Penguins Perspectives: Dubas's last all-in bet paid off, now it's time for another
Welcome to Penguins Perspectives, a weekly column by KDKA-TV Digital Producer Patrick Damp. Each Friday, Patrick will talk about the week that was, the week to come, what to watch for, and more.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - We begin this week's Penguins Perspectives with a caveat - a column is nothing more than just a snapshot in time. As quickly as things can improve, they can fall apart just as fast.
That said, it's been just about a month - 11 games - since Kyle Dubas issued his self-imposed deadline to decide whether or not this team will be going for it this season.
On December 11 during his media availability, he essentially said that the NHL All-Star Break is when he will decide what direction to take his team.
"When we get through the All-Star break, and on the other side of that, we'll have a better idea of what we are as a group and where we need to go," Dubas said.
While that was him letting us know he's still evaluating this team, it was also something of a challenge to his club.
Prior to his press conference that day, the Penguins were mired in mediocrity. They had lost 4 straight, including back-to-back losses to the Philadelphia Flyers, and 3-4-3 in the 10 games leading up to it.
The power play was in the midst of its historic funk.
Things were bleak.
Since then, the Penguins have answered the bell.
They're in the middle of an 8-2-1 stretch since, and while a rough loss to the Capitals briefly set back their climb up the standings, they responded with a gut-check kind of victory against the NHL-leading Boston Bruins.
The roster has spoken loud and clear.
They want to and can make a run in the Eastern Conference this season. That's also not much of a compliment of the Penguins as it is an indictment on the weakness of the conference itself.
Outside of the aforementioned Bruins and the New York Rangers, all of four points separate the Penguins from seventh place in the Metropolitan Division and second place.
It's a season where the cliche "just get in and see what happens" absolutely applies.
A playoff spot is there for the taking, especially with how this team stacks up.
They've got the ninth-best goal differential in all situations with a +14, their penalty kill is still tenth in the league, and when you dig into the advanced numbers, they're a top-tier team. They control more than half of the shot attempts at 5-on-5, and they have the seventh-best expected goals percentage at 5-on-5.
Add in the fact that Sidney Crosby is once again completely defying Father Time, you get a season that could turn into something special.
So, what does all of that tell us?
While they may not be a Stanley Cup contender, but they're certainly contenders in the East.
Of course, Dubas's evaluation of his team might not be done in his mind yet, but it very much should be.
This team is missing one thing and that is goal-scoring.
The last couple of games have seen the depth finally chipping in with the likes of Jeff Carter, Drew O'Connor, Lars Eller, and Noel Acciari chipping in, they need one more goal-scorer.
Who that is, well, that's a more difficult question to answer. Most of the top goal-scorers in the league right now are on Stanley Cup contenders or teams pushing for a playoff spot.
However, once the All-Star Break comes and goes, it's on Dubas to determine what team falling out of the race has assets to spend. The Penguins don't have many trade chips to give, and they may have to part with someone you like, but as we saw this summer - Dubas has both the will and creativity to swing big deals.
Any draft pick over the next two years should be on the table. Any player in the system under 25 should also be up for discussion.
The time is now, and if Kyle Dubas is true to his word that he's betting on this team's coach and core, now would be a great time to push his chips all in.