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Two Possible Regrets on the Penguins Roster Revealed by Analyst
Photo credit: Pittsburgh Penguins blog
A Penguins analyst has listed a pair of players that the team picked up that in hindsight likely has GM Kyle Dubas wishing he hadn't done so.
Further changes are in store for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who missed the the postseason for the 3rd year in a row.
General manager Kyle Dubas has already responded by removing Mike Sullivan as head coach after nearly 10 years on the job, and is currently conducting the search for Pittsburgh's new bench boss.
In the meantime, there will be additional decisions made on the roster that will hit the ice in the fall. What are some moves that Dubas is likely looking back on with regret?
Per Tyler Miller of Pens Labyrinth, the Penguins would have been better off had they not acquired both Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Matt Nieto.
Joseph is not very big and not very strong for playing as a defenseman and he constantly got hit and knocked down and a lot of the speedy forwards on other teams would go right around him.
The move to reacquire him for literally nothing seemed fine at the time, but Dubas having to watch Joseph's second stint on the team, was not fun and very regrettable.
The move to reacquire him for literally nothing seemed fine at the time, but Dubas having to watch Joseph's second stint on the team, was not fun and very regrettable.
As far as Nieto goes, Miller writes that his poor skating would often lead to game-tying goals from the opposition in late-game situations.
He was not a good skater and for whatever reason when Mike Sullivan was still around, Sullivan loved Nieto and loved playing him in big moments trying to protect leads late in the game.
That strategy usually never worked out as his line would allow a lot of offensive zone time and allow tying goals all the time. This was another player that Dubas had a tough time watching and another move he regretted making even if he did not make a ton of money at the NHL level.
That strategy usually never worked out as his line would allow a lot of offensive zone time and allow tying goals all the time. This was another player that Dubas had a tough time watching and another move he regretted making even if he did not make a ton of money at the NHL level.
Nieto was signed by the Penguins to a 2-year deal in 2023, while Joseph was re-acquired by the Penguins, with whom he spent the first 5 years of his career, in December from the St. Louis Blues.
Joseph had an assist for Pittsburgh in 24 games, while Nieto had a single goal in 32 games.
| POLL | ||
MAI 24 | 86 ANSWERS Two Possible Regrets on the Penguins Roster Revealed by Analyst Which player do you wish the Penguins did not acquire? | ||
| P.O. Joseph | 32 | 37.2 % |
| Matt Nieto | 54 | 62.8 % |
| List of polls | ||