There has been a lot of changes to the Pittsburgh Penguins roster as general manager Kyle Dubas has been busy. The team has conducted several trades and different free agent signings to attempt to improve their club. In reality, Dubas didn't have a great offseason, and many could argue the lineup is worse than it was the last time they hit the ice.
It should have their fan base worried.
In a recent article by Josh Yohe of the Athletic, he squashed all hope for those fans who are waiting for another move to be made. Perhaps Kyle Dubas is still willing to make another trade or free agent signing, but it probably won't be groundbreaking. There might be another roster move or two before the season kicks off this fall, but it doesn't seem to be anything impactful.
"I’d expect Dubas to make a roster move between now and opening night, though not necessarily one that will turn heads," Yohe wrote.
If you read the tea leaves, there is a realistic outcome where the Penguins are worse than last season. They could take a step backwards and slip out of playoff contention, which could create for a dramatic turn of events as the season plays out. Unless Kyle Dubas has some under the radar moves up his sleeve, this is the meager roster that he plans to hit the ice with this year.
Don't anticipate Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas to make any drastic changes soon
After a busy offseason, you can easily point out the concerns littering the roster for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Their defensive pairings are a mess on paper. They are unbalanced with the number of right-handed players outnumbering the left shot defenders. The defensive group looks to be much worse than last season, and that prior group was nothing to write home about either.
When it comes to the forward options, it's a crowded group who will struggle to find its best lineup.
The Penguins preach about getting younger, but they keep providing veteran skaters to take up slots in the NHL. Losing out on knowing if a young player can stick in the big leagues and produce rather than hoping to compete with another veteran retread is something the team has struggled with.
Yohe claimed, "From what I’ve been told, Dubas is perfectly comfortable entering the season with his current roster."
There should never be any level of comfortability in the NHL with your roster. Being a general manager means you should be willing to always make a trade or sign a free agent if it presents the opportunity to better your team. Going into training camp, Pittsburgh is not in a good spot. Unless they overperform expectations more than last year, they could struggle to compete for the playoffs.
At the end of the day, Kyle Dubas didn't have a good offseason for the Penguins. They clearly gotten worse, plus they formed a jumbled mess both in the forward and defensive groups. It will be interesting to see how the opening day lineup pans out, but it will be tricky. Help is not on its way to the Penguins roster according to Yohe, and it might make this season one to forget.
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