In the meta and micro sense, both sentences are true. It is already July 8, and it is only July 8. The Pittsburgh Penguins have two full months before players start filtering into Pittsburgh, holding captain\u2019s practices, and officially preparing for the coming 2026-27 NHL season. <\/p>\n
Time has both quickly moved from early offseason in May when Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas unleashed a couple of quotes that reverberated around hockey, and it has dragged on, every so slowly. <\/p>\n
So, with the free agent frenzy and July 4 fireworks in the past tense, the next game is about big moves and final moves before the team is ready for training camp. And it would seem many of you are ready for the big move. We probably received no less than a dozen questions about a Penguins trade with Caolina, and only a slightly smaller number on Jason Robertson. <\/p>\n
But before we begin, I\u2019d like to wish everyone up north our best. The flooding in northern PA isn\u2019t getting a lot of press down here, but it is serious. I didn\u2019t think much of it when I rode southeast around the storms on Saturday, but I guess they stalled over the mountains and hung around for a few days. I don\u2019t believe we\u2019ve had any lost lives, but plenty of homes and businesses won\u2019t be the same. So, my absolute best to all of you, and if there\u2019s anything Pittsburgh Hockey Now can do for you, just say the word. <\/p>\n
Penguins Q&A<\/p>\n
**Good day, Dan. Thanks for your outstanding work \u2026 Kyle Dubas\u2019s plan seemed very clear two years ago, now he seems to be treading water. Did his plan go sideways, and if so, at what point did that occur? \u2014 Pete K. <\/p>\n
A: Thanks, Pete. No, Dubas\u2019s plan has not gone sideways, and I don\u2019t believe it is treading water. I believe it is progressing and doing so faster than I would have expected. This is what a rebuild looks like, and it can appear glacially slow at times, but there is an undercurrent of legitimate talent on the way to Pittsburgh over the next few years. <\/p>\n
Remember, this is the very situation that we warned about over a year ago when the populace demanded Dubas tear it down to rebuild from the ground up. It takes time. Not every trade comes to fruition, and not every team with something to sell wants what the Penguins have to offer. I liked, not loved, the 2026 Draft class, though it is going to take a few years before you see the results. <\/p>\n
Instead of taking his May 12 quote as the direction, take his answer to my follow-up question after the first round on June 27. <\/p>\n
DUBAS PIVOT<\/p>\n
**What trade scenario would be the better fit: Canes\u2019 Nikishin & Kotkaniemi\u2013Or\u2013Elias Pettersson and Jake Debrusk from Vancouver? \u2014 Dayz55<\/p>\n
A: I suppose I\u2019ve been pretty harsh this week on this topic, and I might have slipped over the line from analysis of a reporter to pure opinion on one tweet. <\/p>\n
The view from above this keyboard is that a trade with Carolina would be exponentially more preferable and far safer. It would most likely lead to the Penguins getting a top-four defenseman and a reclamation project, which I believe would be a resounding success. <\/p>\n
A Pettersson trade would be all or nothing for the Penguins\u2019 rebuild. If it works, the Penguins would get a top-six center, but the odds are that it would not, and in that scenario, it would negatively impact everything else. <\/p>\n
**Do you think Dubas could choose to not make any more moves, stay with the roster he has now, and, depending on where they are at the NHL trade deadline, move out veteran players for younger impact players\/picks, and then go big-game hunting next offseason instead? \u2014 Aiden J.<\/p>\n
A: Yep. <\/p>\n
I think that it is becoming the likely scenario that Dubas may tinker a little more between now and camp, but ultimately, let this team achieve or disappoint on its own merits before deciding what comes next. <\/p>\n
See the quote above. I think all of Dubas\u2019s actions indicate he\u2019s pushing hard for that big move, but it\u2019s just not there for him. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe worked our asses off,\u201d Dubas said of their efforts to trade up in the first round or snag a big fish. <\/p>\n
And if the Penguins pursue this course of action, fans should reward them. Again, this is what a rebuild looks like. <\/p>\n
**Odds on these guys still with the Pens come training camp: Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust, Erik Karlsson. <\/p>\n
A: I think it gets closer to 100% every day. Karlsson and Rakell remain the two who would most likely be involved in a trade. Rakell\u2019s lower trade value continues to confound, and Karlsson\u2019s continued presence in Pittsburgh remains curious, especially in light of his humorous but cryptic comments to a few of us after the season. <\/p>\n
Believe me, I understand the impatience with moving the veterans. Everybody wants to see what\u2019s behind Door No. 2, even if it might be a zonk. To keep Karlsson past the coming NHL trade deadline without a new contract would be extraordinarily shocking. <\/p>\n
