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Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Penguins’ Kyle Dubas Has a Lot of Work to Do This Offseason

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Sylvie McCarthy | Last updated May 11, 2025 4:50 PM ET

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a team in transition. On April 28 they parted ways with head coach Mike Sullivan after ten seasons. General manager Kyle Dubas has his work cut out for him this offseason. Even though the Penguins have missed the playoffs the last three years in a row, Dubas is not necessarily rushing a postseason return. He understands there are more than a few areas that need attention and that might take a while.

Penguins Need Work In Key Areas This Summer

One of the things Dubas needs to address this summer is goaltending. Starting goaltender Tristan Jarry was sent down to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Pittsburgh’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, twice this season, and backup goalie Alex Nedeljkovic struggled to pick up the slack. After his second return from the AHL in early March, Jarry went 8-4-2 and made a case for why the Penguins should keep him around.

Jarry’s biggest struggle has always been with consistency. His play at the end of the season was light years better than it was at the beginning. However, can the Penguins trust that? He has three years left on his $5.375 million contract, so moving him will probably be difficult. When he returned to Pittsburgh in March, he proved that he still has the ability to play like a first-string goalie. That doesn’t mean his issues have all been fixed, and the team should put all their trust in him. A trade is not out of the question, but it would almost definitely require Pittsburgh to retain some of his salary.

If Jarry remains with the Penguins, will he be the starter in 2025-26? Rookie goaltender Joel Blomqvist spent some time in Pittsburgh this season, but he may not be ready for the NHL just yet. He was 4-9-1, with a 3.81 goals-against average (GAA) and a .885 save percentage (SV%) with the Penguins. The team does not want to rush his development, so he will more than likely spend most of next season in Wilkes-Barre.

Filip Larsson was outstanding for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this season. He went 12-9-3 with five shutouts, and his GAA was 2.84 with a .910 SV%. Perhaps the most impressive thing about his game is his poise and confidence. He doesn’t get rattled, and he doesn’t give up many second-chance opportunities. The Penguins have worn out the Jarry, Nedeljkovic tandem. It is not a recipe for success, and Dubas needs to tweak it this summer. There is a very good chance one of the young rookies will get their NHL shot in 2025-26.

Dubas also needs to focus his attention on the defense this summer. Pittsburgh’s blue line struggled throughout much of the season, and they can’t go into 2025-26 with the same group. Kris Letang slowed down considerably this season, which could partly be the result of injuries, but at the end of the day, he is not getting any younger.

Defenseman Erik Karlsson also had a pretty disappointing season, and there is a strong possibility he could be traded this summer. Owen Pickering and Harrison Brunicke will more than likely be called up from Wilkes-Barre, but that won’t be enough to fix the problem. Dubas does not have an easy task in front of him. He will need to make trades and be active in free agency while also creating cap space.

Dubas Is Playing the Long Game

If the Penguins make the playoffs next season, it will be an overachievement. Dubas doesn’t want his team to make the postseason just to get booted in the first round. His goal is to build the team up to being a serious contender, and he knows that may take a couple seasons. He is not going to rush this rebuild, and when Pittsburgh does return to the playoffs, expect them to stay awhile.