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New York Times
an hour ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Blackhawks add 3 more first-round draft picks to continue playing numbers game
CHICAGO — Kyle Davidson admitted he probably gave up more than the draft analytics suggest when he sent picks 34 and 62 to the Carolina Hurricanes for the No. 29 pick. But while Davidson is an analytically driven general manager, he's playing a far more basic game when it comes to the wild crapshoot that is the NHL draft. Advertisement 'The more you pick early in the NHL draft, you're more likely to succeed,' he said after taking Anton Frondell, Vaclav Nestrasil and Mason West in the first round on Friday night. 'We've taken that philosophy and tried to hit it with volume. But I also believe that some of these players are getting to the NHL. Some of them are on their path. I do believe from an objective assessment (with) their development so far, we are ahead of the odds in some way. I think we are beating the odds and getting a few more players out of the draft than the odds may dictate. Hopefully that continues.' Davidson said he's willing to shrug off the draft analytics and 'stick my neck out and really jump at a guy.' West, a football and hockey standout at Edina High School in Minnesota, was that guy on Friday. As a high-schooler who won't even become a full-time hockey player until after his senior football season, West has a longer runway to the NHL than most. But then again, so did Sam Rinzel in 2022, when Davidson traded back into the first round to take that raw, rangy high-schooler from Minnesota. Director of amateur scouting Mike Doneghey said the Blackhawks had some intel that West might not make it to No. 34, so Davidson pounced. 'I just really wanted to get back into the first round and take what I thought was a grand-slam hack,' Davidson said. 'I'm swinging for the fences and figured, why not? Let's go for a big one here. So that's kind of what I did.' The Blackhawks thought the draft would play out as it did with Matthew Schaefer going first and Michael Misa second. Of course, they heard the same rumors about the San Jose Sharks taking Frondell second as everyone else. Whether that happened or not, the Blackhawks were certain they'd be drafting Frondell or Misa. 'Anton and Michael Misa are elite hockey players,' Doneghey said. 'They're going to be better than top-six forwards on any team, probably top-three forwards. Different players, but we were really comfortable knowing we were going to get one of them. We just kind of sat back.' If you're wondering, Davidson also said he didn't receive any realistic offers for the third pick. The question all along was whether the Blackhawks would seek someone who could step in as a winger beside Connor Bedard or Frank Nazar or they'd draft someone who might replace either one of them at center. Davidson has said he still envisions Bedard and Nazar as centers. So where does that put Frondell? The Blackhawks don't seem too concerned. Advertisement 'Coach can figure that out,' Doneghey said. 'Kyle and Norm (Maciver) give me and my group traits on how they want to build the team and we go and get it. It's a bonus that guys can play multiple positions. (Frondell) doesn't consider himself a center or wing anyway. His comments at the combine, I said, are you a center or wing, and he said, 'Well, whatever Connor (Bedard) doesn't play, I'll play.' He's got a confidence about him.' The assumption is Frondell, the No. 3 overall pick, will spend next season in the Swedish Hockey League at Djugården. But Frondell is holding out hope that he can start his career in Chicago a lot sooner. 'My goal is to play in the league,' he said. 'That's my dream, that's what I'm doing this every day for. If I get the chance to take a spot on the team, I'll do everything I can to do that, to play. If I'm not good enough, if I don't make it, I'll go back to Djugården.' Davidson said there might be some SHL contract details to work out, but he expects Frondell to be able to participate in Blackhawks training camp. Where he goes from there will be up to him. 'I don't think we have any expectation one way or another,' Davidson said. 'The plan as we stand here today is he's playing in Djugården in the SHL next year, but we've got a lot of time to figure out the best path. I think it's a great path if that's the one that occurs. We'll figure that out.' Frondell will be in the NHL sooner rather than later. With Nestrasil and West, the Blackhawks know they're dealing with more long-term projects. The Blackhawks took Nestrasil, a 6-foot-6 forward, after seeing his progression this past year with Muskegon in the USHL. A lot of his production — 19 goals and 23 assists in 61 games — came later in the season. He'll attend the University of Massachusetts as a freshman next season. Advertisement 'He's a cerebral player,' Doneghey said. 'He does have to get stronger, but that will come with maturity. Like he's 6-5, 180-some pounds, it's still all coming together for him. But his brain and his hands, he's got the ability to play up the lineup.' Like a lot of players the Blackhawks have drafted the last few years, Nestrasil's skating jumped out to them. 'We think he has the ability to be a four out of four mover in the NHL,' Doneghey said. 'He just needs the strength.' West is the second dual-sport standout the Blackhawks have taken in the past two drafts, joining AJ Spellacy, who had an excellent training camp and preseason after going in the third round last year. The Blackhawks feel West's potential is so high because he hasn't even fully committed to hockey yet, and won't until after this football season. West will play hockey — and only hockey — at Michigan State starting in 2026-27. 