"So disheartening to see Sidney Crosby like that" - P.K. Subban slams Pens GM Kyle Dubas over NHL trade deadline week activity

By Srihari Anand

Modified Mar 12, 2024 15:03 GMT

P.K. Subban criticized Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins management for their 2024 NHL trade deadline activity. He specifically pointed to the lack of trades to help bolster Sidney Crosby and co in their fight for a playoff spot this season.

P.K. Subban voiced his concerns during ESPN's pre-game segment, alongside NHL great Mark Messier, moments before the Pittsburgh Penguins took on the Boston Bruins on March 9.

Subban took a dig at Kyle Dubas specifically and said:

"Apparently, that's all it takes. You put on a pair of spectacles, it makes you the smartest person in the room. It's so disheartening to see Sidney Crosby like that. He deserves better."

Sidney Crosby and the Penguins missed last year's playoffs and are currently in a tight wildcard race for the final spot. There is a possibility Crosby may miss the playoffs for just the second time in his NHL career.

Subban, who retired in 2022, added to his criticism and said:

"I don't think there's enough accountability on management when it comes to these situations. To look at a player like Sidney Crosby, the legacy and the opportunity that he has to create for himself, he deserves an opportunity to play in the playoffs and it's on management to put the best team around him."

P.K. Subban suggests Kyle Dubas should leave Pens GM job

Kyle Dubas and the Penguins made only a handful of trades before the March 8 trade deadline.

The biggest trade was of Jake Guentzel and Ty Smith to the Carolina Hurricanes. In exchange, the Penguins acquired Michael Bunting, Vasili Ponomarev, Ville Koivunen, Cruz Lucius, a conditional 2024 second-round pick and a conditional 2024 fifth-round pick.

On deadline day, the Penguins sent Chad Ruhwedel to the New York Rangers in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick. Magnus Hellberg was also traded to the Florida Panthers for Ludovic Waeber and a 2025 seventh-round pick.

Speaking of the team's additions after the end of the trade deadline, P.K. Subban hinted Kyle Dubas should depart from the helm of the Penguins front office.

"I don't think they did that this year, that's a missed opportunity. If you're managing the game's best player, the face of the league for a long time, that's a huge responsibility, and if you can't handle the heat sometimes in the kitchen, you gotta get out of there."