Right now, I got late-2000s and early 2010s nostalgia coursing through my veins. Growing up, I was a die-hard fan of 105.9 the X, mainly for its alternative rock that I listened to daily at the time.
But, when 3 PM hit, it was Penguins talk until 6 PM with Mark Madden as the host. Mark’s antics have been controversial to some, but I always found him to be entertaining. So, those rides in my old Chevy S-10 to the gym in that tiny village I grew up in and surrounded by vast countryside in all four cardinal directions were filled with alternative rock, Penguins talk, and laughs from Madden’s takes.
That said (the preceding phrase a habit I picked up from listening to Madden), I always respected what the Super Genius had to say, and he always had multiple reasons behind them. When I read one of Madden’s pieces earlier today at TribLive regarding the inevitable rebuild, I took immediate notice.
Madden sounds like he’s 100 percent behind general manager Kyle Dubas despite the team’s struggles, saying, “Dubas is a villain to the Canadian hockey media who love to stooge for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Dubas was Leafs GM from 2018-23 but gets blamed for all of that franchise’s problems since they last won a Stanley Cup in 1967.
“Dubas will be the hero in Pittsburgh. You watch.”
Mark Madden is right about the Pittsburgh Penguins rebuild
Earlier in the piece, Madden talked about the draft picks (10 first and second-round picks combined over the next three drafts) the Penguins already had stocked up, plus the number of high-caliber prospects playing in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Plus, there’s always Sidney Crosby, who probably isn’t going away or losing a step anytime soon. And it’s not like Kyle Dubas was a poor general manager with the Maple Leafs, as he kept the team in playoff contention and among the NHL’s elite franchises throughout his reign. And he did all of this despite the pressures any hockey executive would feel from the Toronto fans and media.
So, if anyone out there knows how to add talent to a team with a star player and one who isn’t slowing down, as is the case with Sidney Crosby, it’s Kyle Dubas. This leads me to not just echo Madden’s thoughts but to add that there’s no doubt in my mind Dubas will bring a winner back to a winning franchise. Yet, the fans have got to be patient with this.
Kyle Dubas also has a few blueprints to work with from former division rivals
What makes this situation even better for Kyle Dubas is that he’s seen, throughout his time in Toronto and even after he left, how to not rebuild a franchise. Look at Steve Yzerman in Detroit, where the Red Wings rebuild is seemingly taking forever and without a much-needed sense of urgency.
What about Kevyn Adams in Buffalo? Adams thought he could almost exclusively stockpile prospects and insert them all into his lineups without making an effort to add young, solid, proven NHL talent unless it involved trading Jack Eichel for Alex Tuch. But does that really count?
So, Kyle Dubas knows what to do, and he’s got the means and the superstar to make it happen. This isn’t to say the Penguins will be a winner next season or even the following year. But for fans, it’s time to take Madden’s words at more than just face value and enjoy watching this team’s road to redemption and regain elite status in both the NHL and in the Steel City.