'There's so much there, that when he commits to hockey — you saw that he was one of the highest risers in the rankings once he went to Fargo and started playing hockey more than training for football and stuff like that,' Doneghey said. 'I heard you guys mention AJ. He's a hell of an athlete, but he's just big. You saw him as a quarterback. But he brings that quarterback mentality to the ice, because when he's entering the zone, he's always scanning the zone and what plays to make. He's comfortable with contact. He doesn't shy away from that type of stuff.' West had 27 goals and 22 assists in 31 games for Edina, then had a goal and eight assists in 10 games with Fargo of the USHL. But it's that football mentality that really separates him from the typical first-round pick. 'I think one of the cool things about me is when you see me play, you can really see the quarterback in me,' he said. 'I think I have really good sense and vision. I really don't cheat the game, I play the game the right way. Advertisement 'I really bring that power-forward presence, but I want to be more than that. I want to be a playmaker, and I want to score, I want to hit, I want to be a physical player on the ice. I want to be a unique player in the sense of trying to find it hard to compare guys to me.' (Photo of Jeremy Roenick: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
New York Times
an hour ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Flyers add scoring, size in first round of NHL Draft with Porter Martone, Jack Nesbitt picks
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Headed into Friday's first round of the 2025 NHL draft, the Philadelphia Flyers system had two discernible needs: more size and snarl, particularly considering the way the league is trending lately, and another potentially high-end center. They may have addressed both with Porter Martone, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound agitating winger taken with the sixth-overall pick, and Jack Nesbitt, a 6-4, 183-pound pivot that they traded up to acquire 12th overall. Advertisement Regarding Martone, GM Daniel Briere stuck to his word from earlier this month when he suggested the plan was to select the best player available with the Flyers' highest pick. After there was a run on centers with Michael Misa, Anton Frondell, Caleb Desnoyers and Brady Martin going second through fifth, the Flyers snagged Martone, who posted 37 goals and 98 points in 57 games as a right wing for OHL Brampton this past season. 'We would have preferred a center, but we felt we couldn't pass up on a chance to bring a difference-maker like Porter Martone to the team,' Briere said. A legendary moment. Charles Barkley welcomes Porter Martone to the City of Brotherly Love. #NHLDraft — Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) June 28, 2025 Martone is viewed not only as a scorer but someone who can play an aggressive, physical style when necessary. That was overtly reflected in a trio of players Martone said he looks at as comparables: Corey Perry, Matthew Tkachuk and Wayne Simmonds. He also may be the most NHL-ready player of the draft. For one thing, wingers are typically better able to acclimate to the league more quickly than any other position, and Martone was the only winger selected among the first dozen picks. He also got a brief taste playing with and against NHL players after he earned an invite to the IIHF World Championships in May to skate for Team Canada at the conclusion of his junior season. Martone expressed a high level of confidence that his path to the NHL will be an abbreviated one, and Briere didn't necessarily disagree. 'At the World Championships (playing) against NHL players — I think I proved that I can do that. I think I proved that I fit in,' Martone said. 'But, I'm going to continue to get better every single day.' Said Briere: 'His body, the way he's built, is a little bigger, thicker guy. … He's a really good player already. He's pretty close to being ready. I don't know that it's going to be the right thing to play him this year in the upcoming season, but we'll see. If there's one thing I would say in this draft, he's pretty close to being the most ready out of that group.' Advertisement Martone is also familiar with three current Flyers from his experience at the World Championships: Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim and Tyson Foerster, who also skated for Team Canada. Briere said that he received texts from Sanheim and Konecny joyfully approving of the pick, while Foerster 'couldn't say more good things about Porter in trying to convince me to take him.' 'All three of those guys were tremendous to me,' said Martone, who was scoreless in two games in the tournament. 'One thing I noticed over there is how much they loved being a Flyer, and how much they take pride in being a Flyer. … I can't wait to be their teammate.' Nesbitt is more of a project than Martone. While his size and scoring are intriguing — he posted 64 points in 65 games with OHL Windsor this season — his skating is a distinct area of concern. Nesbitt knows it's something he needs to work on, while concurrently adding more bulk. 'I play a very physical game. As a bigger guy, I need to improve my skating and I'm looking to put on a little weight, so that's going to come, as well,' Nesbitt said. 'But, yeah, I'm going to be working a lot of my skating, quick feet. As a centerman, I have to get into the small areas pretty quick, and be able to forecheck.' That's clearly something that the Flyers figure Nesbitt, who was voted the most improved player in the OHL coaches poll, will be able to overcome, considering they paid a fairly hefty price to move up to take him in surrendering the 22nd and 31st overall picks to the Pittsburgh Penguins. According to a Flyers team source, the club was under the impression that Nesbitt, who was 15th in Corey Pronman's final mock draft, would be taken 'in the next pick or two,' which forced them into action. Why did they target Nesbitt so aggressively? 