May 12, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights right wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) scores on a shot against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period of game five of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
LAS VEGAS — Pavel Dorofeyev scored his second goal of the game at 4:10 of overtime to give Vegas a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night, moving the Golden Knights a victory away from advancing to the Western Conference final.
Game 6 of the second-round series is Thursday night at Anaheim.
The Golden Knights can reach the conference final for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2023. Anaheim, making its first playoff appearance in eight years, will try force a Game 7 back in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Tomas Hertl had gone 29 games going back to the regular season without a goal, but now has two in two games. He also had the primary assist on Dorofeyev’s power-play goal in the first period. Jack Eichel had two assists, including the primary one on the winner.
Carter Hart stopped 34 shots.
Ducks defenseman Olen Zellweger scored his first career playoff goal from the left circle to tie it at 2 with 3:05 left in regulation. Beckett Sennecke extended his goals streak to four games with a power-play score. Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier each has two assists and Lukas Dostal made 29 saves.
Ducks center Ryan Poehling was helped off the ice after being checked hard into the boards by Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb nearly midway through the first period. McNabb received a five-minute major for interference and was sent to the dressing room with a game misconduct, costing the Golden Knights a first-pair blue liner.
The Ducks got a goal off the power play when Sennecke scored off a rebound. Dorofeyev answered after taking the puck from Chris Kreider, shifting to the slot and snapping a shot past Dostal.
Hertl’s rebound goal at 4:48 of the third period nearly stood up before Zellweger took advantage of extended offensive zone time to force extra play.
MONTREAL (AP) — Zach Benson broke a tie on a third-period power play on his 21st birthday and the Buffalo Sabres beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Tuesday night in Game 4 to even the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Benson took a pass in the slot from Josh Doan, kicked the puck to his stick and put a backhander past goalie Jakub Dobes at 4:41 of the third. The goal came with Jake Evans off for holding Peyton Krebs.
Game 5 is Thursday night in Buffalo, with Game 6 in Montreal on Saturday night. The series winner will face Carolina in the Eastern Conference final. The Hurricanes swept both of their series.
Tage Thompson tied it for Buffalo in the second period with a fluke goal and also had an assist. Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson opened the scoring and Doan had two assists.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen replaced Alex Lyon in goal after the Sabres dropped Games 2 and 3, making 28 saves in his first action since being pulled in the third period of a Game 2 loss to Boston in the first round.
Alex Newhook and Cole Caufield scored for Montreal. Dobes stopped 19 shots.
GOLDEN KNIGHTS 3, DUCKS 2, OT
LAS VEGAS (AP) —Pavel Dorofeyev scored his second goal of the game at 4:10 of overtime to give Vegas a victory over Anaheim, moving the Golden Knights a victory away from advancing to the Western Conference final.
Game 6 of the second-round series is Thursday night at Anaheim.
The Golden Knights can reach the conference final for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2023. Anaheim, making its first playoff appearance in eight years, will try force a Game 7 back in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Tomas Hertl had gone 29 games going back to the regular season without a goal, but now has two in two games. He also had the primary assist on Dorofeyev’s power-play goal in the first period. Jack Eichel had two assists, including the primary one on the winner.
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Pavel Dorofeyev, right, celebrates with teammates after scoring a game-winning goal against the Ducks Tuesday in Las Vegas. (Candice Ward / Associated Press)
The Ducks are a loss away from summer after Pavel Dorofeyev scored 4:10 into overtime, giving the Vegas Golden Knights a 3-2 victory in Game 5 of the teams’ second-round playoff series Tuesday. Dorofeyev, who also scored on a power play in the first period, batted a Jack Eichel pass just inside the left post to end the longest game of the series.
With the win, Vegas leads the best-of-seven series three games to two heading into Game 6 on Thursday in Anaheim, where the Ducks’ season could end.
The Ducks’ Beckett Sennecke and Dorofeyev exchanged power-play goals in the first period while the Golden Knights' Tomas Hertl and Anaheim’s Olen Zellweger scored in the third, with Zellweger’s goal with 3:05 to play sending the game to overtime.
