NHL insider drops crucial update on Kyle Dubas' Penguins trade deadline strategy
Photo credit: NHL.com
NHL insider Josh Yohe revealed that because the Penguins continue to win, Kyle Dubas will need to find a delicate balance between buying and selling at the deadline.
NHL insider Josh Yohe has repeatedly noted just how impressed the Penguins organization has been with head coach Dan Muse, and that feeling hasn't changed.
But it's also clear that confidence in Kyle Dubas has grown immensely since he arrived. When he was first hired, some within the hockey world still viewed him through the polarizing lens of his Toronto tenure. Now, that skepticism has faded.
Across the board, from the front office to the dressing room, there's a growing belief that Dubas is steering the Penguins in the right direction.
Trade rumors on some of the Penguins veterans have cooled due to the team's hot start to the season
Players like Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust, and Rickard Rakell were technically available early in the year if a big offer came along. But with the Penguins now playing their best hockey of the season, that outlook has flipped.
So long as the team remains in the playoff mix, it's unlikely Dubas parts with any core pieces. He won't jeopardize Sidney Crosby's shot at another postseason.
"As long as the Penguins keep playing like they have been, I don't see any of those players being traded. As long as they're in the running for a playoff spot, I'd be surprised if Dubas unloaded any of them. I don't think that was necessarily the plan entering the season, but plans can change. I don't think Dubas would spoil an opportunity for Crosby to participate in the postseason again."
- Josh Yohe
- Josh Yohe
That doesn't mean Dubas goes on a buying spree, either. His long-term focus is building a sustainable contender, not chasing a one-year miracle. Still, he won't take away from what this group is doing now. The balance is delicate, but intentional.
And make no mistake: Dubas was never "tanking." His moves this offseason, adding Parker Wotherspoon, Anthony Mantha, and Justin Brazeau, were made to make the Penguins better right away. His approach has been about urgency, not patience.
Inside the organization, people are starting to believe he meant it, and that belief might be the Penguins' biggest win of all.
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