DesertedPenguin
Registered User
- Mar 11, 2007
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Dubas has a track record already in Pittsburgh of pumping guys' tires and then moving on. He did it with Jeff Petry after free agency, said he'd be a big part of the team. Petry was exiled to Montreal with retention a month later in the Karlsson deal. He praised Ruhwedel and sent him out at the deadline. He talked up Reilly Smith for months while he struggled and it turns out he was being shopped at the deadline.This is definitely true. I get on Dubas but I'm curious to see if he can be a little more willing to make changes than the past two guys. The team's posture towards Ned versus Jarry also says to me that he might not have much choice or he'll possibly face some friction on his roster.
So, I think it's interesting that they very specifically praised Jarry at the end of the year, said it'd be a big summer, etc. And he almost went out of his way to not include Ned in the picture next year.
I think the Pens may try to completely clean house in goal. They want to spin Jarry as still being good, he's still their guy, etc. so they get an OK return. And I think they don't believe Ned can be consistently good. I thought it was very interesting that the praise for Ned late in the season was about his effort, his compete level, his determination, etc. Nothing about his talent or skill.
It's possible the Pens felt like they got back into the playoff picture with some luck and Ned's demeanor, not his play, was why he stayed in goal. Dubas even said how the season ended would have no bearing on his plan for the summer.
I think this is going to be a fascinating summer from a roster construction and player development structure standpoint. We're not going to see the coaching staff overhaul people want to see, but I think you're going to see a lot of other changes.