Stanley Cup Champion Reveals What Kyle Dubas Must Trade for to Save Penguins' Playoff Hopes
Photo credit: Maple Leafs Hot Stove
A former Penguins forward and a 2-time Stanley Cup champion believes he knows what Pittsburgh GM Kyle Dubas should do to salvage the postseason.
Unless a miracle occurs, the Pittsburgh Penguins will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 3rd consecutive year, marking the longest drought of Sidney Crosby's career.
Crosby along with his longtime teammates Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are all on the wrong side of 35 years of age, and all signs point toward the beginnings of a painful rebuilding process similar to that of the pre-Crosby years.
One former 2-time Stanley Cup winner who was teammates with Crosby during his rookie year thinks he has the cure for what ails the Penguins.
Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Recchi thinks that general manager Kyle Dubas needs to add "one or two more physical defenseman" that can help them get back into championship contention sooner rather than later.
Just looking at Pittsburgh, I think with Sid still their captain and they got (Kris) Letang and some other older guys (Erik) Karlsson and Malkin. They're trying to get younger, quickly, it seems. I assume they would have a plan moving forward, trying to help, get back into a competitive team that is going to fight for a championship sooner than later.
I think overall depth, especially up front. I think on the back end, they could have used probably more physical-type guys. Maybe one or two more physical defensemen back there that can skate. I think overall depth is not where it needs to be to get to that spot.
During Pittsburgh's most recent Stanley Cup victories of 2016 and 2017, defensemen like Justin Schultz, Olli Maatta, Ian Cole and Ron Hainsey were mainstays on their blue line.
But currently, Pittsburgh's blue line consists of Letang, Erik Karlsson, and not much else.
Acquiring additional bonafide NHL defensemen could help the Penguins take a step forward under Dubas rather than continuing their backward trajectory.
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