Kingerski: What a Perfect Penguins Offseason Would Look Like

Between now and then, between the decompression of another disappointing Pittsburgh Penguins season that forced early travel plans instead of team charters for Round One and the dog days of August, when even general managers take a day off, the Penguins organization will undergo a wrecking ball’s worth of changes.

Exactly how much change Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas can effect and who will be involved is still somewhat of a mystery, perhaps even to those on the inside. After all, every trade needs a partner, and every step forward must be in keeping with the plan to return the Penguins to contender status.

Dubas has already decided there will be a new voice behind the bench, but that was just the beginning of the offseason reformation.

Perhaps it’s fool’s gold to think the great change can be done in a couple of years so that Sidney Crosby can be a part of the turnaround. It might be sillier still to imagine the playoffs coming back to Pittsburgh within the next three years. After all, Ottawa and Detroit suffered similar droughts, and Detroit’s playoff absence is ongoing.

Chicago is also in the midst of it` desert wandering after three Stanley Cups in five years from 2010-2015 and the eventual dissolution of its championship core over the past few years that included Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, both of whom are several years younger than the Penguins’ core, including Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

The Penguins’ age at the top of their lineup should serve as a reminder of just how close the hockey world is to a few goodbyes.

There is some belief among reporters that Dubas and former coach Mike Sullivan differed on the timeline of a team revamp, with Dubas projecting several years and Sullivan believing it could be done quickly (Dubas deferred to Sullivan to discuss his termination, and Sullivan steadfastly refused to answer any questions about it, so we may never truly know).

However, the move was an important first step, taking the team into the next era.

“I think what I’ve learned in two years is that there’s a reason why it is essentially impossible and has not been done where a coach has led a team to winning and through a transition and all the way back,” Dubas said on April 28.

As the Fenway Sports Group ownership has expressed that they are in “the mode of being impatient,” Dubas needs a summer with forward momentum. No longer will nibbling at the edges suffice.

So, it’s go time.

Perfect Penguins Offseason

Perfection does not exist, especially when the cooperation of others is required. So, Dubas is very unlikely to achieve his ideal goals, but there are some big boxes to check as quickly as possible. To check several would indeed constitute a best-case scenario.

Defense, HELP!

First, Dubas must chart the future of his defense corps. It would seem he is beginning that task near rock bottom, so anything he does in that regard will be an improvement. Probably. Good defense units have not been hallmarks of Dubas’ teams throughout his career.

The organization currently has three NHL defenders 25 and under, starting with Owen Pickering. Harrison Brunicke and P.O Joseph are the other two. The team’s 2024-25 blue line was short on defending but made up for it by being long on turnovers and mistakes, so there should be plenty of room to add.

In addition to Pickering, Dubas would do well to acquire at least one more top-four left-side defenseman who is 25 and under with talent worthy of keeping around for the next 10 years.

High-End Center

The second item on any wishlist would be a center with top-of-the-lineup potential. Evgeni Malkin has one more year remaining, though age is catching up with him quickly. The 11th overall pick in the 2025 Draft might be the place Dubas can find his future treasure, but the GM shouldn’t stop at just one top-six pivot, especially because it might be a year or three before a draft pick is ready.

If other opportunities are available via trade, immediate help would be welcome. The Buffalo Sabres’ trove of young centers, as well as the Anaheim Ducks’ cadre, are good starting points.

Read More: Penguins Trade Talk; New Potential Target, More Center Options

Planting the seed for a first or second-line center now would be a big win.

Brady Martin or Roger McQueen in the draft or a pivot such as J.J. Peterka or Ryan McLeod from Buffalo would scratch that itch.

TRADE!

The ability to untether from Erik Karlsson without sacrificing assets would be a win for both Karlsson and Dubas. Trading other veterans, such as Noel Acciari and Kevin Hayes, to free space for the newbies would be a solid proposition, too.

Trading Ryan Graves would also help the team and player, but we’re talking about the perfect offseason, not fantasyland.

2 More Youngsters

Lastly, a couple more under-25 types to replace or eventually replace what the Penguins will lose over the next few years, players like Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, would be the final stroke.

Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen figure to be locks for the 2025-26 lineup, as does Pickering. Tristan Broz could crack the lineup in the fall or by mid-season, and goalie Sergei Murashov has a fighting chance to be here by January.

However, the group still doesn’t resemble a championship core. Those are very good complements and perhaps some foundational pieces, but the cornerstones are not yet in place.

A perfect offseason for Dubas would be to find one of those cornerstones, adding left side defensive help that is both for the now and the future, a very good center capable of carrying the lineup, divesting of some veterans, and adding more youth that is eventually (or immediately) capable of carrying the heavy responsibilities that the veterans seem to effortlessly wear.

Easy, right?