On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins opened their 2025 training camp with a few words from general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas.
And if one thing was clear, it's that this camp - and this season - will be quite a bit different from ones in years past.
For once, the Penguins have youth talent populating their prospect pool, and some of them are going to make legitimate pushes for the NHL roster. They are also mired in the middle of a rebuild, and the developmental focus of camp is going to be at the forefront.
In addition, there were some rumblings about what's happening across the NHL on the trade front, which figures to be a focal point this season for the Penguins.
Here are three observations from Dubas's pre-season presser.
1. There is very much a focus on youth this camp
During camp in 2024, the Penguins were at a much different place organizationally than they're at now. Their prospect pool was largely barren, and outside of a few outliers, they didn't really have any youth legitimately making a push for the NHL roster out of camp.
That is certainly not the case this time around, and Dubas and his camp know this. Prospects certainly won't be handed anything this season, but they won't be blocked, either, which wasn't as much the case in years past.
The organization is serious about this youth and development movement, and folks should expect to see some of that manifest into final roster decisions.
"What we're notably looking for is our younger guys that have earned opportunities and chances... Can they run with it? Can they push themselves to play in more exhibition games? Can they assert themselves in the training sessions that [start Thursday] in addition to the exhibition games that they get, and especially as the lineups get better and the games get harder as they go... can they continue to maintain their level?
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"If they continue to push all the way - and it's very clear that they should be on the team - they'll make the team, and we'll deal with whatever the ripple effects of those are on some of the more veteran guys."
If push comes to shove, the team probably won't hesitate to cut ties with veterans in order to make room for standout prospects who appear to be NHL-ready. And the veterans know this.
"The message to the veteran guys is that, with where we're at, the young guys are coming, they're going to get opportunity, they're going to have to earn everything... but it's been very clear to them what the expectation is," Dubas said. "And it's up to them to hold onto their jobs and hold onto their spots and their places with the Penguins and in the NHL."
2. The trade market is pretty stagnant right now
I asked Dubas why the trade market was generally stagnant this summer - especially later on - and whether or not it had anything to do with the cap going up next season as well as the strong draft class.
"The commentary from other people throughout the league was that it just doesn't seem like anything's going on," Dubas said. "I think the increase in the salary cap from last year to this year - it was the first year it really took a significant bump since Covid - played an impact in that it just wasn't a necessity to make a lot of deals."
He added: "I think part of it has to do with salary cap going up, part of it has to do with other teams taking care of their RFAs due to last year's offer sheet situation between St. Louis and Edmonton. But I just think in the next number of years, you've got the salary cap projected to go up, and they've also outlined exactly what it's going to be, so it's better. It makes it easier to plan."
Dubas also commented on the markets for Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust, and Erik Karlsson, all of some of whom fans expected to be shopped this summer.
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"I think with where we're at, we have to always look every single day at what's best for the organization. We're not in a spot where we're coming off being deep into the playoffs in consecutive years. The team's missed the playoffs for three years, and the job is to return us there. So regardess of what that creates on the rumor front or anything like that, we're always looking for ways that can help propel the team back to where we want it to get to. So, that work doesn't really stop. There's been tons of discussions on a lot of our guys throughout the summer, but we also aren't just going to make deals to offload very key and important people in the organization and that have given a lot to the organization in their time. So, if the right return is there, we would at anything, and in the meantime, we're going to do everything we can to get the most out of those guys."
3. Dubas wants to execute this rebuild his way
Of course, Dubas wasn't leaving this presser without answering a question about agent Pat Brisson's remarks about his client, Sidney Crosby.
Josh Yohe of The Athletic posed a question about whether there was a possibility that Dubas and Brisson or Dubas and Crosby aren't on the same page about the rebuild and the urgency to compete again in the near-term.
"Shortcuts cut long runs short," Dubas said. "I didn't take from Pat's comments that he necessarily disagrees with where we're at. I talk to Pat daily, if not twice daily, about all of his clients on our team, which they have plenty and other goings on throughout the league.
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"I think he's entitled to make whatever comments he wishes, but all that said, we can't alter the course that we're on - which is to bring the team back into a team that can contend for the Stanley Cup year-in and year-out - because of what different media members may want, where they may want to see Sid play, different things of that nature. We have to focus on doing what's right for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and regardless of any sort of commentary or things that are said in the media, we can't change that. So, this is our sole focus. I knew when signing up for the job that this was liekly going to be a part of it, and this doesn't deter us from the job at hand."
Basically, Dubas has a plan, and he's sticking to it - whatever that is. He continued to emphasize that they want to return the team to contention as urgently as possible while also stressing that they're not going to put a timeline on anything.
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