Anaheim struck first, with Sennecke opening the scoring midway through the first period. But the goal proved costly since the Ducks traded the score for forward Ryan Poehling, who took a vicious hit from defenseman Brayden McNabb along the boards nine minutes into the game. McNabb drew a five-minute interference penalty and a 10-minute game misconduct on the play, allowing Sennecke to bang in his second power-play goal in as many games 3 ½ minutes later.
It was Sennecke’s fifth score of the playoffs and the third power-play goal in five tries allowed by Vegas’ once-formidable penalty kill but the Ducks lost Poehling for the night.
Two minutes later, Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal, who arguably played his best game of the series, made a big play to preserve the lead, reaching out to take the puck off the stick of Vegas winger Mitch Marner at the end of a breakaway. Pavel Mintyukov was whistled for slashing at the end of the play, however, giving Vegas a power play of its own and Dorofeyev quickly converted, scoring on a wrist shot from between the circles for his second man-advantage goal in as many games.
Eichel got an assist on the tying goal, his league-leading 13th of the playoffs.
Vegas would later go down a man as well, losing Dorofeyev for much of the second period after he was drilled by a Jackson LaCombe slap shot. The Russian was attended to by a trainer, then helped to the bench but he returned to the ice just before the second intermission and would up winning the game.
The Ducks peppered Vegas goalie Carter Hart with 17 shots in a scoreless second period that saw the Golden Knights go nearly eight minutes without putting the puck on goal.
Vegas was more active in the opening minutes of the third period and that paid off when Hertl corraled a loose puck just outside the crease and whacked it by Dostal to put the Golden Knights in front. The play started with defenseman Rasmus Andersson firing the puck on goal from the right-wing boards following a faceoff. Dostal made the stop but the rebound hit the skate of Ducks defenseman Ian Moore and bounced to Hertl, who nudged it into the net as he tumbled to the ice.
Zellweger, given a ton of space inside the left circle, evened the score by lining a wrist shot over Hart’s left shoulder and off the crossbar late in the period. Zellweger made his playoff debut in Game 4 and contributed an assist before scoring his first postseason goal.
The finalists for the annual Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year award were announced on Tuesday, and somehow, Pittsburgh Penguins president/general manager Kyle Dubas wasn't one of them.
All three have done a great job with their respective teams, but it's still crazy that Dubas wasn't even a nominee for this award after the work he did over the last year to turn the Penguins from what many expected to be a bottom-five team into a playoff team.
For starters, he hired Dan Muse as head coach after the 2024-25 season ended, and it's already been one heck of a hire. He did an outstanding job with the veterans and the younger players, while the special teams units were also fantastic. Muse was eventually named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award.
Switching gears a little bit, basically all of the roster moves that Dubas made last summer and during the 2025-26 season were home runs. He signed Anthony Mantha to a one-year "prove it" deal, and he went on to have the best season of his career, compiling 33 goals and 64 points. Yes, he didn't play well in the playoffs, but it was still a great signing.
Justin Brazeau and Parker Wotherspoon were also brought in on cheap deals during free agency last summer and, like Mantha, had their best individual seasons. Brazeau lit the league on fire to start the season and finished with 17 goals and 34 points in 64 games.
Wotherspoon was a great fit on the top defensive pair with Erik Karlsson and was the Penguins' most reliable defenseman on the left side. He was strong in his own zone and was also one of their most physical players.
Penguins president/general manager Kyle Dubas. Photo credit: Kelsey Surmacz, The Hockey News
Dubas traded for goaltender Arturs Silovs from the Vancouver Canucks and only gave up forward Chase Stillman and a fourth-round pick. Silovs was up-and-down during the regular season, but lived up to his name as a big-game goalie in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
He drafted Ben Kindel, who went on to have a better rookie season than anyone expected, finishing with 17 goals and 35 points. Bill Zonnon is also on the way after scoring his first AHL goal on Tuesday, and Will Horcoff had a strong freshman season for the University of Michigan.
Goaltender Tristan Jarry got off to a solid start with the Penguins this season, winning nine of the 14 games he played. He was still in the third year of a five-year contract, making $5.375 million per season, and Dubas still found a way to get out of the deal. He shipped Jarry and forward Sam Poulin to the Edmonton Oilers for fellow goaltender Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second-round pick.
