CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Kyle Dubas acknowledged in his pre-trade deadline press conference at the Lemieux Complex on Wednesday that his answers regarding the trade deadline and the team's strategy might leave people "not very satisfied."
It's not so much that Dubas wasn't forthcoming on that strategy. Rather, it's that he's still evaluating where things stand ahead of the March 8 trade deadline.
Back on Dec. 11 when Dubas held his last press conference, he said that he'd be using the All-Star break in early February as a sort of soft deadline for deciding which direction the team is heading this season. The All-Star break has come and went, and the picture hasn't gotten that much more clear.
The Penguins' position in the standings is right around where it was when Dubas set that "deadline" two months ago. They're eight points out of a playoff position with two games in hand behind the Red Wings for the second wild card, with the Devils, Islanders and Capitals all between them and the Red Wings. They've gone 2-4-1 in their seven games since coming out of the All-Star break.
Dubas acknowledged that if this team didn't have the "pedigree" that it has, he wouldn't give it the same latitude that he's giving this team to prove itself.
"I feel that this group, in respecting them and what they've accomplished in the past here and how proud they are, I think others may not agree, but I think that that's the right and fair thing to do," Dubas explained. "It's been outlined to them. They know what's at stake."
The issue that's at the "forefront" for Dubas over this next stretch is what to do with Jake Guentzel.
Guentzel, 29, is in the last year of his contract that carries a $6 million cap hit and has a 12-team no-trade clause. He's currently on long-term injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, and the time requirements for long-term injured reserve dictate that Guentzel is sidelined until March 10 at the earliest -- two days past the trade deadline. Injured players can and do get traded in the NHL, and a contending team could pursue Guentzel in a trade if they think he could help them once healthy. And if the Penguins don't see Guentzel in their long-term plans, they can and will listen to those offers. How the team performs over these next two and a half weeks will dictate the outcome of any potential talks.
"How our team continues to play will dictate the short-term answer (with Guentzel) at the trade deadline," said Dubas. "Then we'll continue to have those discussions leading up to that, and then afterwards with where it's at."
Dubas spoke of Guentzel's importance -- as a teammate, person, a member of the community, and his role in the Penguins' 2017 Stanley Cup. But at the same time, Dubas acknowledged that he needs to be realistic about the team's needs.
"One of the issues we have is that we need to get younger," Dubas said. "We have a lot of guys in their 30s signed, some of them are some of the best players in the history of the franchise. And it's tough with Jake, as I've said to him, because he's an excellent player and playing at an elite level. But we have to find a way to continue to have those solid veteran guys but also continue to get younger at the same time."
That mentality means that the team isn't heading for a full-on, bottom-out rebuild anytime soon. And as Dubas alluded to, they really can't. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson aren't going anywhere, and a team can't bottom-out with those players on the roster.
"I think when you have players like that, they prevent you from getting (to the bottom-five of the league)," Dubas said. "Because they're too good. And at the same time, I think that what they can pass onto the players that are come into the organization, in terms of the standards that we have here, the impact that being around Sid Geno, Letang and Karlsson each day can have on a young player, it's impossible to measure. And I think that's what we would set out to do."
That makes it hard to go into full-on "sell" mode, despite a report from TSN saying that's exactly what Dubas plans on doing. The report said that Dubas is listening to offers on any player but those four, and that's not exactly accurate. Dubas said that teams have been calling on a number of players as of late, and that as a general manager it's his job to at least pick up the phone. But there haven't been any hard discussions on which players are available, and which are untouchable.
Being "buyers" is still on the table, if the team shows Dubas "that we can really make a push and make a run at it."
"I still believe our group is capable," Dubas said. "I think there have been many times when we show that. There's also times when I understand why anyone would have that question (if it's time to "turn the page" toward the future). I think everyone in the room accepts that."
If Dubas ultimately decides that the Penguins will be buyers, he doesn't see himself moving out draft picks to accomplish that goal. But he isn't ruling out moving prospects to bring in younger but more NHL-ready players to bolster the group.
A trade that is more of a one-for-one deal involving active NHL players in order to "shake up" the roster is on the table, too. Dubas said that the Penguins have explored trades of that variety in the last several weeks, even leading up to the All-Star break, and they've found that there aren't many opportunities out there to do that. Another hang-up is that the Penguins have a lot of players with some form of trade protection -- six players have full no-trade or no-movement clauses, and another seven have limited no-trade clauses that offer them partial protection against a number of teams. Dubas said that so far, he hasn't asked anyone to waive a clause yet, but that you're "always having these conversations" on what to do as a general manager.
Regarding any potential moves, Dubas is keeping Mike Sullivan in the conversation. For a move like the waiver claim of Matthew Phillips last week, the hockey operations staff will compile video and research on the player, then show it to Sullivan before asking his opinion. And Dubas said that Sullivan will "largely say, 'If you think it's the right thing for the team, then let's do it.'" But Dubas added that it's not exactly Sullivan's "style" to outright ask Dubas to target a certain player or a certain element in a move.
Dubas said that he has a "deep respect" for the coaching staff. He meets with Sullivan every morning, and the two will speak multiple times a day. He called it "easy, low-hanging fruit" to target the coaching staff when things aren't going well, but said he "doesn't think that there needs to be any discussion about about Mike." He sees Sullivan as someone that can "help you win" as well as "develop people and develop players."
Dubas didn't specifically mention assistant coaches by name when speaking about the staff. But given that the power play full of star players is currently operating at 13.5% -- only 0.4% better than the league-worst Blackhawks -- it's fair to question the work of Todd Reirden, who manages the power play in addition to his role of coaching the defensemen. I asked Dubas if he's satisfied with the work Reirden has done in managing the power play, or if the lack of success falls on the shoulders of the players for lack of execution.
Dubas went with a third option, and took some of the blame himself.
"I think when you have an element of your organization that is underperforming, I think it falls on everybody," Dubas said. "It falls on me. The personnel, the accountability, I have my part in that. It's obviously not performed at near the level that any of us want it to. ... Regardless of who you want to attribute it to, I think it has to start with me. I have to investigate why and I'm the one that should be accountable for it. So I think everybody in that locker room is unhappy about where that is at. I don't want to delve into individual coaches or players and their play on the power play because in the end, I have to do everything I can to help them all get to that next level."
Toward the end of Dubas' 27-minute long press conference he was asked what his message would be to the fans who are frustrated about the direction the team is heading, and the possibility of missing the playoffs for a second consecutive season. He took that as an opportunity to thank the fans for their support despite the team's struggles this season, and reiterate his goal of bringing another Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh.
"My message to the fans would be that they're doing their part and that they just continue to do that," Dubas said. "That's a massive help to the players in the organization, especially with where we're at. Having gone through this weekend and been through eight or nine months here now, this is a very proud city, especially regarding its sports teams. Everything that we do will be with the intention of delivering a championship contender for the team without them having to go through years of pain to get there. That's my commitment to the group and to the fans."
Time will tell whether Dubas is able to take this team in a direction to make that happen.