**What are your thoughts on the concept of straddling the line of the short term vs finding long-term sustainable success? This is, of course, while trying to keep a fanbase on board that is obviously so used to consistently being in win-now mode. Can both actually be achieved? \u2014 Awompa1<\/p>\n
A: Amazing question, and thank you for the proper grammar, even on X. <\/p>\n
You poked at one of the things that bothers me most: Penguins fans expecting star players and prioritizing stars over the franchise. Let\u2019s be abundantly and exceedingly clear to the point of obnoxious. There will not be another Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, or Sidney Crosby in a Penguins sweater anytime soon, and Penguins fans will be faced with a simple choice: learn to love the game and a team without a best-ever player, or lose the franchise. <\/p>\n
To the larger question, no, long-term thinking and short-term acquiescence cannot coexist. If there is short-term success, it will be the result of long-term thinking blossoming, as it did last season. However, Dubas may have proven how dangerous the reciprocity can be when he succumbed to the short-term thinking and did not trade Anthony Mantha, Noel Acciari, or Stuart Skinner at the trade deadline. Or even Ryan Shea, for that matter.<\/p>\n
To varying degrees, those players (and the veterans still with the team) represent lost assets. For a prime example, at the 2024 NHL trade deadline, the Philadelphia Flyers pulled the chute on their playoff chase, acknowledging they weren\u2019t Cup contenders and traded defenseman Sean Walker to Colorado for a 2025 first-round pick. <\/p>\n
Philly benefitted when they packaged that pick and another to trade up with the Penguins, acquiring the 12th overall pick, but even if Philly didn\u2019t leap forward, with the original pick (22nd overall), the Penguins selected Bill Zonnon. <\/p>\n
**I have 2: Does Zonnon make it out of camp? Kindel did it last year, so why not Zonnon? And, does Rutger McGroarty play a role on this year\u2019s Penguins team? \u2014 Waffleboarded Away<\/p>\n
A: Zonnon, 19, has an outside chance to make the team, but they will be a little more cautious with him for a few reasons. After an injury-riddled season, he could benefit from dominating a year of junior hockey from the center position. He could gain a bit of weight. And he got a good taste of pro hockey in the spring with the Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton Penguins and played well, but his areas for growth were also evident. <\/p>\n
Zonnon will be an important player, without a doubt, in a couple of years. <\/p>\n
Yes, almost certainly McGraorty will be a factor this season. It may be as a fourth-liner on the penalty kill, but he will be in Pittsburgh. <\/p>\n
Lightning Round!<\/p>\n
**Assuming the organization doesn\u2019t acquire an elite talent and goes with building brick by boring brick, would you go over or under 5.5 years until the team is an actually contender? \u2014 Rob<\/p>\n
Take the under. Just because the Penguins might not get the stud this summer doesn\u2019t mean Dubas won\u2019t acquire one sooner rather than later. Also, see the above about choosing the game over stars. <\/p>\n
**It\u2019s only July, but there doesn\u2019t appear to be (m)any openings for the WBS prospects. Dubas has to make more moves, doesn\u2019t he? \u2014 Del Scott<\/p>\n
No, he doesn\u2019t. There is only one open spot amongst the forwards, but I don\u2019t believe Dubas is one of those \u201cleap then look\u201d GMs who annually gets stuck. This summer confuses me, too. <\/p>\n
**Still don\u2019t quite understand the Andrei Kuzmenko signing. There was a healthy competition for the young guys before he was signed. Now, the competition is likely dead. \u2014 Mike<\/p>\n
See above. Even if Kuzmenko pops, there won\u2019t be a trade market for him. <\/p>\n
**Are there any updates on the Wheeling\/Florida ECHL situation? \u2014 rhodepop<\/p>\n
Do you have Honey Mustard?<\/p>\n
**Obvious question: If YOU are Dubas, what\u2019s your next move? \u2014 Rich W<\/p>\n
I want to be clear before I answer. Just because I give an answer does not mean I will not 100% objectively cover whatever comes next. I\u2019m no more emotionally invested in my opinions than I am in my socks. <\/p>\n
This writer would go all out for Nikishin and Kotkaniemi, perhaps sacrificing a veteran if necessary in the process. The second move would be to find out what Seattle wants for Shane Wright. He is not worth what a former fourth-overall pick might command, so no promises in this fantasyland. <\/p>\n
And, there is one move that I would do first, but to put it in print would cause me far too much grief. Not every Penguins veteran should return, and the Penguins have a second buyout window coming. I would gather my staff and have it out regarding using it. <\/p>\n
**What is your favorite restaurant in Las Vegas? \u2014 Shawn<\/p>\n
I love Seigel\u2019s at El Cortez for the history and $25 chicken parm (but I read it just closed??! NO!). I love Bautista\u2019s Hole in the Wall for the $25 italian dishes and free table wine. I love Golden Steer for the history of Elvis and Sinatra breaking bread, but I don\u2019t love a $125 check. I love NY NY pizza. I love In-N-Out Burger. But I have a friend in Vegas who never wants to go to Hell\u2019s Kitchen \u2026 SHAWN!<\/p>\n
Thanks, All!<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTags: penguins q&a<\/a> Penguins Trade<\/a> Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> <\/p>\n