)