Skinner was serviceable for the Penguins down the stretch and into the playoffs. Kulak was playing solid with Letang before he was later flipped to the Avalanche for fellow defenseman Sam Girard and a 2028 second-round pick. Girard was up-and-down with the Penguins after the trade and will have an opportunity to show more once the 2026-27 season starts in October. Overall, it's still tidy business by Dubas.
How about sending a second-round pick, a third-round pick, and forward Danton Heinen to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Egor Chinakhov? Chinakhov needed a change of scenery and fit the Penguins like a glove, compiling 18 goals and 36 points in 43 games after the trade. He was fantastic with Evgeni Malkin and Tommy Novak and is set to get a new contract this summer.
Elmer Soderblom was acquired by Dubas just before the trade deadline and was a great fit in the bottom six. He racked up five goals and 10 points in 20 games after coming over from the Detroit Red Wings, using all of his 6'8 frame to his advantage. His board play was also impressive, as was his ability to protect the puck.
Soderblom is expected to be a mainstay in the Penguins' bottom six next season and potentially future seasons as well.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins got off to a great start in their Atlantic Division Final series against the Springfield Thunderbirds on Tuesday.
WBS won Game 1 2-0, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series against Springfield. The game was scoreless heading into the second period before Penguins prospect Bill Zonnon scored his first AHL goal in his first AHL game.
Zonnon got the puck right by the left circle and cut to the net with a beautiful backhand move to make it 1-0 almost halfway through the second period.
The move showcased his net-front ability, which I think is the most underrated aspect of his game.
WBS took a 1-0 lead into the third period and got a huge insurance goal from Tanner Howe with 12:41 left in the final frame. Howe came in on a breakaway and fired the puck top shelf, making it a 2-0 game.
— x - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) May 13, 2026
WBS was able to defend very well for the rest of the period, and goaltender Sergei Murashov also stood tall to record his first shutout of the playoffs. Murashov is locked in right now and is seeing the puck really well, while also doing a great job with his rebound control. His confidence is very high.
Defenseman Harrison Brunicke had another stellar game and was a force in all three zones. He continues to drive play offensively and defend his own zone really well.
Game 2 between WBS and Springfield is set for a 7:05 p.m. ET puck drop on Thursday.
Defenseman Brayden McNabb was tossed from the May 12 game, 9 minutes into the first period, when he was slapped with a 5-minute major and game misconduct for a hit that left the Ducks' Ryan Poehling seemingly in a daze.
McNabb, who has been on the Golden Knights since their inaugural 2017-18 season, was called for interference after he slammed Poehling into the boards shortly after the puck had exited his vicinity. Poehling struggled to get up, eventually rolling onto his back as he was attended to by a trainer. He eventually got to his feet and skated off the ice with considerable assistance from defensemen John Carlson and Jacob Trouba.
Ryan Poehling needed assistance getting off the ice after a big hit from Brayden McNabb. pic.twitter.com/Sn9d3ql2HQ
The Ducks will be without Poehling for the rest of the game. He's been ruled out with an "upper-body injury." The Golden Knights will have to play the rest of Game 5 with five defensemen.
Beckett Sennecke scored during the 5-minute power play to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead.
Brayden McNabb has been assessed a 5-minute major and a game misconduct for this hit on Ryan Poehling 😬
Poehling needed assistance getting off the ice and has gone to the locker room 🤕 pic.twitter.com/hhHsqZlpzB
MONTREAL, CANADA- MAY 12: Zach Benson #6 of the Buffalo Sabres celebrates after scoring a goal during the third period of Game Four of the Second Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres at the Bell Centre on May 12, 2026 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Matt Garies/NHLI via Getty Images)
NHLI via Getty Images
MONTREAL — Zach Benson broke a tie on a third-period power play on his 21st birthday and the Buffalo Sabres beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Tuesday night in Game 4 to even the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Benson took a pass in the slot from Josh Doan, kicked the puck to his stick and put a backhander past goalie Jakub Dobes at 4:41 of the third. The goal came with Jake Evans off for holding Peyton Krebs.
Game 5 is Thursday night in Buffalo, with Game 6 in Montreal on Saturday night. The series winner will face Carolina in the Eastern Conference final. The Hurricanes swept both of their series.
