It’s been well-documented that Kyle Dubas is having to walk a managerial tight rope with conflicting interests in mind these days. The Penguins want and need to incorporate younger players and are long overdue to get better prospects in their system that hopefully one day will make NHL impacts. A team needs to stock up on draft picks in order to accomplish that.
However, the elephant in the room is that the Sidney Crosby era isn’t over yet. In fact, by all indications the Crosby era is officially about to be extended with the reports trickling out that Pittsburgh and their long-time captain are closing in on announcing a contract extension that will kick in for 2025-26.