Dubas talks about Crosby’s next contract, team plans for next year

The general manager comments about some topics at the NHL’s scouting combine

Kyle Dubas was at the NHL’s scouting combine in Buffalo to get a look at the prospects who will be available to him in the draft coming up this later this month starting with the 44th and 46th overall picks that the Penguins have. The Pittsburgh general manager talked about the team’s general plans and added a little about the upcoming contract negotiations with Sidney Crosby. Crosby will be heading into the last season of his 12-year contract in 2024-25 with the expectation of a short-term extension to be finalized this summer. Crosby and the team can’t finalize and submit the new contract until after July 1st.

“The key for us is, because of the importance of it and how much Sid means to the organization and the city, we want to keep that as quiet as possible and go through it,” Dubas said Saturday while attending the 2024 NHL Scouting Combine. “And then hopefully as we get through this summer, get a sense where everybody’s at and then let everybody know at the right time.”

One would think this should be pretty straight forward and drama-free. Crosby has stated several times an interest and willingness to extend his contract with the Pens, possibly in short term increments since he isn’t sure (or isn’t saying) how many more seasons he wants to play beyond indicating he plans to play beyond his current contract. Crosby turns 37 this summer and 2024-25 will mark his 20th NHL campaign.

Since Dubas and the Pens aren’t going to talk a lot about the process and Crosby’s camp won’t be sharing much either, details or updates won’t be known until the deal is unveiled sometime after July 1st.

Crosby signed for what amounted to 14.5% of the salary cap on his last contract. The NHL’s salary cap is expected to rise to $87.7 million in 2024-25 and then can raise again to a maximum of just over $92 million in 2025-26 when Crosby’s next contract will start. Doing quick math, that makes for a $13.35 million cap hit for Crosby if he signed for the same percentage as before, though the Pens’ captain is exceedingly likely to do the team yet another favor to come in at a cap hit far under that mark.

Crosby will be playing for about 10% of the cap in 2024-25, which would make for a cap hit around $9.2 million should his next contract be configured around the percentage of the cap. As is also widely known, with the 87 superstition and his current cap hit being $8.7 million, it wouldn’t be a shock if he sticks with that figure for sentimental reasons and leaves even more money on the table.

Dubas also talked about his intentions for how he would go about constructing the team this offseason.

“I think the thing that I’ve really learned in the year is that we really have to do everything we can as urgently as possible to infuse the organization with really high-quality younger players and give ourselves a chance to add that by adding draft picks, adding prospects in any chance we can get,” Dubas said. “Because if we can do that, while those players are still playing, that standard [core of] Sid, ‘Geno,’ Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust set, that just helps young players come in and get up to speed quicker.”

The Penguins are known as an old team with their aging core, but Dubas has been working on bringing in young players. Jesse Puljujarvi (26), Emil Bemstrom (25), John Ludvig (24) are some of those new faces Dubas has acquired in his first 12 months on the job in Pittsburgh. Others from inside the organization like Drew O’Connor (26), Valtteri Puustinen (25), Jack St. Ivany (25) have been making their way up the ranks and playing in bigger roles lately.

Between Sam Poulin, Vasiliy Ponomarev and Ville Koivunen — the latter two acquired in the Jake Guentzel trade— the Pens are hoping for even younger players in the 21-23 range to step into NHL jobs as soon as next season as their youth movement continues to pick up steam.

“The major focus for us is on right now acquiring as many young players, as many prospects and as many draft picks as we can to try to infuse the team with really good young talent, young players and then have that stocked up for the future as well and attempt to get us back into contention as quickly as we can,” Dubas said.

Pittsburgh will be in position to do that with their first two draft picks this year, which come somewhat early in the second round and figure to be longer-term prospects for NHL impact, but will be important pieces to stock the organizational depth chart that still lacks having quality prospects and in key areas (projectable scoring line forwards and right side defenders ranking very high on the list of what is lacking).

The process of shedding older players has begun as well. Long-time Pittsburgh defender Chad Ruhwedel was traded at the deadline, opening the door for St. Ivany to get an NHL opportunity. Jeff Carter retired and by default whoever replaces the 39-year old in the lineup next year will be younger. Veteran 33-year old Reilly Smith is believed to be available for other teams via trade in what could be another avenue for the Pens to get younger.