Tage Thompson tied it for Buffalo in the second period with a fluke goal and also had an assist. Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson opened the scoring and Doan had two assists.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen replaced Alex Lyon in goal after the Sabres dropped Games 2 and 3, making 28 saves in his first action since being pulled in the third period of a Game 2 loss to Boston in the first round.
Alex Newhook and Cole Caufield scored for Montreal. Dobes stopped 19 shots.
Thompson tied it at 2 on four-minute power play seven minutes into the second when his dump-in from just over center ice deflected off the glass in the left corner to the crease and bounced in off Dobes’ right leg. Montreal’s Alexandre Carrier was called for the double minor after high-sticking and cutting Rasmus Dahlin.
The Canadiens failed to take advantage of a four-minute power play of their own after Bowen Byram was sent off for high-sticking Alexandre Texier late in the second period. Montreal was 1 for 7 on the power play.
Buffalo opened the scoring on Samuelsson’s goal at 6:32 of the first period, and appeared it make it 2-0 1:30 later when a video review confirmed Jack Quinn’s shot crossed the goal line inside Dobes’ glove, However, Montreal successfully challenged for goalie interference on Konsta Helenius.
Newhook then tied it at 1 with 9:52 left in the first with his fifth goal of the series and sixth of the playoffs. Caufield gave the Canadiens the lead with 13 seconds to go in the period, beating Luukkonen from close range on a power play.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 01: Charlie McAvoy #73 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Buffalo Sabres in Game Six of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on May 01, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The NHL announced on Tuesday evening that Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy will be suspended for the first six games of next season, the result of a slash on Buffalo’s Zach Benson in Game 6 of the Bruins-Sabres series.
McAvoy was given a major and a game misconduct on the play in real time, with that play occurring with less than 90 seconds left in the Bruins’ season-ending loss.
From the NHL:
(I didn’t know the league still made these “look, here’s how we reached this conclusion” explainer videos, but they’re as weird as they’ve ever been.)
Regardless of the colors you support, there’s really no way you can argue that McAvoy didn’t deserve some kind of supplemental discipline, as you simply can’t swing your stick at an opponent like that.
Sure, Benson deserved something for slew footing McAvoy prior to the incident, but you can’t retaliate by chopping down with your stick.
The sticking point from a Bruins perspective will be that the length of the suspension seems completely arbitrary, in keeping with NHL tradition.
Consider, for example, this play by Alex Pietrangelo:
That play came with an identical scoreline and pretty much the same amount of time left on the clock, and Pietrangelo was suspended for one playoff game.
I guess you could argue that at the NHL Currency Exchange, one playoff game = six regular season games, but who knows?
It’s a fool’s errand to try to get inside George Parros & Co’s collective brain and understand how they arrive at whatever conclusion, and it also feels a little silly to complain about the length of the suspension when it’s obvious McAvoy needed to get something.
Regardless, McAvoy will now miss around 7% of next season for the B’s.
McAvoy had been suspended twice prior to this incident, both times for checks to the head (one against Josh Anderson, then with the Blue Jackets, in the 2019 playoffs and one against Oliver Ekman-Larsson, then with the Panthers, during the 2023-2024 regular season).
There was already going to be plenty of juice in the first Bruins-Sabres match-up of next season, so this will only add fuel to the fire.
If nothing else, at least this news ties up the last remaining loose end from this past season for the Bruins.
Plus, now McAvoy has some extra time to get all of his dental work done. There’s always a bright side, right?
BUFFALO, NEW YORK - APRIL 28: Charlie McAvoy #73 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Buffalo Sabres in Game Five of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at KeyBank Center on April 28, 2026 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)
NHLI via Getty Images
NEW YORK — Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy has been suspended for the first six games of next season for slashing Buffalo’s Zach Benson.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced the ruling Tuesday after holding an in-person hearing at league headquarters in New York on Monday. That gave senior VP of player safety George Parros and Co. the option to suspend McAvoy for six or more games.
McAvoy was ejected for his retaliatory two-handed slash to the right arm of Benson, who seconds earlier tripped him and sent him crashing into the boards. The league called it a “dangerous trip” that was penalized.
