Kyle Dubas Just Revealed His Bold Plan to Develop the Penguins' Future Stars
Photo credit: The Hockey News
Penguins GM Kyle Dubas revealed today his bold new plan to develop the team's future star players, and it may include sitting them out for some games.
It's been a whirlwind exposure to Pittsburgh life for rookies Ben Kindel and Harrison Brunicke, both in the midst of their nine-game NHL trials, and both have impressed through it.
After that 10th game, however, it's anybody's guess. Kindel has dressed for seven, Brunicke for six. The Penguins' long-term plan, though, indicates faith in each of them.
Dan Muse activated Kyle Dubas' new plan when he benched both rookies this season
First-year head coach Dan Muse invoked the team's "development plan" for the first time when Brunicke missed a game against Anaheim and Kindel missed a game against Los Angeles.
President of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas discussed that plan in more detail this week on 'The GM Show' with Josh Getzoff. He noted that the team tracks many of the milestones over the course of a season.
"We've got them on what we would call a "developmental performance block-style" program, where we don't just want them to survive at this level," Dubas said. "We have a duty to continue to develop them. They're 18 and 19. So, there's a massive physical part of it. There's an on-ice part. And when you're playing every single night, you can't drain the players in the gym and then developmental sessions on the ice, and then not have them be at their best for the game.
"It's not that we're scratching them and saying, 'just watch from up top,' though there's value in that."
"It's not that we're scratching them and saying, 'just watch from up top,' though there's value in that."
The first is at the 10-game point, if the players reach there, which means the first year of their entry-level contracts technically commences.
Dubas also cited other milestones that would have an effect on their trajectories, such as the World Junior Championship in December and the 40-game point, when the Penguins would miss out on a year of control over their contracts, nudging the players toward free agency.
"We're measuring all that, but both have helped the team win," Dubas said. "In both their cases, another part that's encouraging for us is when they haven't been at their best, or when they've come out and they've gone back in, they're played very well.
"So, we will just continue to push them in that regard and be mindful of the other guys that we're trying to work in and continue to roll."
"So, we will just continue to push them in that regard and be mindful of the other guys that we're trying to work in and continue to roll."
The organization also considers what is best for them, keeping them in Pittsburgh or sending them back to junior hockey to further polish.
Whatever the future holds, Kindel and Brunicke have ensured they're now part of the NHL discussion, and their growth is just in its infancy.
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