{"id":259932,"date":"2025-10-30T02:43:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T02:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/259932\/"},"modified":"2025-10-30T02:43:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T02:43:07","slug":"dubas-shows-a-real-no-name-talent-spurring-penguins-rebuild","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/259932\/","title":{"rendered":"Dubas Shows a Real ‘No-Name’ Talent Spurring Penguins’ Rebuild"},"content":{"rendered":"

St. Paul, MN. \u2014 Kyle Dubas <\/a>might do well at the horse tracks. <\/p>\n

The Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> general manager is currently enjoying the payouts on several long-shot bets, who are capably filling primary roles for the Pittsburgh Penguins. None were even afterthoughts on the free agent market, but Dubas moved quickly to pluck each from being buried within their previous organizations. <\/p>\n

Prior to the season, Dubas specifically said he wanted the Penguins team to become a preferred stop for players who needed a second chance as they overcame injury or wanted a greater role than in which they\u2019d previously been cast. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe players that we signed in free agency for example,\u00a0Anthony Mantha<\/a>, Raphael, Harvey-Pinard, Caleb Jones,\u00a0Parker Wortherspoon<\/a>\u2013(we want to be) the place that if you\u2019re a player that hasn\u2019t gotten the opportunity that you think you deserve or you\u2019re coming off injury, that we\u2019re the place that you know we are going to get the most out of you. We have to earn that, (but) we\u2019re not close to that at all,\u201d Dubas said on Sept. 18. <\/p>\n

The Penguins GM began his career as an OHL scout with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds before working his way up to GM, and in 2014, he became the assistant GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs (and acting as the GM of the Toronto Marlies). <\/p>\n

The GM is still known to sneak away on scouting trips. It\u2019s obviously a real talent, and it\u2019s obviously paying real dividends for the Penguins\u2019 attempt to skirt much of the pain of a rebuild and go directly to contender status, again. <\/p>\n

From his first days on the Penguins job, he\u2019s made some real finds. <\/p>\n

Defenseman Ryan Shea<\/a>, 28, spent three seasons in the AHL in the Dallas Stars organization before Dubas plucked him from the Isle of Misfit Toys as one of his first free agent signings. <\/p>\n

Shea has claimed a top-four role with the Penguins and been a solid contributor beside Kris Letang this season, and is playing more than 20 minutes per night. In 11 games, he\u2019s already tied his career high with five points (1-4-5). <\/p>\n

Defenseman Parker Wotherspoon<\/a>, 28, spent five seasons in the AHL and a few more seasons in and out of the Boston Bruins press box. Dubas wasted little time snagging him with a two-year, $2 million deal this past July 1. <\/p>\n

Wotherspoon has been a revelation as the counterbalance to Erik Karlsson on the Penguins\u2019 top pairing. Tuesday night, Wotherspoon played more than 23 minutes against the Philadelphia Flyers, the second most of all defensemen. After 11 games, he has five points (1-4-5) and is just three points shy of his career high. <\/p>\n

Justin Brazeau<\/a>, 27, spent most of four seasons fighting his way through the bus rides and absence of expectations of Dubas\u2019s Toronto Maple Leafs and the same Boston organization that buried Wotherspoon. Boston even demoted Brazeau to the ECHL in 2020-21. <\/p>\n

Brazeau also got a two-year deal after his first big NHL season in 2024-25, in which he scored 10 goals and 10 assists in 50 games with the Bruins before they traded him to Minnesota (and he scored one goal with one assist in 19 games). <\/p>\n

Currently, Brazeau is the highest-scoring offseason acquisition in the NHL. He scored again on Tuesday against Philadelphia and has six goals and 12 points in 11 games. <\/p>\n

Of course, not every bet has hit. Tommy Novak<\/a> and Philip Tomasino seem to be fighting to make lasting contributions that keep them in the NHL. But for every washout, Dubas has also pulled Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte out of bad homes and given them the proper situation to flourish. <\/p>\n

After each, the reaction at large was a mix of indifference and scoffs. Only one external reporter showed up for Brazeau\u2019s August media availability on Zoom (yes, that was this writer). <\/p>\n

The crew of no names and cast-offs was projected to be one of the worst in the NHL, and yet after their first 10-game segment this season, the Penguins are among the Eastern Conference leaders. <\/p>\n

Contrast this start that has lead to a 7-2-2 record with the abysmal frolicks through angst and frustration which have highlighted the last several Octobers. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s not easy to loiter on the fringes of the NHL, scrapping for more ice time in the NHL, or simply pushing hard to get there. No matter how well Shea played with the Texas Stars, there was a pipeline of high draft picks that scooted ahead of him on the depth chart. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to argue with Dallas\u2019s recent success both on the ice and with young defensemen, but Shea was relegated to organizational depth. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt can mess with your head,\u201d he admitted to Pittsburgh Hockey Now. \u201cBut I kept believing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same could be said for all of the \u201cno-name\u201d Penguins. They believed, and it turns out someone was watching. If it wasn\u2019t Dubas, it was someone on his handpicked team of scouts and analysts. <\/p>\n

Since Dubas has not yet been able to spread his wings on the NHL trade block after the Erik Karlsson trade, his record is a collage of accepting salary dumps and minor deals. And he hasn\u2019t been able to splash big money on high-profile free agents because that wouldn\u2019t fit the plan, either. <\/p>\n

So, the organization and Dubas have kept it simple with a crop of unheralded players fighting a system that is no longer messing with any of them. And it\u2019s proven to be quite a Dubas talent. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTags: kyle dubas<\/a> Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> <\/p>\n

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