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Penguins Offseason Predictions: Will Dubas Make a Splash?

By Ryan Hofmeister

MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JULY 08: General manager Kyle Dubas of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks on from the draft floor prior to Round Two of the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bell Centre on July 08, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JULY 08: General manager Kyle Dubas of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks on from the draft floor prior to Round Two of the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bell Centre on July 08, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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With the 2022-23 NHL season ending on Tuesday with the Vegas Golden Knights hoisting the cup we now can focus on the offseason. For the Penguins – the past season did not go as planned. For the first time in well over a decade the Pittsburgh Penguins failed to make the postseason.

The Hextall era is over. Between the questionable acquisitions, the decision to depart from young talent, hopeless extensions, and lack of attention to the goaltending fiasco, it’s safe to say change needed to be made in front office. Enter Kyle Dubas, negotiations seemed to move fairly quickly. Once he met with Sid, we all knew he was coming aboard. I believe this is a good change for both parties. The Penguins needed new faces in the front office and Kyle Dubas needed to get out of Toronto.

A roster full of unknowns. Other than Malkin, Crosby, Letang, and probably Rust and Guentzel it’s hard for me to make a fair prediction about what happens next. I’d love to keep Jason Zucker around. The veteran winger has become beloved in Pittsburgh after a rocky start in the steel city. Plagued with injuries and scoring droughts he finally became a solid producer on the second line alongside Evgeni Malkin. However, he will be a UFA and I think the Penguins should do what they can (within reason) to keep him around.

Honestly it’s hard for me to make a case around the other UFA’s. Danton Heinen, Josh Archibald, Nick Bonino, Brian Dumoulin, Dmitry Kulikov, and Tristan Jarry are all UFA’s entering the offseason. Nick Bonino and the city shared a lot of great moments throughout his previous tenure in Pittsburgh, but signing the veteran at the deadline didn’t really make a lot of sense and I will go ahead and chalk that up to a Hextall blunder.

Josh Archibald at times is a great role player in the bottom six and his price tag won’t be too high, so maybe he will be resigned, but I doubt it. Brian Dumoulin, a mainstay on the Penguins’ top defensive pairing, had a perplexing season. While he put up a career-high in points, there were times when he appeared to be struggling. Do we replace Dumoulin? Maybe so, there are a few free agents that I feel could fit. It just depends where Dubas wants to allocate the Penguins capital. If Brian Dumoulin leaves in free agency, I believe that Marcus Pettersson will be promoted to the top defensive pairing. The Penguins could then look to sign a cost-effective defenseman to fill the third pairing as PO Joseph will be bumped up.

So what’s next? For starters, the Penguins will have more than enough cap space to make a splash this offseason. Currently, the Penguins are top 10 in projected cap space entering the 2023-24 season.

One of the biggest question marks this offseason is the goaltending. Too many times last season we were underwhelmed by the performances in the crease. Like most Pens fans, I wish we could somehow reverse time and protect Fleury from the expansion, but this is what we are left with. A goaltending issue that has not been resolved since Fleury passed the torch to Matt Murray after a succesful cup winning season. So what do we do now?

I’m really intrigued with the goaltenders in Carolina. With Carolina locking down prospect Pyotr Kochetkov it’s safe to assume Freddie Anderson or Antti Raanta will depart. Or maybe even both will depart. Both goaltenders had a strong regular season and maybe it’s because of Carolina’s defensive abilities, but Freddie Anderson would make a great addition to the Penguins. Another great option would be Connor Hellebuyck. He more than likely will not return to Winnipeg and could be a great piece for the Pens moving forward. It would be nice for the first time in a while to lock down the goaltender position.

The bottom six needs to be shaken up. One of Hextall’s biggest blunders was acquiring Mikael Granlund at the deadline especially considering the assets that were dealt and the pricetag. Granlund at times has proven to be a contributor, but we didn’t see that at all in the last part of the season. I’d expect a buyout from the Penguins.

Now this is where I think Dubas can make a splash. I don’t foresee Carter playing on the third line next season. If he is used, it should primarily be on the fourth line or to fill in for injuries on the wings. The Penguins need someone to step in. I believe this will be high on the priority list for Dubas.

This offseason is critical for the Penguins and I believe Kyle Dubas is the man for the job. With the cap space and more front office positions to be added, Kyle Dubas has the opportunity to lead the Penguins back into playoff contention and ultimately contend for a Stanley Cup. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dubas acts early and makes a splash. Pittsburgh should be excited for what is to come.

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