'The package,' Briere said. 'The combination of the size, the grit, the playmaking abilities, the goal scoring already. Second half of the season, he took a big step on a really good Windsor team.' Advertisement Regarding his skating, Briere compared Nesbitt with Foerster, who dropped to 23rd in the 2020 draft due to perceived skating issues, but has since become a key cog in the Flyers' future. 'If (Nesbitt) hits as a second-line center, it's going to be a huge asset for us,' Briere said. As for Martone and Nesbitt both having decent size, that's something that, if you believe Briere, was more of a coincidence than anything else. 'It's a nice bonus that they're both tall and will bring us size, as well,' he said. 'But it just kind of worked out that way. It wasn't a plan that we had in mind going into the draft that we wanted to get bigger. It just happened that way.' The Flyers have seven picks on Saturday when the draft resumes, including three in the top half of the second round (36, 40 and 48 overall). Briere said there were opportunities to move up again late in the first round, but after trading a second-round pick to Anaheim as part of the deal for Trevor Zegras, and losing the 31st overall pick in the move to grab Nesbitt, they will likely use at least their three second-rounders on Saturday. (Top photo of Jack Nesbitt: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Count Kings GM Ken Holland among those who prefer how NHL drafts used to be held
Henry Brzustewicz, left, stands with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected by the Kings at No. 31 overall in the NHL draft at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press) For Ken Holland, the Kings' decidedly old-school general manager, new isn't necessarily better. Take the NHL draft, for example. Holland presided over more than a quarter-century of drafts with the Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers, and they were generally held in one place, with everyone from the executives doing the drafting to the players being drafted on site. Advertisement On Friday, for the first time in a non-pandemic environment, the draft was conducted semi-remotely, with the top 93 draft-eligible players and their families filling some of the seats in the half-empty Peacock Theater in Los Angeles while team representatives made their selections from their home markets. Read more: Kings hire Hall of Famer Ken Holland as their new general manager And whatever the league was attempting to accomplish with the decentralized format, other than saving on travel, it didn't work. After each pick was announced on a giant video board that took up two-thirds of the theater's massive stage, players made their way up the aisle to be greeted by Commissioner Gary Bettman. They then pulled on a team jersey and hat before being led into the "Draft House" — a small virtual reality room in the center of the stage — for what amounted to a congratulatory Zoom call with the club's brass. The Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles hosts the NHL draft. (Juan Ocampo / NHLI via Getty Images) The young men were celebrating the biggest moment of their lives yet they came off like Dorothy speaking to the Wizard of Oz. Much of it was awkward, especially when James Hagens, the eighth selection, was left waving at Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney after the audio in the Bruins' war room in Boston went mute. That was just one of multiple technical glitches that included echoes and timing delays that left players and executives talking over one another. Advertisement When it became obvious the painfully slow-paced event would plod past 4½ hours, the Draft House was closed to some teams. Brady Martin, the fifth pick, didn't even bother to come to L.A. So when Nashville announced his selection — via a celebrity video taped at a golf course — the NHL showed a video of Martin working on his family's farm. Russian goaltender Pyotr Andreyanov wouldn't even get that treatment. When he was announced as the 20th overall pick, the NHL had nothing to show, making Andreyanov the first no-show of the no-show draft. Matthew Schaefer, a 17-year-old defenseman from Hamilton, Canada,, who was taken with the No. 1 pick by the New York Islanders, said being part of video draft did not spoil his big day. Matthew Schaefer stands between Michael Misa, left, and Anton Frondell after being selected 1-2-3, respectively, in the NHL draft at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Friday. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images) 'I'm just honored to be picked,' said Schaefer who cried, alongside his dad and brother, when his name was called. 'I dreamt about it my whole life. It's such an honor. Especially the first pick overall.' Advertisement For Holland, however, none of that counts as progress. 'I'm old and I'm old fashioned. So I like the old way,' said the Kings general manager, whose view was shared by other GMs around the league. 'You draft some player in the sixth round and all of a sudden you hear 'yay!' way up in the corner. It's him, it's his family, and they're all excited to hear [his] name announced by an NHL team. 