Erik Karlsson Makes Penguins Stanley Cup Contenders
Kyle Dubas's vision has the Pittsburgh Penguins quickly back in the Stanley Cup contention.
The Pittsburgh Penguins made the biggest splash of the offseason when they acquired three-time Norris Trophy winner and future Hall-of-Famer Erik Karlsson. After focusing on retooling the bottom six forward corps, recently self-promoted general manager Kyle Dubas took the biggest swing of his executive career. After years of pursuing Karlsson as GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Dubas finally acquired the defender who long alluded him. The move was a huge one for the Penguins, marking a dramatic changing of the guard and catapulting them from down and out to back in the hunt.
Dubas' Team
Remember where this team was on May 1? They were directionless, stale, slow, and fading into the twilight. Two months later, and this team has gone from dead in the water to legit Stanley Cup contenders thanks to Dubas' overhaul. The bottom six forward group has gone from mediocre to solid, their top four defenders are equal with the best in the league, their goaltending has vastly improved depth, and the top of their lineup remains potent as ever.
Like it or not, the Penguins have been radically changed under Dubas' direction, and the direction they are heading in is a fast-tempo, intense forechecking one. The trade for Karlsson solidified that and made it clear this team will play a drastically different style come this season. Not just because of his speed on the ice and with the puck, but because of the players Dubas shipped out in the process.
Shedding Dead Weight
Trading for Karlsson is the most impressive aspect of this trade, and that is not up for debate. It cannot be overstated how encouraging and motivating acquiring a superstar player can be for a sputtering team. But, what Dubas also accomplished by trading for Karlsson was something every contending team executive hopes to do: shed unwanted contracts. Dubas didn't just shed bad contracts, he offloaded all of the team's worst and slightly bad contracts in one fell swoop.
While Jan Rutta was a capable defenseman, he was overpaid in his third pairing role and is owed his cap hit for another two seasons. Similarly, Jeff Petry was nowhere close to a $6 million defenseman at this point in his career. Casey DeSmith is an above average back-up goaltender, but the depth behind him made his cap hit a luxurious one. And last and certainly least, the albatross contract strapped to Mikael Granlund was sent out as well.
Put it all together, and the sleepy Penguins are suddenly awake. Karlsson adds another dimension of skill, savvy, and playmaking ability that the organization and fanbase hasn't seen since Paul Coffey. Boasting a top four defense that includes both he and Kris Letang, along with a forward lineup possessing nine 12+ goal scorers, and a two-time all-star goaltender hungry for a bounce back campaign, and Dubas has swiftly and aggressively re-designed this team from a pretender to a contender.
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