Penguins president Kyle Dubas: ‘This team is on the right path’

There are always expectations for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

And the 2025-26 season is no exception.

The expectations, at least externally, are clear: Few anticipate the Penguins being a contender, at least in the sense of potentially lifting a trophy at the end of the season.

But being a competitor? That is another matter, depending on how you define that term.

“We have a lot of competition,” Penguins president Kyle Dubas said ahead of the opening practice sessions on the first day of training camp Thursday in Cranberry. “Most teams would come into this day saying they have a lot of competition, but for us, what we’re notably looking for is our younger guys that have earned opportunities and chances, can they run with it?

“And it’s very clear to everyone that this team is on the right path to getting back to contending. How soon that happens will be up to the players and all of us collectively in terms of player acquisition, coaching, the way that our players develop and play. That, to us, would be a successful year, just that it’s more clear to everybody that we are definitely on the path back to being a contending team.”

What isn’t clear is an arrival date for that contending status. Dubas has been hesitant to put a circle on a calendar since he embarked on a course correction for the franchise, starting with the trade of All-Star forward Jake Guentzel in March 2024.

“I have resisted coming in here and saying that it’s going to take X amount of years,” Dubas said. “I continue to use the word urgency. … If you come and put a timeline on it, it gives me and maybe others in the organization a bit of cover and time that it’s going to take three years or five years or seven years to get us back there. Our push is to get back there as soon as we possibly can. And today is our first day towards moving towards that, with (new coach Dan Muse) and his staff taking control.

Dubas touched on a number of topics as he addressed the state of the franchise Thursday.

 

• Most notably, he discussed franchise pillar Sidney Crosby.

Last week, Crosby’s agent, Pat Brisson, created waves by addressing, via an interview with the Athletic, the potential for the 38-year-old Crosby being traded if the Penguins’ journey to contender status lags.

Dubas largely downplayed any suggestion Brisson was drawing a line in the sand and professed resolve in remaining on path with the overall rebuilding of the organization.

“I didn’t take from Pat’s comments that he necessarily disagrees with where we’re at,” Dubas said. “I talk to Pat daily. We talk twice daily, about all of his clients on our team — which they have plenty — and other goings on throughout the league. I think he’s entitled to make whatever comments he wishes. But all that said, we can’t alter the course that we’re on, which is to bring the team back into a team that can contend for the Stanley Cup year-in and year-out.

“We have to focus on doing what’s right for the Pittsburgh Penguins, regardless of any sort of commentary or things that are said in the media. We can’t change that. So this is our sole focus. I knew when signing up for the job, this was likely going to be a part of it, and it doesn’t deter us from the task at hand.”

Dubas also suggested the window to maximize Crosby’s brilliance isn’t all that limited, even if the captain is in his late 30s.

“I wouldn’t put any timeline on Sid stopping being himself,” Dubas said. “You just see the amount of work that he puts into it every day. I think people tend to take the contract length of any player and say, ‘It’s got to be by this stage of within that time frame.’

“I’ll borrow (Brisson’s) example of (superstar quarterback) Tom Brady because I think that’s the one that I think has caused this go to an off-ramp that no one wants to really go to. He’s a player that, if he played to that age at that level, it wouldn’t be surprising. (Crosby) would downplay it, but I don’t think anybody else would be surprised if we’re years from now and he’s still playing at an elite level. There’s nobody that puts as much into it as he does.

“I know he wants to have the team be at the playoffs. We have to be in the playoffs to get where we want to get. So that’s part of the checklist. So I wouldn’t put a timeline on him. Do I think we can execute what we want to within that timeline? Yes, I do. If we try to short-circuit it, we (will) probably not get up very high on the mountain that we’re trying to climb. Then, that would be disappointing for everybody. So it’s just making sure that we’re following those steps.”

 

• How many of those steps will continue to involve the franchise’s other superstar center, Evgeni Malkin, remains uncertain. The 39-year-old is entering the final year of a four-year contract and, frankly, is closer to retirement than a return to contender status.

“No change on that front,” Dubas said. “I spoke with him and (agent J.P. Barry) in the summer when stuff started percolating there. It’s the same. … I’ll sit when time permits — and the Olympic break provides a key opportunity for that — then we’ll address where he’s at. But I expect him to have a great season. Excited to see him back out there rolling.”

