When Kyle Dubas was hired as General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, his mission was to give stars like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang another shot at hoisting the cup in a Penguins uniform. While not all hope has been lost on that front, the progress made so far has been concerning.
In the two seasons since Dubas' take over of the Penguins, the team has failed to qualify for the playoffs, despite adding Norris Trophy winning defenseman Erik Karlsson to their blue line. Now, heading into what could be a make or break season, Dubas needs to take action.
Kyle Dubas' Lack of Clear Direction Has Analysts Scratching Their Heads
While franchise cornerstone Sidney Crosby may be locked up for the next two seasons, his career-long partner Evgeni Malkin is entering the final year of his current deal. If the Penguins are unable to make the playoffs, it's unlikely Malkin would consider re-signging with the franchise to close out his career.
An analysis from the sports outlet Fansided dug into this issue, suggesting that considering the minimal help Dubas has brought in to help insulate his superstars over the past two seasons, he may be better off taking a hard stance towards rebuilding.
Fans have recently started to being up concerns that the team's prospect pool is lacking significantly in all areas. While Pittsburg's stars could still net them big returns, the window to act on that opportunity is dwindling.