Penguins/NHL
Kyle Dubas with five years left on his contract and a belief in league circles he has an eye on other ventures through FSG’s massive networks down the road, has made it his top priority that the Penguins history is too rich to let them completely bottom out. Dubas has built up the draft pick war chest and the prospect base is improved with a number of players who project to be some sort of contributors. However, there is nothing in the system or on the roster that is going to move the needle significantly between now and the next year or so.
The Penguins internally, at least Chairman Tom Werner keeps portraying this message to close friend Pat Brisson as the two speak multiple times a month To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
It’s 2025 Free Agency.
Financially Pittsburgh’s ownership group can compete with the Rangers, Maple Leafs of the NHL in doing a $100 million dollar contract with $90-$92 million of it paid in signing bonuses. Under the Lemieux group that wasn’t feasible, but it now is under FSG.
At the end of the day the Penguins owe it to Sidney Crosby to try get him a new running mate where you no longer have to rely on a Sidney Crosby inching towards 40 years old being your best player anymore. Pittsburgh behind the scenes right now should be setting the stage like so many rival clubs are already doing in trying to get a seat at the table this summer for Mitch Marner or Mikko Rantanen.
Marner despite the Kyle Dubas connection is said to be a really tough sell. He likes the big city lights or would be drawn to the California beaches, sources say. Maybe Marner being sold on being the man for years to come could be a major selling point + less taxes/cost of living than staying in Canada or signing in New York/California, but Mikko Rantanen is regarded in league circles as being a different story.
Indications are his camp plans to push a $14 million+ a year price tag and will be willing To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! You’re not going to get a star through the draft like Rantanen unless you pick #1 down the road and acquiring a Marner or Rantanen type via trade sometime down the road would also crush your prospect/draft pick system. Getting a seat at the table which would mean a willingness to do a 7 year, $100 Million deal and Pittsburgh should consider it as the price of doing business. Despite the fact you would be signing Rantanen for Age 29 through compared to Age 28 through for Marner, few are in this league with a 6-4, 215 frame as skilled and dynamic as Rantanen who is absolutely not just a product of the Avalanche’s free-wheeling system.
Penguins GM Kyle Dubas has often liked to use the Rangers retool in the late 2010’s as an example of what he’s trying to build in Pittsburgh. If you want to accomplish that you have to go out and get your Artemi Panarin like the Rangers did in free agency. That type of talent is never coming to Pittsburgh via trade with the system Pittsburgh currently has…….To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
