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Kyle Dubas updates Sidney Crosby recovery as Pittsburgh Penguins weigh deadline moves
Photo credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Kyle Dubas told Josh Getzoff on the Penguins GM Show that Sidney Crosby's best "trade deadline addition" is his return.
The club is still guarding Evgeni Malkin's next step.
Crosby is on a two-year deal that starts this season, $8.7 million cap hit, so this is not about his contract at all, it's about oxygen for the lineup.
Dubas said Crosby is already deep into daily rehab, and the hope is the injury is past its peak and trending the right way.
The team context matters, Pittsburgh sits 31-16-13 and second in the Metro, so this is a contender problem, not a lottery problem.
Malkin is the harder file, he's in the final year of his contract at a $6.1 million cap hit, and he can hit UFA status this summer.
Dubas called it a private matter for Geno, and he framed it as respect, timing, and the player deciding how much longer he wants to do this.
On the ice, you can feel what Dubas is protecting, Malkin has been driving offense and mentoring the Russian-speaking wave that's stepped into the room.
Dubas also tipped his deadline preference, he wants a player in his 20s with team control, not just a pure rental for six weeks.
Kyle Dubas sets the Pittsburgh Penguins deadline tone
Pens fans are split right now, proud of the standings, but still nervous that one bad injury swing can waste a season.
Dubas basically admitted the bar is already high, he thinks the roster has improved all year, so the deadline is not a panic button.
That lines up with how Pittsburgh plays, speed through the neutral zone, quick support down low, and enough bite on the blue line to survive tight games.
If Crosby is truly tracking toward getting back on the ice soon, the "add" is a 1C who already knows every matchup trick in the book.
If he is not, then the deadline math changes fast, because you cannot replace that heartbeat with a depth winger.
Either way, Dubas just told everyone the plan, keep stacking points, and make sure any move helps now and later.
Also read on HockeyUnplugged :
Sidney Crosby practice skate signals Penguins lineup boost ahead of key March games
Sidney Crosby practice skate signals Penguins lineup boost ahead of key March games
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MARS 5|146 ANSWERS Kyle Dubas updates Sidney Crosby recovery as Pittsburgh Penguins weigh deadline moves Should Kyle Dubas avoid a pure rental at the trade deadline? | ||
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