The incident came with under two minutes left in the Sabres’ series-clinching victory in the first round of the playoffs on May 1, with the Bruins on the verge of being eliminated.
Having successfully dispatched the Manitoba Moose in the AHL Central Division Semifinal series, the Grand Rapids Griffins are now gearing up for their impending matchup against the Chicago Wolves.
It marks their first playoff matchup since the 2019 Central Division Semifinals, in which the Wolves won three games to two in a best-of-five.
Meanwhile, thanks to the elimination of the Providence Bruins, the Griffins are now the lone division champion remaining in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
The full schedule for the upcoming series, which begins on Thursday, has been released by the Griffins.
-Game 1: Thursday, May 14, 7 p.m. at Grand Rapids (Van Andel Arena)
-Game 2: Saturday, May 16, 7 p.m. at Grand Rapids (Van Andel Arena)
-Game 3: Tuesday, May 19, 8 p.m. at Chicago (Allstate Arena)
-Game 4 (if nec.): Thursday, May 21, 8 p.m. at Chicago (Allstate Arena)
-Game 5 (if nec.): Saturday, May 23, 7 p.m. at Grand Rapids (Van Andel Arena)
It was the Griffins who dispatched the Moose on Friday evening thanks to a two-goal performance by forward Carter Mazur, whom the Detroit Red Wings selected with the 70th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Goaltender Michal Postava continued his impressive run, picking up the victory after making 19 saves. So far in the Calder Cup Playoffs, Postava has posted a sparkling 1.25 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage with one shutout.
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On Tuesday, the NHL announced the three finalists for the 2025-26 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award, which is presented annually to recognize the league’s top general manager.
Included in the nominees is a name that fans of the Detroit Red Wings are very familiar with.
Former NHL forward Pat Verbeek, who played 135 games in a Red Wings uniform from 1999 through 2001 and later served as assistant general manager under Steve Yzerman, is up for the award thanks to his work as GM with the Anaheim Ducks.
Also included were Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin, who acquired defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks in a bold mid-December trade, along with Colorado Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland.
Announcing the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award finalists... 🏆 #NHLAwards
This award is presented annually to recognize the work of the top general manager in the NHL. pic.twitter.com/2Z45rPNabJ
Guerin also served as general manager for Team USA during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, resulting in the first gold medal victory since the 1980 Miracle on Ice.
Verbeek served under Yzerman as assistant GM of the Red Wings from 2019 through 2022, and was also assistant GM and Director of Player Personnel under Yzerman with the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2012 through 2019, as well as their Director of Professional Scouting.
Prior to that, he worked as a pro scout with the Red Wings from 2006 to 2010.
He was named GM of the Ducks in February 2022 and has stockpiled some of the most exciting young talent in the NHL, along with a solid mix of veteran players.
Last season, the Ducks improved by 21 points, along with another 12 point improvement this season.
They won their first Stanley Cup Playoff series since 2017, and are two victories away from a berth in the Western Conference Final.
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The Anaheim Ducks face the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 of their second-round NHL playoff series. Anaheim tied the series 2-2 with a 4-3 victory in Game 4. Vegas is favored by 1.5 goals in Game 5. The total is set at 6 goals.
How to watch Anaheim Ducks vs. Vegas Golden Knights
The Buffalo Sabres will try to even their second-round playoff series with the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal won Games 2 and 3 to take a 2-1 lead in the series. The Canadiens are favored by 1.5 goals in Game 4.
How to watch Buffalo Sabres vs. Montreal Canadiens
The Chicago Blackhawks have the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft after falling two spots in the draft lottery.
There is hope that Ivar Stenberg, a perfect fit for the rebuilding Blackhawks, falls to them at four. Most assume that Gavin McKenna will be taken by the Toronto Maple Leafs first overall, but it is the San Jose Sharks who must comply for Stenberg to end up wearing Blackhawks red.
One of those teams is the San Jose Sharks, who jumped up from nine to claim the second overall pick via the lottery. That bit of luck gives them options for this draft. They need defense help when it comes to long-term prospects.
Given that, will they take Chase Reid, Keaton Verhoeff, or Carson Carels? If they do, and the Vancouver Canucks take Caleb Malhotra, that leaves Stenberg for Chicago. Some believe that Vancouver would pass on Stenberg in favor of Malhotra for a variety of reasons, including the fact that he's a true center, his father is their AHL affiliate's coach, and his game matches a need for them as an organization more.
