Kyle Dubas gave some insight into the frustration Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang may have been feeling during the team’s ongoing playoff drought while speaking with Nashville Predators general manager Barry Trotz ahead of last weeks’ 2025 Global Series in Stockholm.

In a video shared Saturday by the NHL, Dubas spoke with Trotz about the fact that the Pens haven’t been back to the postseason since losing in the first round of the 2022 playoffs.

“Our guys, having won three Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh and been together for so long, they want to get back there and win again,” Dubas said.

Dubas then hinted that the Penguins’ longest-tenured stars were happier now that he has landed on a few draft picks who have proven they are ready to play at the NHL level.

”Those players that have had such success and are such elite competitors, I think, when you get there, their patience isn’t necessarily the greatest virtue,” Dubas said. “So, it’s been trying to just continue to keep them in the loop.”

Dubas continued, “For us, whether it’s Ben Kindel or different players coming up, Ville Koivunen or Harrison Brunicke or the goaltender [Sergei] Murashov, it’s when the guys start to come up, and they see there are good players coming, it tends to help a little bit.”

Dubas also told Trotz the beginning of his tenure in Pittsburgh had been about addressing a “lack of middle” between the stars and fringe NHLers on the roster.

“When I got here, [Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang] were in their mid-30s, kind of bordering onto late 30s, and then there was sort of gap after,” Dubas said. “It was Bryan Rust and Jake Guentzel, and Tristan Jarry, to the guys in their 20s. So, it’s been trying to backfill that, and get some of the younger guys to come along.”

Dubas has overseen the addition of a host of 20-something players who have been contributing so far this season, including Justin Brazeau, Parker Wotherspoon, Tommy Novak, Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte.

The Pens will hope that depth, in addition to the growth of younger players like Kindel, Koivunen and Murashov, will help the team continue recovering from a 1-4-1 slump while building on Sunday morning’s Swedish shutout of the Nashville.

The Penguins will get a few days to recover from the international travel before the team returns to action Friday at PPG Paints Arena with a 7 p.m. ET puck drop against the visiting Minnesota Wild.

With the Pens (10-5-4) ranked third in the Metropolitan Division, and the New York Islanders (10-7-2) and New York Rangers (10-8-2) sitting just behind, sweeping this week’s home back-to-back against the Wild and Seattle Kraken would help Pittsburgh avoid slipping too far down the standings after a hot start to the season.