Kyle Dubas has spent plenty of time taking heat in Pittsburgh, but last season gave him a strong case for a different conversation. The Penguins were supposed to stumble, miss the playoffs and position themselves for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Instead, they got into the postseason and fell in the first round to the Philadelphia Flyers.
That kind of bounce-back naturally puts the general manager back in focus. Dubas has been under the microscope ever since the Erik Karlsson trade with the San Jose Sharks, but Karlsson looked like his old self under Dan Muse and was not a fan of playing former head coach Mike Sullivan.
At the same time, Sidney Crosby was still averaging a point per game, Evgeni Malkin was finding the fountain of youth, and Kris Letang kept holding down the blue line. In that setting, the mission was simple: win.
The Penguins also kept pushing forward in the 2026 offseason. Dubas brought in Nick Robertson from the Toronto Maple Leafs and signed him to a two-year deal worth $3.25 million per season.
He also added Andrei Kuzmenko and Trevor van Riemsdyk, while acquiring Hendrix Lapierre and Kaedan Korczak. The moves fit the same theme that has defined his time in Pittsburgh: stay competitive now while reshaping the roster for what comes next.
That approach drew praise from Anthony Di Marco of the Daily Faceoff during an appearance on TSN Radio in Montreal. Asked about Dubas’ work retooling the Penguins while still building around Crosby, Letang and Malkin, Di Marco said:
Host: “What have you made of the Pittsburgh Penguins offseason, and everything Kyle Dubas had to say, as far as the legacy players, and trying to continue to build around them?”
Anthony Di Marco: “I mean, that’s kind of been the mandate, right, since he got to Pittsburgh. Just try and keep this thing going while retooling or rebuilding on the fly.
And I want to give Kyle Dubas credit. I think that he learned from his time in Toronto.
He’s been one of the more aggressive general managers in the NHL.
You take a flyer on Nick Robertson to come in. And I just think that he has done a brilliant job there of really trying to keep this thing competitive and honor the legacies, as you mentioned, of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, and I guess now, by extension, Erik Karlsson, but also trying to rebuild this thing on the fly.
I think they’ve done a good job, like reloading their goaltending position, but, pardon me, with Artur Silovs and the other young goaltender, whose name is escaping me. You bring in, like Rutger McGroarty for Brayden Yager last season.
The Pittsburgh Penguins had legit talks with the Stars, and would Elias Pettersson be a fit?
So I mean, for me, I think that he’s done as good of a job as he could possibly have imagined, given the position he was put in when he was hired three seasons ago.”
For now, the Penguins look pointed in the right direction once the legendary core eventually moves on. And if Dubas keeps working the market the way he has, there’s still a chance he adds another 40-goal scorer before the offseason ends.
In Other News...
Penguins Could Have Another Ducks Deal Fans Will Definitely Debate
The Penguins have made a habit of turning salary-cap room into future assets, and that approach has become one of the more recognizable parts of Kyle Dubas roster-building playbook. Instead of sitting on unused space, Pittsburgh has been willing to help other clubs solve their cap problems if it means adding draft capital, even when the deal is more about bookkeeping than immediate help on the ice.
Anaheim now looks like the kind of team that could fit that pattern, with enough pressure on its books to at least make the idea worth discussing. If the Ducks decide they need relief, Pittsburgh could be the kind of partner that takes on a contract and asks for a sweetener in return, and the debate for Penguins fans would be whether another future pick is worth absorbing that kind of money. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins May Have Found A Goalie Prospect Worth Watching Closely
The Penguins added a goalie prospect worth a closer look in Matvei Nikonovich, the Minsk-born netminder they took in the fifth round of the 2026 NHL Draft. At 160th overall, he was not the kind of pick that turns heads immediately, but his recent work in the Rus-MHL with Tolyatti Ladia gave the organization a reason to pay attention.
Nikonovichs numbers last season were strong enough to stand out, and his development now comes with a layer of uncertainty because of what happens next in Russia. He could remain overseas for a while before the Penguins even begin thinking about bringing him to their North American pipeline, which makes him one of those late-round goalie bets that can take patience before the payoff comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins May Have Found A Trade Fit For Life After Crosby And Malkin
As the Penguins keep sorting out what life will look like after Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, one recent trade idea points them toward a younger center with some offensive upside. A Daily Faceoff piece from Mike Gould named Pittsburgh as a possible destination for a Seattle forward who could help bridge that gap, the kind of move that would fit a team trying to stay competitive while also thinking a step ahead.
The appeal is obvious enough: the Penguins need more long-term help down the middle, and this player has already shown he can contribute at the NHL level. He put up 12 goals and 27 points in 74 games last season, and after a stronger scoring year before that, he looks like the sort of upside swing that could make sense for a club trying to balance the present with whatever comes next. [Read more 🡒]