While Kyle Dubas made it abundantly clear he wasn’t speaking in certainties, he informed reporters Monday afternoon how long Jake Guentzel is expected to be sidelined.
Speaking from UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, the Penguins’ president of hockey operations and general manager projected that Guentzel, who underwent surgery on his right ankle Aug. 2, will be out for around the first five games of the 2023-24 regular season.
Dubas said Guentzel injured his ankle toward the end of last season, which perhaps could’ve been a result of him blocking a shot on March 22 in a game against the Avalanche in Denver. Guentzel was seen postgame with his right ankle wrapped in ice but did not miss any games the rest of the year, playing in 78 in total.
The Penguins medical staff, in collaboration with Guentzel, allowed for the winger to move forward through the first few months of the offseason in the hopes that his ankle would heal. Abiding by a specific methodology, Guentzel even tried to play in some games for Da Beauty League, a popular semiprofessional summer league for NHL players.
But since Guentzel’s ankle wasn’t responding as hoped, surgery was deemed the correct course of action.
“We didn't want it to linger into the year,” Dubas said. “It just wasn't comfortable enough for him as he was getting up to the prescribed levels.”
Dubas pointed out that while the news of Guentzel’s absence is unfortunate for the Penguins’ sake, the timeline of his return could coincide with a relatively calm start to the season. The first two weeks of the year, the Penguins play in just five games, with none of them coming against playoff teams from the 2022-23 season.
Still, the void left by Guentzel, who last year led the team with 36 goals, had the third-most points with 73 and is a mainstay on Sidney Crosby’s line, is a sizable one.
Who’s got next?
Speaking of filling Guentzel’s spot, Dubas addressed at length the difficult task of replacing the sharpshooter for the early stages of the season.
“Jake is one of the better wingers in the NHL and certainly has a great chemistry with Sid. They've had great success together,” Dubas said. “That said, I think one of the fortunate parts is that it creates a major opportunity for our own young people that are here.”
Dubas discussed a number of candidates that could be elevated into Guentzel’s role, pointing to both Rickard Rakell and Reilly Smith, whom the Penguins acquired from the Golden Knights earlier this summer. Should either Rakell or Smith be bumped up to the first unit, though, it would open opportunities for less-heralded forwards.
Among those Dubas highlighted are Alex Nylander, Drew O’Connor, Sam Poulin and Valtteri Puustinen, each of whom got into NHL games with the Penguins last season. Dubas also provided a laundry list of other candidates acquired either via free agency or trade over the last month and change, like Vinnie Hinostroza, Andreas Johnsson, Rem Pitlick, Radim Zohorna, Joona Koppanen and Matt Nieto.
Certainly, there aren’t enough shifts to go around for all the aforementioned forwards, but Dubas believes after seeking to improve the team’s depth at that spot, the Penguins are positioned well to absorb the loss of Guentzel for a short stretch.
“All those guys that have been wanting their own opportunity, chance to go and get it. Now, the knock is there at the door. Someone has to answer,” Dubas said. “That's the one thing we're looking forward to in training camp the most is there's going to be an opening. There's going to be opportunity. We know we have our own guys that can slide here and do that.”
Finally flexible?
For much of last season, the Penguins struggled to stay compliant with the salary cap. After pulling off Sunday’s three-team trade for Erik Karlsson, the Penguins are a projected $79,342 over the cap, per Cap Friendly.
Rather than start the season Oct. 10 against the Blackhawks with the maximum of 23 players ready to go, Dubas anticipates the Penguins dressing 22 players, at least on opening night, to stay cap compliant.
“Of course, things will happen in camp that will change all of that one way or the other. You never know what’s going to happen,” Dubas said. “But as we sit here today, that’s what we look at. One extra [defenseman], one extra forward and we’ll go with the best 13 [forwards], seven [defensemen] and two [goalies].”
Of course, should the Penguins elect to employ such a strategy in two months' time, they’d likely have to make a number of the forwards they acquired over the offseason vulnerable via waivers. Dubas, eager to create competition within the Penguins’ bottom six and throughout the roster, believes such risks are ones the team needs to be willing to make.
“We're not going to be afraid to use waivers to get flexibility or lose guys. I've never operated that way,” Dubas said. “Sometimes, you have this fear that you put a guy on waivers [and] he’s going to go elsewhere and he’s going to be great. You’re at that point where you’re unsure, we’ll put them on [waivers and] we’ll wish them well.”
Dubas as GM
In addition to the title president of hockey operations, Dubas is serving as the team’s GM, effective Aug. 3. That move came in conjunction with the official promotions of Andy Saucier, Erik Heasley, Amanda Kessel and Trevor Daley into higher roles on the same day.
Dubas said he felt comfortable with what he saw from the Penguins front office during free agency and believes that even if the group collectively lacks decades of experience, it is plenty capable as a whole.
“Where I came to on the general manager side was I was weary, with the growth and progression I've seen in those others that are in our own building, bringing another person in and unsettling the group again,” Dubas said. “I felt we’re in a really good spot and I didn't want to unsettle it further. I feel like with what they all bring and my current energy level and where I’m at, ... it was best to move the group ahead that way.”
He also commended individuals like Vukie Mpofu, director of hockey operations and legal affairs, and assistant general manager Jason Spezza, whom Dubas worked alongside last season with the Maple Leafs. Dubas credited Mpofu in particular for his creativity in the Penguins’ pursuit of Karlsson.
“Vukie continually showed me throughout — I know this is his fourth season in the league — but he showed during this process but also during free agency,” Dubas said, “that he’s capable of taking on a lot more and was very impressive.”
Andrew Destin: adestin@post-gazette.com and Twitter @AndrewDestin1
First Published: August 7, 2023, 7:08 p.m.
