Penguins Update: Finishing School Still in Session

I was reading comments made by Penguins POHO/GM Kyle Dubas during a press conference Thursday morning. One of his main thrusts? Youth will be served. In the event of a tie between a kid and a seasoned vet, the youngster will get the nod.

“We’ll deal with whatever the ripple effects of those are on some of the more veteran guys,” Dubas said. “The message to the veteran guys is that the young guys are coming. They’re going to get opportunity. They’re gonna have to earn everything, but it’s been very clear to them what the expectation is and it’s up to them to hold onto their jobs and hold on to their spots with the Penguins and in the NHL.”

This is absolutely as it should be, especially for “bubble” kids like Tristan Broz and Avery Hayes, whose path to the bigs previously appeared to be blocked.

Lord knows, I may be reading into things. But there was something in Dubas’s tone that didn’t quite sit right. It was almost as if he were pointing a finger at said veterans, perhaps even going as far as to subtly scapegoat them for the team’s recent poor results. In effect, absolving himself of onus or blame.

Refresh my memory. Who was it who imported guys like Noel Acciari, Ryan Graves, Kevin Hayes, Danton Heinen and Matt Nieto in the first place, not to mention recent additions Connor Clifton and Matt Dumba?

Jim Rutherford?

Nope.

Much-maligned Ron Hextall?

Uh uh.

It was the bespectacled (at least until recently) guy in the black, horn-rimmed glasses who created the logjam in the first place.

You get my drift.

To digress, rebuilding a hockey team isn’t an exact science, nor is it a linear process. There were more holes to patch when Dubas first arrived, and there’s bound to be some collision at some point between the old and new. To be fair, I think he’s done a terrific job of restocking a virtually bankrupt prospect pool in relatively short order.

Whether all or some develop into contributors at the big-league level remains to be seen. But he’s in there pitchin’ and that’s all you can ask.

However, on the flip side, Dubas’s work at the big-league level leaves much to be desired. So many of his additions have been flops or disappointments. Other Rick thinks he’s too fixated on signing reclamation prospects from other organizations such as Tommy Novak, Philip Tomasino and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard.

I get it to an extent. Hit on one, it’s like found money. (Makes him look like a genius, too.)

Unfortunately, players of that ilk all too often turn out to be lumps of coal rather than the sought after diamonds in the rough.

My colleague wonders if we might be better served to sign an impactful free-agent or two rather than tossing darts at a dart board to see if any of these lesser guys stick. However, for our POHO/GM, it may be a case of once-bitten, twice-shy when it comes to free agency.

It remains to be seen if Dubas, presently in year three of a six-year deal, can ultimately restore the Pens to glory. Despite his glowing reputation, he was never quite able to put the finishing touches on an uber-talented Maple Leafs team.

Just like players, perhaps executives develop in stages while learning from their mistakes along the way. At least for now, we need to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Finishing school is still in session.