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Struggling Blueline Leaves Penguins Facing Painful Offseason Changes
Pittsburgh Penguins insider Josh Yohe believes Kyle Dubas will be making some major changes on the team's blueline this summer.
The Pittsburgh Penguins just wrapped up a miserable season.
The club missed the playoffs for the third straight year and with Sidney Crosby and the rest of the core getting older, time is running out to give them another chance at one last Stanley Cup.
The team did make improvements this year in many ways, but one area that did not improve was team defense.
As a result, the club is expected to make some major changes on the blueline this summer.
Penguins insider Josh Yohe revealed that no one inside the organization was happy with how the defense core played this season, and he specifically named Erik Karlsson as a player that could be on the move.
"I am not expecting the Penguins to make seismic changes between the pipes or at forward this summer. The blue line, however, could look drastically different. From management on down, no one was happy with how the Penguins' defensemen performed. Karlsson could certainly be traded this summer. The left side of the blue line was a disaster, and you can expect significant changes."
This lines up with reports that we have heard throughout the season.
In fact, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman recently confirmed that the Penguins will at least consider trading Karlsson this offseason.
Dubas certainly had some harsh words for Karlsson during his end-of-season media availability as he hinted that the blueliner did not give his best effort night in and night out.
Reading between the lines, this certainly sounds like a general manager that is feed up with the player, and that very well could mean that he will be hoping to move on from him sooner rather than later.
While Karlsson may be the biggest name moved this summer, he is just one part of the blueline that struggled immensely this season, so who know what other moves Dubas might have planned.
| POLL | ||
MAI 2 | 249 ANSWERS Struggling Blueline Leaves Penguins Facing Painful Offseason Changes Do you think Kyle Dubas will trade Erik Karlsson this offseason? | ||
| Yes | 176 | 70.7 % |
| No | 47 | 18.9 % |
| Unsure | 26 | 10.4 % |
| List of polls | ||