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Kyle Dubas issues first statement since trade, reveals challenge for new Penguins debuts
Photo credit: Edit from The Hockey News
Penguins GM Kyle Dubas spoke to the media for the first time since this morning's trade to give his thoughts and reveal when the new players will debut.
The Pittsburgh Penguins made a big trade with the Edmonton Oilers on Friday, December 12.
The Penguins acquired goaltender Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak, and Edmonton's 2029 second-round pick in return for Tristan Jarry and Sam Poulin.
Jarry, who was drafted by the Penguins in round two during the 2013 draft, played more than 300 games for Pittsburgh and became an integral part of their goaltending duo.
What Stuart Skinner has been doing lately after a slow start to the season
Skinner, who was drafted by the 2017 edition of the Oilers, had a tough start to the season but seems to have redeemed himself lately.
By acquiring Skinner, the Penguins have immediately given themselves time to continue developing their two young stars among goalies Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov and prospect goalie Joel Blomqvist, who is also developing at Wilkes-Barre.
There's playoff experience coming with Skinner, with his 98 postseason games, as he was with Edmonton during back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Finals. His stability and pressure performances were big selling points, as Dubas described.
The plan is for Skinner and Silovs to fight it out for a spot in the goalie position with Pittsburgh, as Murashov and Blomqvist continue to develop with Wilkes-Barre.
"We're trying to mitigate the loss in that we do have two very talented young goaltenders coming; we have a talented young goalie here in Arty; and we're improving our team and adding assets that we could use now or in the future."
- Kyle Dubas
- Kyle Dubas
Why Stuart Skinner and Brett Kulak may not be guaranteed to play in Saturday's game
Dubas also added that the status of Skinner and Kulak for Saturday's 3 PM contest against San Jose will be determined based on immigration proceedings, as those could be challenging at times.
"I've lived it. You don't know how long it can take. We're working it out to try to get both players in here today, but we'll see how it goes."
- Kyle Dubas
- Kyle Dubas
Overall, the Penguins acquire immediate talent, secure value for years to come, address core position depth, and preserve a premier competition for goalie spots.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 12 | 385 ANSWERS Kyle Dubas issues first statement since trade, reveals challenge for new Penguins debuts Are you excited to watch Stuart Skinner and Brett Kulak make their Penguins debuts? | ||
| Yes | 264 | 68.6 % |
| No | 121 | 31.4 % |
| List of polls | ||