Taking a defender second overall would be a reach for the Sharks. It's just a slight reach, but a reach nonetheless. They could consider moving down a handful of spots and still get one of their defensemen while adding more assets to their organization from the team trading up.
The Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, and Calgary Flames are all candidates to consider a move for San Jose's pick. If it isn't Chicago, it could throw a major curveball at Kyle Davidson.
One of New York or Calgary would almost certainly take Stenberg if Toronto takes McKenna. San Jose probably isn't dropping below six either, so they can ensure they get one of the top defenders.
If the Sharks were to move out of the top two and it wasn't Chicago moving into it, they wouldn't get any of McKenna, Stenberg, or Malhotra, the three players they could use the most. At that point, if they didn't trade down themselves, they'd be taking a defenseman as well.
Don't count out the Blackhawks being the team that moves into the second overall pick either, though. They have the assets needed to make a move up like that. Not only can they offer San Jose the chance to move back just two spots, which is the prime spot for them to take a defenseman, along with other high-level draft picks and defensive-minded prospects.
Every team ahead of Chicago is a Wild Card at this point in time, but the San Jose Sharks begin the true intrigue as the draft draws closer.
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Given the expectations for the 2025-26 Pittsburgh Penguins heading into the regular season, the fact that general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas could include playoff discourse as part of his season-ending press conference Tuesday at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry says a lot about what he is building organizationally.
And it looks like the next steps forward are coming into focus as well.
Even though the team made tangible progress this season, Dubas stressed that there is still a "long way to go" for the Penguins to be Stanley Cup contenders to the likes of the Colorado Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens, and others. But, that said, he feels as though it's on him to deliver on that next stage in the process.
"I thought we were a good team, and at times we flirted with becoming very good, but ultimately, we are still well short of where we aspire to be, which is a contender," Dubas said. "That falls on me, and the work to push to get us there will continue."
He added: "Have we made progress? I’d say yes, we have. Are we where we want to be and aspire to be? No, not even close. And the work has continued since the minute that our season has ended and will continue through the summer. That’s what we’ll aim for is to continue to deliver contending championship hockey back to Pittsburgh."
1. Dubas is high on the prospect pool they've put together so far
Half of the press conference consisted of Dubas gushing about the prospects the Penguins already have in their system, many of which the organization believes have bright futures with the Penguins.
I did ask Dubas about - despite the discourse that core talent is usually obtained by selecting high in the draft - whether or not he believes some future pieces of a potential "core" are, indeed, already in their system.
"When it comes to the high end, you look throughout the league now, and everyone here knows it because that's what the Pittsburgh Penguins have always been about: the Penguins have always had high-end talent," Dubas said. "Obviously, there's two very notable first-overall picks, but then it's supplemented by players picked later in the first round or deeper into the draft.
"We have to find it any way that we can. That could be through trade, it could be in free agency, [or in] finding a player that goes undervalued and we're able to get more out of."
But, despite that, he gave some rave reviews for some of the top prospects in the system.
Dubas also touched on defenseman Harrison Brunicke and the progress he's made since training camp. He stressed that they believe his development plan - which included off-ice conditioning, five pre-season games, nine NHL games, five AHL games, and the World Junior Championship before ultimately being sent back to the WHL - ended up working out well for him. He is also impressed that Brunicke is playing on the top pairing for WBS during the Calder Cup Playoffs and that he has been tasked with some of the toughest minutes.
"He can play center, he can play wing. He's been a part of teams that always seem to be winning. He's deeply committed to doing all the small things," Dubas said. "The best thing I've heard in the last couple of weeks is that the American League staff, they told Amanda Kessel that they went to show him the systems on intake when he got there last week after his team had lost in Game 7 to Moncton. And he had been watching every game and studying the systems, and he knew them all himself.
"So it's those types of small, little intangible things that fuel the size, the skating, the habits, the ability to carry the puck, create offense, get to the net."
Clearly, Dubas is happy with the pool of young talent that the Penguins already possess - even if he knows there is more work ahead to pull in big talent.
