Since Kyle Dubas took over as the general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, he has routinely spoken about getting better for the long-term. Normally that means having some struggles in the immediate future for the team to draft some young talent and mold them into future stars. Since then, Dubas has seen a surge from his aging roster, and that has made him buy into the here and now.
Without young impactful stars on the team, or more importantly in the prospect pool, this roster is a conundrum. The organization still wants to compete with Sidney Crosby and company, but Dubas has clearly steered away from the aspect of getting younger pieces in the mix. They have better prospects now compared to when he took over, but they are missing some star power there.
You could argue that they might have some budding stars already on the roster who are under 30 years old, but Dubas' free agent signings remain puzzling. Both the fit with the team, and their age have gone against everything he has preached about getting younger. The Penguins want to get in a spot where there is a transition from Crosby to a new younger generation, but that plan is failing.
Pittsburgh Penguins roster additions have only complicated the roster for this upcoming season
After an eventful offseason, the Pittsburgh Penguins added several pieces both as free agents and on the trade front. The issue is that they continue to pile up their lineup both with their forwards and defensemen. With all of those offseason acquisitions in the fold, it seems like few of their younger pieces will have a shot at a roster spot.
There are too many names trying to win a shortened list of job openings.
When you review the forward group, the Penguins have one roster spot that is truly up for grabs, and that's as a fourth liner. At that point guys like Rutger McGroarty and Bill Zonnon would be better off getting more ice time in the AHL. Unless Dubas gets creative by moving some pieces on the trade market, these lines among the forward group just don't add up.
There has to be some sort of plan there.
Beyond the forwards, the defense might be even more concerning. They have a mess of players, and some questionable pieces on the left side. Unless some young defender shocks everyone at training camp, they will have some right shot players play on their offside. It looks like the defensive group will be a jumbled mess. It could be a unit that is somehow worse than they were last season.
At the end of the day, Dubas went with a quantity over quality approach for the Penguins going into training camp. Without any trades on the horizon, they appear to be a jumbled mess. They won't be getting any younger as established veterans are already in front of younger pieces on the depth chart. It's going to be another year with an aging team with no end in sight for their run of mediocrity.
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