Former NHL defenseman P.K. Subban’s comments on the Pittsburgh Penguins last weekend felt like a case of deja vu.
Speaking as an analyst on ESPN, Subban focused on the Penguins, who are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference and lost to the New York Rangers 5-3 on Sunday. And for the second time in two seasons, Subban aimed his criticism at Pittsburgh GM Kyle Dubas.
“There’s a lot of great, talented players in there,” Subban said of the Pens. “But this is a poorly built team, to me. They’re undersized, undermanned. They’re soft in every area. So they’re set up to fail. And to me, the way this team is built, it’s inexcusable. “
Subban also referenced captain Sidney Crosby.
“Crosby deserves way more than this,” Subban said Saturday. “At the level he’s playing at, where he’s at right now in his game, his career…this is not enough for Sidney Crosby. He needs a better team around him.”
Subban then named Dubas as being ultimately responsible when discussing what he believes is wrong with the Penguins, pointing his criticism squarely at the Pens GM.
“For me, it’s on Kyle Dubas,” Subban said. “If it’s a rebuild, then rebuild. If it’s not, then we’ve got to see better results on the ice. This is inexcusable for me.”
Subban’s comments echoed his words last year. At that time, he focused on Crosby playing on a subpar Penguins squad, once again ripping Dubas and Penguins management.
“It’s so disheartening to see Sidney Crosby like that,” Subban said last year. “He deserves better. I don’t think there’s enough accountability on management when it comes to these situations. He deserves an opportunity to play in the playoffs, and it’s on management to put the best team around him. I don’t think they did that this year. That’s a missed opportunity.”
To be sure, Dubas and the Penguins created quite the pickle right now.
Dubas has already made trades this season with an eye on the future – including dealing defenseman Marcus Pettersson and center Lars Eller and acquiring prospect Rutger McGroarty from Winnipeg. But because Dubas made those trades, he hasn’t moved the needle in a positive direction for Pittsburgh this season.
Now, another veteran, right winger Rickard Rakell, has surfaced as trade bait.
Trading Rakell won’t help Crosby, star center Evgeni Malkin and other Pens veterans get into a playoff position. In fact, it will do the opposite. And while that may be the right direction for Pittsburgh’s long-term future, it won’t do anything for Crosby other than make his last few NHL seasons as disappointing as the past few seasons have been for him.
Dubas’ team is basically stuck in a rough situation where he trades for the future and doesn’t give Crosby better teammates, tries to buy by trading away the future, or stands pat.
What is clear is the 2024-25 season is projected to be the Penguins’ worst since Crosby’s rookie season. Rather than getting better under Dubas, they’re going in the other direction.
For that reason, Subban was well within his rights to call out Dubas for the problems in Pittsburgh. And the longer the Pens struggle in the standings, the more criticisms like Subban’s will resonate with Penguins fans.
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