Development is a central aspect of Fenway Sports Group’s ownership of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not only is FSG ultimately developing the arena district, including the Lower Hill district, but the owners and new front office, led by president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas, are investing money and resources into player development.
The organization’s five-day development camp, which featured nearly 50 players, concluded on Wednesday with a highly competitive tournament. Not only were there more players than in the past, but also a higher level of play.
Despite the lack of standout players or prospects with top-line potential, the Penguins appeared to have a true talent pool of next-generation players. And that’s just the beginning of an aggressive push toward building what comes next.
“It’s been interesting for me to see how each of the general managers looks at and utilizes the development department,” director of player development Tom Kostopoulos said. “I think Kyle, Jason Spezza and Fenway have invested a lot in the development department in terms of time, money and personnel, and that only benefits the players. It’s been a massive investment in development.”
The organization brought at least five players to camp who had a strong chance of eventually playing in the NHL. Beyond the first few, there are a few more who could be the next Valterri Puustinen type, a little-known late-round pick who quickly rises up the depth chart until he reaches the big show.
The Penguins will presumably have another first-round pick in 2025 who will join the team with big ambitions and an optimistic outlook. In fact, the Penguins have a full roster of picks in the first six rounds for the first time since 2012.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Wheeling Nailers will reap the benefits, and soon, Pittsburgh’s locker room could too.
“It’s great. We now have different skill coaches, skating coaches, strength coaches, video analysts, all under us, and we can use them to help the players,” Kostopoulos said. “(The players) say they love it. The feedback they’ve gotten has been fantastic; it’s just more of everything for the players. So it’s been great for development and for the Pittsburgh Penguins. I think we have to be near the top of the league in terms of what our organization has to offer.”
Now, what about the restaurant scene on the Hill?
Dubas’s mistake
Nobody’s perfect, huh?
Last month, Dubas began his second year as captain of the Penguins’ hockey operations, but before that, he spent five seasons as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Craig Custance’s book on the Maple Leafs, “The Franchise: The Business Of Building Winning Teams,” was recently published, and Dubas admitted what he believes was his biggest mistake in charge of Toronto. Excerpts appeared in the Toronto Sun on Friday.
“I think the biggest mistake I’ve made in my entire time there has been not taking care of the three current contracts,” Dubas said, referencing post-entry-level contract deals with Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner. “Nylander was up, Marner and Matthews could have been done with July 1 extensions.”
There were complications with all three, including Nylander’s refusal to play well into the 2018-19 season, during which he scored just seven goals in 54 games. Negotiations also became complicated for Marner’s second contract. While Dubas waited to sign Matthews and Marner, he signed the much-hyped but now-criticized $77 million deal with John Tavares.
It turned into a mess, with hurt feelings and a high salary cap costing Toronto more money at the core of three. As reported in the Sun, Dubas said, “What I learned was that once we signed John (AAV), we lifted the lid off the whole cap.”
All four contracts came at the worst possible time. Two years after the deals were signed, COVID brought the league and the world to a standstill. The salary cap remained unchanged for four years to compensate owners for the investment, but it hit the Maple Leafs, who have a far superior roster, particularly hard.
After learning that lesson, one wonders how Dubas would have handled negotiations with Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin.
