“I understand how valuable he’s been as a teammate, person in the community, contributor to helping the team win the Stanley Cup, and so on and so forth. It’s important,” Dubas said. “But at the same time, we have to take stock with where we’re at and be realistic about the fact that one of the issues we have is we need to get younger. We have a lot of guys in their 30s signed, some of them are some of the best players in the history of the franchise.
“It’s tough with Jake, as I’ve said to him, because he’s an excellent player and playing at an elite level. We have to find a way to continue to have those solid veteran guys, but also continue to get younger at the same time.”
However, Dubas said he doesn’t anticipate a full rebuild as long as Crosby, center Evgeni Malkin, and defensemen Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson remain.
Crosby, at 36 years old in his 19th NHL season, is tied for sixth in the League with 23 goals at even strength. Malkin, a fellow center at 37 years old, is third on the Penguins with 42 points (16 goals, 26 assists). Letang, 36, is second among their defensemen with 34 points (six goals, 28 assists), behind Karlsson, 33, who has 41 points (seven goals, 34 assists) in his first season after being acquired from the San Jose Sharks in a three-team trade Aug. 6, 2023.
“When you have players like that, they prevent you from getting there because they’re too good,” Dubas said. “At the same time, I think that what they can pass on to the players that come into the organization in terms of the standards that we have here, the impact that being around Sid, ‘Geno,’ Letang, Karlsson each day can have on a young player, it’s impossible to measure. I think that’s what we set out to do.”
The same applies to Mike Sullivan, who is expected to remain as coach beyond this season.
“The one thing I’d say about the coaching staff is it’s always the easy, low-hanging fruit and target of everything,” Dubas said. “I’ve got a deep respect for the coaching staff and the way they go about it. I meet with ‘Sully’ every morning. We talk multiple times per day. He’s deeply invested.
“I envision Mike Sullivan, based on what I’ve learned from him in our discussions this year and his ability to take the development of each individual player seriously ... he’s the type of coach who shows he can win, but also that he can develop people and develop players. I don’t think there needs to be any discussion about Mike.”
But the Penguins are seventh in the Metropolitan Division. In the past, they would normally be in the market to add at the Deadline. On Wednesday, Sullivan said he would rather not discuss if that could change.
“I don’t think that’s a question I’m comfortable answering,” Sullivan said. “I believe in the group we have. It’s my job to coach the group that we have in front of us. We’re going to do everything in our power to make the playoffs and give ourselves an opportunity to compete for the Stanley Cup. That’s where our focus is.”
And the players are of the same mind, forward Bryan Rust said.
“At this point, you don’t have any other option,” said Rust, who won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017. “I feel like if you’re going to make things happen, you’ve got to believe things are going to happen and you’ve got to know that we have it in this room. If you’re thinking otherwise, that’s not going to be very helpful at all.”
