Featured
2 Big Swings GM Kyle Dubas Needs to Take to Jumpstart the Penguins
Now that Kyle Dubas is ready to be aggressive, what major moves should he be eyeing?
Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins are staring down the barrel of a fourth straight season without playoff hockey, and for one of the greatest players of all time, that’s simply not how this should end.
The captain has been nothing but loyal, giving everything he has to a franchise that was floundering before he arrived. The least Kyle Dubas can do during his final years is push some chips into the middle and take a real run at getting back into the postseason—where Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, if he keeps playing, belong.
He tried to do exactly that in his first summer on the job in 2023, but ever since the Jake Guentzel trade at the 2024 deadline, the direction flipped. There’s been a sell-off, coinciding with small, conservative additions that make it look like the Penguins aren’t rebuilding — yet they aren’t contending either. The result has been a team stuck squarely in the middle.
Monday’s trade for Yegor Chinakhov felt like more of the same on the surface, but Dubas’ comments afterward suggest a shift in mindset that should at least give fans some optimism.
“No hesitation. We have a lot of draft picks, and we need to use them to procure high-potential young players,”
Those words should resonate with the veterans still in the room. It’s time for the front office to take a real swing and land another difference-maker. The question now is how — and who — can Dubas target to act on his words.
Find a Way to Get a Top-Five Pick in the 2026 Draft
The Penguins are currently just one point out of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, while also sitting only five points ahead of the 28th-place Nashville Predators in the overall standings. It’s the same uncomfortable spot they’ve lived in for the past three seasons — not good enough to contend, but not bad enough to land a franchise-altering prospect.
That’s how you end up picking around 11th overall, and while Ben Kindel has blown expectations out of the water, there’s still a big difference between him and a first overall pick like Matthew Schaefer.
With that in mind, Dubas needs to find a way into the top five of the 2026 draft. Gavin McKenna, Keaton Verhoeff, Ivar Stenberg, and even Chase Reid, Ethan Belchetz, and Viggo Bjorck all project as potential game-changers — exactly the type of talent Pittsburgh desperately lacks. McKenna, of course, would be the dream scenario.
Since winning the lottery is unlikely, Dubas has to get aggressive. That means using his surplus of draft picks and prospect depth to package his way up the board. It could also involve selling off a veteran like Bryan Rust or Rickard Rakell at the deadline to stockpile even more assets to make that move possible.
Trade for a Legitimate Top-Four Left Shot Defenseman
For those who may not be aware, Pittsburgh’s left side on defense is rough. Parker Wotherspoon has been a pleasant surprise alongside Erik Karlsson, but he’s being asked to play well above where he should be slotted. Behind him, the options thin out quickly with names like Ryan Shea, Ryan Graves, Caleb Jones, and recently acquired Brett Kulak — who likely isn’t part of the long-term plan.
You could make a legitimate case that it’s the weakest left side in the NHL, and addressing it should be near, if not atop, of Dubas’ to-do list.
Therefore, targeting a true top-four left-shot defenseman via trade needs to be a priority. Buffalo has an abundance of them, so why not inquire about Owen Power or Bowen Byram? Alek Nikishin’s situation in Carolina has already had its ups and downs — if there’s an opportunity to pay up and bring him to Pittsburgh, it’s one worth exploring. Other options will surface, but that’s the caliber of player Dubas should be hunting.
No more tinkering around the edges with reclamation projects or buy-low free agent signings. The focus has to be on drafting as high as possible and being willing to move tangible assets to land truly impactful players, because that’s the only way to become an upper-echelon team in the NHL.
Next: Latest NHL Trade Buzz: Oilers, Maple Leafs, Canucks
More News