2. The Penguins still have some work to do in order to become Stanley Cup contenders... but, no, they're not "tearing it down"
One of the biggest points of emphasis in this press conference was the fact that - again - despite the progress the Penguins made this season by making the playoffs and proving they are a "good team," they're still pretty far off from being Stanley Cup contenders.
And a major part of that, Dubas said, is that they have to improve defensively - and that they intend to address that this summer.
"When we’re looking at the group as we transition moving ahead, I think, as a whole, defensively, we still continue to give up a lot both in terms of what we’re expected to give up and in terms of what we actually gave up," Dubas said. "Both were in the bottom-10 in the league, and it was a massive topic amongst [head coach Dan Muse] and me throughout the year, but more importantly in the last couple of weeks since we’ve been out. And it is the major focus as we head into the offseason.
"Really, it’s the area that we have to improve upon the most if we’re going to continue to make strides and push the team back into being a contender."
Sam Girard (front) and Kris Letang are two blueliners with uncertain futures heading into next season for the Penguins. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
"You look at all the other teams around the division, and you measure yourself up against them day in and day out," Dubas said. "Carolina, they're obviously the class of the division right now, they won the division by 15 or 16 points, and they haven't lost a playoff game. We're not close to that, so that's what we have to push to get to be at that stage where they're at, going to the Eastern Conference Final. They've obviously been at it for a long time now, 10-plus years.
"But that's what we have to work to get to. And until we get to that point — and I think even when you get there, you're happy only for a few minutes and then you start to worry about what's coming up behind."
So, if they're still that far off of contention, it makes sense to sell off veterans and go younger now, right? Well, not necessarily. And that brings us to the final point of emphasis from Dubas's presser.
There were multiple references in this press conference to Dubas heavily exploring the trade market this summer. Sure, he mentioned deals in the "Chinakhov mold," which definitely makes sense for where they're at and where they want to go. Those options would be more cost-effective, even if there is inherent risk.
But that's not the only thing he said. And there is one portion that stood out in particular:
“I think what we really lack are those players in their later 20s that are really true difference makers. Or mid-20s, late 20s, that are true difference makers," Dubas said. "I think if you’re one of those players that’s a free agent or your situation in your spot is not going well and you have some control, you can look at us and see very clearly that you’re going to be supported by a great coaching staff that gets the most out of players. But you’ll also have young players that are going to push from behind and older players that are going to set the tone.
“I think Pittsburgh, for all that it is as a city, a sports city, it’s a great place to play, a great place to grow and have a family. But also, I think in terms of the sporting side, for us on the hockey side, I think it should be one of, if not the most, appealing places to any player that has a choice in those matters. We’ll investigate all those as we go into the summer."
I don't know about you, but that sure sounds like a sales pitch to me.
And with some bigger names who fit that mold rumored to, potentially, be on the trade block this summer - such as Stars superstar Jason Robertson (26 years old), Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews (28), St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas (26), and Stars defenseman Thomas Harley (24) - could Dubas and the Penguins be pitching to those guys directly?
It's quite possible, and the Penguins have plenty of draft capital, cap space, and tradeable assets to work with. They would have to build out quite a big package in comparison to those other teams, but in the end, they have flexibility in terms of "tacking on" in trade packages that other organizations don't.
Dubas is confident in the young players the Penguins are already developing. But he recognizes that returning to sustainable contention will require both homegrown talent and the willingness to swing big when opportunity arises.
"I think if we're going to take really big steps next year that [are] sustainable, it's going to be by using the cap space that we have, but [also] the assets that we have, the draft picks, the prospects, etc, to go and acquire somebody," Dubas said. "Is that going to be possible? We're sure going to find out. But I'm being open with you because that's the path ahead.
"We don't have a mirage in our view, in the office, that next year all these young guys are going to magically all hit. They're prospects for a reason. Some of them are going to reach their potential. Some of them are going to go beyond their potential. But you don't know if some of them are. We've amassed a good quantity there. We have to see which ones can develop into true quality guys, and then we have to use that to just supplement, really, on the proven players in their mid 20s, late 20s, that we know what we're getting. I think that's the area where we'll be able to take steps."
In conclusion: Buckle up, Penguins' fans. This could be a pretty fun summer.
