NHL Rumors: Difficult Decisions Loom for Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas This Offseason

NHL Network: Jamison Coyle, Kevin Weekes, EJ Hradek and Steve Kouleas on the state of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

Coyle: “As anyone who has been an envoy on this league for quite a while number 87 in Pittsburgh. Yeah, will ask you about this, cause Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes straight away, I mean, miniscule. You ask anybody here it’s out the window.

So what’s the longer term hold for Sidney Crosby? Do you’re thinking that he’s a Penguin? Would you wish him to be a Penguin for the subsequent couple of years?”

Kouleas: “I believe he’s gonna stay and I believe he’s the one sacred cow, all the things else is up for grabs. Whether it’s time for Malkin to maneuver on. Remember when you’ve gotten no-trade, no-move right Weeksey, you choose your individual future.”

Weekes: “Yeah.”

Kouleas: “So would you’d just sign (Alex) Nedeljkovich and trade (Tristan) Jarry to get something for him? I mean, Jeff Carter is I suppose, gonna retire. Are they gonna buy out or take a number of the money left so far as , Riley Smith is anxious.

So I mean, that is disappointing because if Sid gets to some extent again, or over some extent a game this 12 months, he’ll break the tie he’s got with Wayne Gretzky, he’ll his own record of 19 years of greater than some extent a game on average within the National Hockey League.

So I don’t know what he’s gonna do. I got him over my shoulder here, but he doesn’t tell us anything. When he gets married, it’ll be a royal wedding eventually, but that is disappointing because he’s so good this season. He was so good last night again, but it surely won’t be enough.

And it’s not a rebuild. Right guys? It’s gonna be a retool. And who stays and who goes it’s a clash of opinions. I believe it might need to begin with a conversation, the awkward one with Evgeni Malkin. What do you guys think?”

Weekes: “I don’t disagree, and I can inform you this. For any of the markets and all of the very deserving, and lots of this might be impacted by what happens within the postseason or what doesn’t occur within the postseason, league wide.

Okay, so if the Rangers unexpectedly go down the primary round, what’s the post-mortem? Prefer it was for Boston last 12 months? What was the post-mortem? Who may very well be available? What would they wish to do? If Vegas goes down, if any of those favorites go down, that would change the calculus.

And in saying that, the largest offseason within the National Hockey League for me is the Pittsburgh Penguins. How do they navigate it? What do they do? What does the longer term seem like?

And for those who’re doing a retool, they higher be all in and so they higher hit, you higher give you the chance to hit to persuade Sidney Crosby that that is where he needs to remain going.”

Hradek: “It’s gonna be really, it’s gonna be really tough. I just think, , when you’ve gotten to we, , Kouley we’ve seen this over time. I remember growing up with those Islanders, teams and guys become older, and you’ve gotten to make hard decisions and that was in a pre-cap era too when teams could spend what they desired to. Now you’ve gotten to fret about cap dollars.

That is going to be a troublesome one for Kyle Dubas. Sidney Crosby, I’m (totally??) with it, he’s going to make the decision as to what he desires to do, right? He’s going to find out if he desires to stay and finish his profession in Pittsburgh, or if he desires to go someplace else.

But as for the opposite folks that are there, whether it’s (Kris) Letang, whether it’s Malkin, whether it’s (Erik) Karlsson. I mean, these are decisions which might be going to need to be made and we’ve seen great players find yourself somewhere else. Marty Brodeur ended up because the St. Louis Blue. I mean, Henrik Lundqvist would have ended up as a Washington Capital if he had not had the health issue that he had. So it’s gonna be tough stuff for Kyle Dubas.”

Weekes: “Yep.”