Penguins Gettin’ Gritty?

After experiencing interminable stretches of languid, lifeless hockey, are our Penguins at long last getting gritty? And, no, I’m not talking about acquiring the Flyers’ utterly goofy mascot.

To digress, I’ve commented a lot recently about our lack of compete and physicality. On the rare occasions when we do acquire a player who possesses some sand, their stay is generally all-too-brief.

Framed by trade deadlines, feisty forward Michael Bunting lasted a year. Towering defenseman Vincent Desharnais, admittedly no all-star, barely a month.

While neither figured into future plans, the team parted ways with aggressive forwards Corey Andonovski and Jagger Joshua. In the process, leaving the Baby Pens’ cadre of prospects unprotected in a league where fighting is still very prevalent.

But it goes deeper than that. Organizationally, the Pens’ plain vanilla personnel choices translate to a plain vanilla hockey club with plain vanilla results. (Gee, whoda thunk it?) A team that, as often as not, appears to go through the motions sans any discernable fire or spirit.

When was the last time you saw a hockey team built that way win a Stanley Cup?

On the contrary, the Panthers rode the relentless physical play of Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett to last season’s Cup. (Any surprise that they just acquired ex-Bruins spitfire Brad Marchand?) The spring before, it was the heavy ‘n’ huge Golden Knights, who vanquished our poor Pens on Friday night with ridiculous ease.

Talented as they were and are, the Lightning employed their share of body knockers, including recently acquired (and promptly disposed of) hard-rock Luke Schenn.

About all you’re going to win following the Pens’ Milquetoast approach to team-building is a shot at a lottery pick in the draft.

Okay for now, but not when we begin to rebuild in earnest. Rather, you need players who are ready, willing and able to lay it all on the line. Or get their fingernails dirty, if you prefer.

The good news?

I’m seeing some encouraging signs from the man who matters the most in that regard…POHO/GM Kyle Dubas.

When the Pens recalled heavyweight forward Boko Imama in late January, I just about had “the big one, Elizabeth,” in Fred G. Sanford parlance.

Never in my wildest imagination did I think a player of Boko’s ilk would touch the PPG Paints Arena ice, especially with Mike Sullivan behind the bench. Actually, Boko barely does, which tells me his promotion was most likely ordered by Dubas and not our coach.

Then there was the Desharnais acquisition, followed by Schenn’s. While neither move worked out as intended, at the very least it demonstrates an awareness on Dubas’s part that we need that type of player.

That, alone, is a huge step forward.

I touched on this in yesterday’s recap, but it bears repeating. The Pens didn’t turn the corner during the last downturn until they made drafting for compete level and physicality a priority. Enter the likes of Colby Armstrong, Tyler Kennedy, Ryan Malone, Brooks Orpik and Max Talbot.

Former GMs Craig Patrick and Ray Shero knew we needed to be harder to play against. They got it.

It’s beginning to look like Dubas does, too.

In a way, he’s already begun the process. Case in point, swapping out our skilled 2023 top pick, Brayden Yager, for the more physically mature Rutger McGroarty. One of last season’s second-round picks, Tanner Howe, is a buzz-saw cut from the Kennedy/Talbot cloth.

In the same vein, I was very encouraged to learn the young forwards we acquired from the Devils in the Cody Glass deal, Chase Stillman and Max Graham, play a physical, high-compete style.

Here’s what Dubas had to say about them.

On Stillman: “A highly competitive winger that you know what you’re going to get from every night. He’s going to play hard, play physical. He’s got an offensive history that just hasn’t come to the surface yet at the American League level. But we’ll look forward to working with him… He’ll play for Wilkes and hopefully be a big part of helping them.”

On Graham: “Big, physical winger who this year got off to a great start, playing his best hockey. He had an injury that ended his season. We viewed it as an opportunity, when we were going through this situation with (New Jersey) when they had expressed interest in Cody Glass.

“ … Being able to add a player like Max where we felt maybe because of the injury he could be available, and we liked him — we don’t have a lot of players like that in the system that combine that size, toughness and ability.”

Truly, music to my ears.

Whether or not these kids pan out and become contributors at the big-league level remains to be seen. But again, it shows an awareness on Dubas’s part that you need these types of players to succeed.

And, just as important if not more, an intent to acquire them.