Dubas' Decision: Penguins' Coach and Captain Key in President Hire

After meeting with Penguins ownership about coming to Pittsburgh, Kyle Dubas felt it would be beneficial to speak with two very important people in the organization: the coach and the captain.

He wanted to get a sense for where Mike Sullivan and Sidney Crosby felt the Penguins were at and where the Penguins were going, and those conversations were incredibly productive, as they ended up being paramount in Dubas' decision to come on board as president of hockey operations.

"It was evident, certainly to me, that we shared a lot of the same thoughts and ideas on where our team is at and how we can improve and get better, and what the challenges are," Sullivan said. "Certainly, I'm excited about those challenges moving forward, and I think Kyle was as well."

Sullivan and Dubas discussed the identity of the Penguins, how the team has had success, and trying to set up the group to play to their strengths. For Sullivan, it's always been about building around the Big Three - Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang - and Dubas is on the same page in that regard. Especially after speaking with Sid.

Because not only did Dubas want to get Crosby's thoughts on the state of the team; he wanted to be able to sit with him and ensure that winning was still the No. 1 priority for the three-time Stanley Cup Champion, who will be entering his 19th season in the National Hockey League.

"It was very clear that his only intention and desire is to win, and that's what I want to hear - because I think that can have a massive impact on raising the level of the players that come in behind as prospects and younger players that we're able to acquire here in the next stretch," Dubas said.

"His character, and that of the group, can reduce the amount of time and the gap between what's now and what's next."

Sullivan has always been adamant that this core group can continue to play at an elite level, saying there's plenty of evidence to suggest that.

"So, I think in the short run, our challenge is to try to surround them with what we can to field the most competitive team to give the group an opportunity to compete for Stanley Cups," said Sullivan, who added that he believes it's feasible to do just that over the summer.

Over the past seven weeks since the offseason first began, Sullivan and the rest of the coaching staff have reflected on why that didn't happen this past year despite the best efforts of the Big Three. He feels the area with the most room for improvement is speed.

"I think when you look at the identity of the Penguins and how this team has had success, certainly in my time here, but more importantly, with our core group of players, I think speed has always been an important element," Sullivan said. "I think speed is part of the evolution of the game. When you look at the teams that are that are having success in the league, none of them are slow."

Sullivan said he and Dubas have similar viewpoints on the evolution of the game and the league, what teams are doing well and why, and how they can set the Penguins up for success in that landscape. He's looking forward to those conversations getting even deeper now that Dubas is officially part of the team.

That trust and belief Sullivan has in this group is shared by Dubas, who plans to put in the work to prove the naysayers wrong.

"I heard a lot of people that were highly skeptical of the team's ability to contend here. The way I view it is that if people want to bet against Mike Sullivan, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and others, they can go ahead and do so. But I'm going to bet on them, and go with them here," Dubas said.

"So, I do think that it's a group capable of contending to win a championship. I do think that we need to build up the depth of the group and supplement the greatness that those people bring each day. I think there are some of those pieces that are already here. But in the next several weeks, we'll get to work on more of that - and at the same time, really having a huge amount of focus on the long-term as well."

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