When the Pittsburgh Penguins lured Kyle Dubas away from the Toronto Maple Leafs, they had likely found the managerial piece they needed to recover from last season’s relative disaster. The new Penguins’ president of hockey ops brought in a host of new faces to revitalize the team after narrowly missing the postseason for the first time in nearly two decades. Lars Eller, Vinny Hinostroza, Matt Nieto, and Noel Acciari followed Dubas to Pittsburgh with the hopes of increasing the balance of scoring down the lineup.
Defending Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson arrived via trade soon after and has continued to be the sparkplug he was for the San Jose Sharks last season. Despite all the hype, it hasn’t quite translated to success early in 2023-24. At 3-4 on the young season, the team’s record hasn’t met expectations. Dubas addressed the Penguins’ early-season struggles in a press conference on Oct. 25.
Penguins’ New Additions Not Performing As Expected
While they were initially added to improve the defense of the bottom six, the lack of scoring to this point has concerned Dubas and head coach Mike Sullivan. Sullivan has praised the group’s defensive prowess, but also recognized the missing elements, saying:
“I think they’ve played well. They’re hard to play against. They get a lot of defensive zone starts against our opponent’s top lines. They’re a big part of the penalty kill and they’ve all done a good job in that regard. I do think that they’ll score goals, they’ve had a fair amount of scoring chances; it hasn’t gone in the net for them.”
Penguins’ head coach Mike Sullivan on the positives and negatives of the new bottom six through the first few games of the season.
Sullivan’s comments really ring true, as the bottom-six have combined for a measly three points, all from Eller – one goal and two assists. Despite the struggles, Sullivan has preached patience as the new additions find their footing.
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Eller himself has responded bluntly to the team’s struggles, noting that defensive breakdowns have resulted in an early losing streak that ended with a shutout victory over the Colorado Avalanche in which Eller scored his only goal on the season so far. The victory, which put an end to the Avalanche’s NHL-record road win streak and also handed them their first loss of the season, was the most defensively sound game of the season so far.
Dubas Reiterates Penguins are Adapting to Change
In his press conference, Dubas noted that the level of organizational upheaval would be noticeable and that it would take some time for the pieces to come together properly. While the 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars has concerned some, Dubas liked what he’s seen from the Penguins in the first few games, just before the victory vs. Colorado.
“As I think this team knows from last year, every single game and point is important. It could be pivotal in the end,” Dubas said. “That said, we just need to continue to build on our foundation of how we want to play; eradicate some of the stuff that’s hindered us early; and use it as a lesson for how we can’t do things moving ahead.”
Penguins’ President of Hockey Ops Kyle Dubas on how the Penguins can recover from their sluggish start to the season.
Dubas has wisely chosen not to sound the alarm after only seven games and has set about finding the correct balance between the Penguins’ established identity of offensive superpower and the desire to take some of the pressure off of the top six.
While the Penguins’ start has some concerned that the Dubas method hasn’t worked, Dubas himself has fanned the flames of discontent with his comments in the Oct. 25 presser. The early season struggles shouldn’t be seen as a continuation of last season, and both Dubas and Sullivan have the willingness to stick out the rough patch so the team can find success again.