A candid moment Monday shed some light on the internal limitations of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the league-wide shortened training camps.

Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas admitted that he told goalie Joel Blomqvist and a couple of other players that “they were screwed” by the short camp and didn’t have the ability to fight for roles that, in past years with longer camps, they would have had a chance to win.

Presumably, but without confirmation, another who was hosed, shorted, and otherwise didn’t have enough time to prove themselves was Avery Hayes. Others, such as defenseman Caleb Jones, were notably extra pieces in training camp despite significant NHL experience.

“I wish we could give them all more, but we only had the four games, and we had to decide how we wanted to go through it,” said Dubas. “So it sucks for Joel. There’s no other way to put it. But that’s the format that was chosen, and we live with it.”

Assertively, Dubas said the Penguins goaltending battle was settled last May when Sergei Murashov claimed the net for the AHL playoff run and didn’t give it up. So, for those waiting for the battle between Murashov and Blomqvist, it was, in fact, already decided.

The last little nugget from the Dubas presser on Monday was a tidbit about Declan Carlile. Tampa Bay passed him through waivers early last season, and Dubas and staff wanted to claim him. They resisted, didn’t get another chance, and according to Dubas, “we were kicking ourselves.”

Penguins Trade Watch

Difficult decisions.

That is the phrase Dubas used multiple times, but it was in the context of his hope that several players from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins crew would kick down the door of the NHL.

As he did last year on the eve of the season, Dubas said he would make room for the prospects who do so. That promise was largely kept, though far from permanent, as the Penguins cycled a dozen rookies through the lineup, but only center Ben Kindel stuck.

It does not appear the team will put the prospects, many of whom have now played more than 25 games and can no longer be counted as rookies, through the same turnstile this season. The roster construction is more settled than it was a year ago, though the injury bug that merely nibbled at the team last season now looks more like a plague. The under-24 WBS set, including Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen, will get more NHL opportunity at the start of the season than projected a week ago.

And when those players and others such as Harrison Brunicke, Owen Pickering, Tristan Broz, Hayes, and even Bill Zonnon present themselves as ready, Dubas confirmed he will have to make difficult decisions to make room for them.

Not in the same category, but in the same situation are others such as Hendrix Lapierre, Filip Hallander, and Elmer Soderblom.

It’s generally a given that the forwards on the cusp of full-time NHL work are bottom-six types, so while it may be trades Dubas makes, waivers for some are also a possibility. The more interesting “difficult decision” will be if and when Brunicke and Pickering force the organization’s hand.

The pair of young defensemen would be supplanting key figures. Buckle up.

Unmistakably, last season unfolded differently than this season possibly can. The decisions in 2025-26 were to keep players Anthony Mantha, Ryan Shea, Noel Acciari, and Stuart Skinner despite expiring contracts. Then re-sign Eveni Malkin. Winning has trumped the future, but such luxury must be tempered by realities this season, lest the Penguins find a fountain of youth.

Understand, Dubas is beginning the fourth year of his seven-year contract. His underlying and stated context is that this year is “pivotal,” but which pivots Dubas makes will come to define not this season, but the franchise.

It’s never dull around here.

Filip Hallander

There were a couple of players who exceeded expectations in training camp and preseason, and they were impossible to ignore. One was defenseman Sam Girard, who showed a plus offensive game while commanding the top of the zone.

The other player who would have been impossible to shelve was forward Filip Hallander. After a difficult season beset by blood clots and a lung issue, Hallander returned to the Penguins with a point to prove.

He is skating very well and playing a big man’s game.

“I think I came in with a good attitude and a little bit of those evil eyes, like I was hunting something, and I think I was learning from last year,” Hallander told PHN. “Dan (Muse) and I had a good talk about not waiting. I feel like all the camps I’ve been to before, when I was here the first time too, it took too long for me to get going, especially now with the camp being way shorter than it used to be.”

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