Kyle Dubas arrived in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization at a difficult time. Their Hall of Fame core is nearing the end of their careers and is coming off a year in which they missed the postseason for the first time in over 15 years. Dubas has limited assets and salary cap space to reshape this roster.
The Penguins were active throughout the offseason as they attempted to bring a fresh feel to the organization. Dubas' new pieces have seen mixed results, and the team sits outside of playoff positioning.
His work with the goaltenders should be considered a success. But Dubas also missed a few signings, Ryan Graves chief among them, and his most significant acquisition, Erik Karlsson, has fallen short of expectations.
However, to classify Dubas' short time as the head of Penguins hockey operations as a failure is premature. Prior Penguins general managers Ray Shero and Jim Rutherford missed many of their additions in their first year with the organization.
Shero's first team in the 2006-07 season had a nearly identical record (21-17-8) to this year's team (22-17-7) through 46 games, and he missed on players like Dominic Moore, Georges Laraque, and Jarkko Ruutu.
Rutherford faired better to begin his tenure (26-12-8) but nearly missed the postseason after missing players like David Perron, Steve Downie, and Christian Erhoff to the Penguins lineup. Both general managers went on to Stanley Cup Final appearances in their second and third seasons, combining for three championships.
All three have had their early hits, Rutherford with Patric Hornqvist and Shero with Jordan Staal, and misses. It takes time to construct a Stanley Cup contender.
Remaining patient isn't easy, especially considering the Penguins' current circumstances. Their core likely has only a year or two left of top-level play in them, if that, and there are massive decisions to make in the next month ahead of the trade deadline.
With that said, it's far too early to classify Dubas' first attempt at reviving the Penguins as a failure.
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