Dubas sets a deadline for when rebuild will begin in Pittsburgh
There was a sense of optimism last summer when Penguins ownership decided to hire former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas to a long-term deal with full autonomy.
Dubas went straight to work and crafted a significant trade where he'd landed Norris trophy winning defenceman Erik Karlsson and signed goalie Tristan Jarry to a five year 26.9 million contract to keep the window open for another run at a championship.
Over the past 32 games, the season has been nothing short of a disaster. After escaping a win during a shootout against the Montreal Canadiens no thanks to their captain Sidney Crosby it was quick to point out at the Penguins having the same number of wins and points as the rebuilding Canadiens.
Shortly after, Dubas sent some chilling comments that rose a few eyebrows to where his team may be heading in the very near future.
I have my expectations of the group now, and I have my responsibility in the long run when it comes to how we're going to dictate our course. I'm going to give the players and the coaching staff as much time as possible So I'm just by nature not going to make any decisions based on how we do this week or next week. When we get through the All-Star break, and on the other side of that, we'll have a better idea of what we are as a group and where we need to go. Do we need some help, or do we need to have a deeper discussion about where we're at as a club?
Prior to his hiring, the idea of a Pittsburgh rebuild was not out of the question as this aging core appeared to be running out of gas. The team has grossly mismanaged its assets and draft capital as many draft picks were traded to make another run.
They've also handcuffed themselves with their core group all holding no movement clauses which would require the team to ask the player if they would be willing to be moved. If the team continues to underperform so greatly, Dubas will be forced to consider trading their older core players, including Sidney Crosby.
Dubas only has $3.65 million in cap space to use at the trade deadline which is not enough to make a difference to plug the holes the Penguins face.
It's quite the situation to be in, and those deeper conversations he mentioned will be discussed after the Allstar break as the Pittsburgh Penguins are heading for a rebuild sooner rather than later.
| POLL | ||
Do you think Dubas will blow up or keep the Penguins together? | ||
| Blow Up - This group is too old and slow | 241 | 74.4 % |
| Keep - Just a few tweaks and they will win | 83 | 25.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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