Penguins GM Kyle Dubas breaks his silence on rumors of a 'fire sale' in Pittsburgh ahead of trade deadline

The Pittsburgh Penguins have played below expectations this season as they are seventh in the Metropolitan division with a 20-21-8 record. However, they are only five points below the fourth-placed Columbus Blue Jackets for the wild-card spot.

Despite their 5-1 win against the LA Kings on Monday, the Penguins have won only four of their last 12 games. This has led to frustration among the team and its management. This could be the third straight season that the Penguins won't reach the playoffs.

Pittsburgh is a veteran team with its core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, but its performance has led to speculations about Kyle Dubas making big roster moves before the trade deadline on March 7 to bolster the lineup. However, the Penguins general manager remains firm on his intentions.

“I think as the year goes on, there's always a lot of conversation," Dubas said on Wednesday, via NHL.com. "I think every team in the league knows what we're trying to achieve. As our actions have shown from last March on, we're trying to bring in younger NHL players, we're trying to bring in prospects, and we're trying to bring in draft picks.

"With the goal being to quickly develop those assets into people that can help the core group of the team here win one more time and then set the team up for the long-range future. That's the goal, and that's our ambition, and that's what we're going to continue to continue to do, and we're not going to stray from that."

Dubas has denied any big roster moves or the rumored fire sale before the trade deadline.

"But to say that it's a fire sale, and we're willing to retain money on very long-term deals – you know, I understand how that stuff starts to get out and take on a life of its own, but it's not accurate, " Dubas said. "So, we've had lots of conversations. But, are we telling teams that everything must go? No, we're not.”

Dubas will likely make certain changes but the expectation is that the core players will stay. Additionally, Crosby signed a two-year $17.4 million contract, which clearly shows the organization's intentions.

GM Kyle Dubas has long intended to bring young players to the Pittsburgh Penguins

After Kyle Dubas took over the management, he has been focused on slowly bringing young players into the team. In his statement at the 2024 NHL Scouting Combine, he said that the team will bring in more young prospects.

"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," Dubas said.

Dubas and the Penguins remain focused on balancing veterans and young players going forward.