• During his season-ending media availability in April, Dubas suggested he would like to see an open competition for the goaltending spots on the roster entering this season.

With previous backup Alex Nedeljkovic traded to the San Jose Sharks and 24-year-old Arturs Silovs acquired from the Vancouver Canucks in July, that approach hasn’t changed.

And the contractual status of the goaltenders in camp won’t dictate the decision. Silovs, as well as incumbent starter Tristan Jarry and reserve Fili Larsson, must clear waivers to be assigned to a minor-league affiliate, whereas prospects Joel Blomqvist and Sergei Murashov do not require waivers for such a transaction.

“It’s the same message as it was in April when we talked about it last,” Dubas said. “We have two young goalies who have extremely high potential in Joel Blomqvist and Sergei Murashov. I think everyone has seen it at times, whether it’s been in the (AHL) or whether it’s been (in the NHL). And we have Tristan and Arturs that are a little bit older, a little bit more advanced.

“Arturs has had the ultimate success at the minor-league level, winning a championship and being the MVP (with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks last season).

“But all that said, they’ll start competing here today, and the best two goalies … that the way that they perform in camp and we deem is best for their development … but notably, the way they perform in camp and preseason … will determine who the two goalies are to start with the Penguins. Their contract situations, none of that matters.”

 

• Defenseman Erik Karlsson is still a member of the club. After two disappointing seasons with the Penguins following a blockbuster trade in August 2023, there was considerable speculation the Penguins would try to offload the 35-year-old defenseman through another deal.

“Nothing has changed in my opinion of Erik,” Dubas said. “He’s in excellent condition. Erik’s an extraordinarily proud person, and I think he comes into the year with a lot to play for, both reputationally himself, but also, more importantly, he wasn’t named to the Swedish Olympic first six (selections for the Olympic roster) and that’s a very important item for him.

“He just has a huge amount of incentive this season. He’s going to want to win before he retires, and he’s going to want to play at the highest level of best-on-best hockey. He’s right in that sweet spot of guys that were between 2014 and 2026 that have had the whole prime of their careers and they missed that best-on-best situation. The way he played last year at 4 Nations (Face-Off exhibition tournament) is an indication we’ll see the very best from Erik this year, so we’re excited for that.”

• Dubas didn’t rule out potentially trading Karlsson or other talented veterans on the roster such as forwards Rickard Rakell or Bryan Rust in hopes of adding future assets such as prospects or draft picks.

“We’re always looking for ways to help them propel the team back to where we want to get it to,” Dubas said. “That work doesn’t really stop. There’s been a ton of discussion on a lot of our guys throughout the summer. But we also aren’t just going to make deals to offload very key, important people to the organization, that have given a lot to the organization in their time. If the right return is there, we would look at anything, and, in the meantime, we’re going to do the best we can to get the most out of those guys.”

• Dubas didn’t offer much about the potential sale of the franchise from Fenway Sports Group to the Hoffmann Family of Companies, an investment firm, but acknowledged the possible change takes up “a lot of bandwidth internally, very openly.”

Aside from that, it’s business as usual for Dubas and company.

“Whatever happens on that (ownership) front will happen,” Dubas said. “And we’ll just continue to move ahead with our plan.”

 

• Signing retired goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, one of the most important players in the history of the franchise, to a ceremonial tryout was done as much out of respect for Fleury as it was for the betterment of the organization’s younger players.

Some of the inspiration for the transaction was rooted in the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship tournament in May. Dubas was the general manager of Canada’s squad, which included Fleury.

“There’s such a great history here. Part of (this) is educating our younger group players on that,” Dubas said. “So now, Marc’s going to have a chance (for) two days to be around Tristan and Arturs Silovs and Joel Blomqvist and Sergei Murshov and Filip Larsson. I don’t know how to calculate the value of that. But I observed his impact on the younger players at the (IIHF tournament), and it was immense. And that was in two weeks, and he played half the games.

“He’s just awesome. I don’t know any other way to put it. So it should be a special night and opportunity. It’s celebrating the history of the team and the alumni of the team. People can attribute it to nostalgia, but it’s hugely important for me that we’re educating our younger players that come in.”