There were a lot of nuggets to pull from Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas's end-of-season press conference on Monday.
And he had a few messages for some individual players, including a pretty strong one for one of his star players.
Dubas was asked about the season that defenseman Erik Karlsson had and what kind of role he can play in getting the team back to where it needs to be moving forward, which included the context of Karlsson expressing disappointment and frustration about missing the playoffs again on locker cleanout day Friday.
Karlsson had also acknowledged on Friday that he "wanted it to work in Pittsburgh" and that he and his family were happy. Dubas took some time to point out how almost every player, in their exit interview, enjoys their time in Pittsburgh and with the organization.
"This team has missed the playoffs three years in a row, and so I start to get this inner anxiety and fear when you aren't performing at a high level and people still say that, you're at the risk of complacency and stagnation setting in," Dubas said. "That's not to say that we need to stop doing things that way on the outside. I think it's just we just have to get back to increasing our level of expectation to get players to feel that, if that makes sense.
"Erik, I think is, and will forever be, a polarizing figure. I don't know his exact comments that he made. My view would be that we expect him to be one of the people that pulls us from where we're at and into contention. I had a long meeting with Erik on Friday. My push to him would be that his actions have to match his ambitions. That's in consistency, preparation, training like every other player on the team."
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These words to Karlsson were not only pretty strong, but they also present a challenge to the 34-year-old blueliner, who was brought to Pittsburgh in a mammoth trade during the summer of 2023 to try to give the Penguins a last-ditch shot at contention fresh off missing the playoffs for the first time in 17 years.
Karlsson was Dubas's first big move, and it goes without saying that it's largely been a mixed bag in the two seasons since. Although Karlsson has been their most productive defenseman in that time - he's registered 22 goals and 109 points during his Penguins' tenure - he's also prone to defensive lapses and inconsistencies that leave a lot to be desired.
While those inconsistencies are certainly evident, Dubas knows that Karlsson is a true difference-maker when he's on his game. He also knows that Karlsson's inconsistencies are synonymous with the rest of the team's.
Because of this, he's confident that the Penguins can get more out of the future hall-of-fame defenseman and that he can get back to the high level that he's displayed at different times this season.
"I think he's shown throughout the year that he has another level to him, at times playing for us, certainly playing for Sweden in the 4 Nations Face-Off," Dubas said. "He was a player that you would watch and say, 'This guy can help any team, not only contend but probably win.'
"It's emblematic of the rest of the group as well. There were moments of great play with too many inconsistent. We have to push him to get there. That's the expectation that's dicatated by his talent level and the impact he can make. It's a joint venture. So, yes, some of it is on the team. Part of it is on Erik. We have to find our way through."
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