'This weekend, to me, is about the young players.' Aside from the technical difficulties, the actual draft went largely to form. The Ducks, as expected, took Roger McQueen, an 18-year-old forward from Saskatchewan, with their top pick, the 10th overall selection. The Kings, meanwhile, traded their first pick, No. 24 overall, to the Pittsburgh Penguins. After moving down seven spots they took right-handed-shooting defenseman Henry Brzustewicz, 18, a Minnesota native, with the penultimate pick of the first day. Advertisement Round two through seven of the draft will be conducted Saturday. Roger McQueen, second from right, poses for photos with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, right, and actors Joshua Jackson, left, and Marguerite Moreau, second from left, after being drafted by the Ducks at No. 10 overall. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press) The Ducks, who had a top-10 pick for a seventh straight year, see the 6-foot-5 McQueen as a raw talent who can develop into a top-line center. 'He has a big body. But what goes along with that is his skill and skating ability,' said general manager Pat Verbeek, whose team has 10 picks this weekend. For the Kings, this draft was the first public move in what could be an intense couple of weeks. Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and winger Andrei Kuzmenko are unrestricted free agents and the team would like to re-sign both before they hit the open market Tuesday. Advertisement 'If we re-sign Gavrikov, there's not going to be a ton of change,' Holland said. 'If we don't, then there's going to be change.' Gavrikov, 29, emerged as a solid presence on the blue line, playing a career-high 82 games and posting the best goals-against average of the 17 defensemen to play at least 1,500 minutes. Former Kings GM Rob Blake made Gavrikov a contract offer last March, said Holland, who has since sweetened the deal twice. Replacing him, the GM said, could require a couple of signings. Kuzmenko, 29, reenergized the offense after coming over from Philadelphia at the trade deadline, with the Kings going 17-5 and averaging nearly four goals a game down the stretch. Kings fans cheer after Henry Brzustewicz is drafted by the team at No. 31 overall. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press) 'We like Kuzmenko. Kuzmenko likes it here; he likes his role,' Holland said. 'I'm talking to him. I talked two, three, four times this week with his agent. So we'll see.' Advertisement Signing both players would put a big dent in the Kings' $21.7 million in salary-cap space. 'We have a lot of cap space but it doesn't take much and it's gone,' Holland said. 'We've got to figure out how we want to spend our money and they need to figure out how much money they can get.' Aside from Gavrikov and Kuzmenko, the Kings don't have many loose ends to tie up. The team is confident it can get forward Alex Laferriere, a restricted free agent, to agree to a short-term deal and it has to decide whether to re-sign David Rittich, an unrestricted free agent, as the backup to starting goalkeeper Darcy Kuemper. Two players who could be moving on are forward Tanner Jeannot and defenseman Jordan Spence, both of whom are looking for more ice time and may have to leave to get it. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 NHL Draft: Best Prospects Available After Round 1
The NHL draft never goes exactly the way anyone thinks. There are always a few surprises and twists that throw everyone for a loop. Every year, there are players that everyone expects to go in the first round of the NHL draft who fall to Day 2. Let's look at some of the most interesting and intriguing names remaining after the first round. Eric Nilson, C, Djurgarden (Swe.2) Nilson is one of the most intelligent and tactical centers in the draft. I've been high on him all year, and it took until the end of the year for the hype to begin to build, but it looks like it was a little too late. Nilson advances play with excellent decisions at both ends of the ice. He needs to bulk up, but the six-foot center has a ton of utility. He could be one of the first names off the board in the second round. Michal Svrcek, C/W, Brynas Jr. (Swe.) It's not shocking to see Svrcek's name on the board still, as he's an undersized forward who had a good but not great U-18s. Svrcek always drives excellent results, and he creates for teammates at a very high level. He has NHL-caliber speed and a relentless pace. He will have to continue proving people wrong about his size, but he could be a steal if he falls much more on Day 2. 2025 NHL Draft Tracker: Round 1 Picks, Reports, Rankings And More 2025 NHL Draft Tracker: Round 1 Picks, Reports, Rankings And More The 2025 NHL draft day is here. Check out the picks and scouting reports of the first round as they come in, as well as draft rankings and much more prospect coverage. Cameron Schmidt, RW, Vancouver Giants (WHL) Another undersized forward, Schmidt is an elite shooter who plays at top speed all the time. He doesn't let his size get in the way of trying to be a pest either, getting into players' faces, pushing guys around after the whistle and even laughing at defenders after he scores on them. The kid has a ton of moxie, and his play style is brash. Someone will get a nice prospect. Blake Fiddler, D, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) Fiddler is one of the most understated players in the draft. The defensive blueliner is a perfect complement to a skilled, offensively minded defender. He isn't a flashy or fun pick, but he is an effective and stout defensive player who can take the pressure off his defense partner. Malcolm Spence (Brandon Soto/OHL Images) Malcolm Spence, LW, Erie Otters (OHL) Spence not getting chosen in the first round was one of the bigger surprises. He is a very meat-and-potatoes kind of player. He has had some big moments internationally, and he is a rock-solid contributor in the OHL, but his game isn't consistently flashy. He is a crafty playmaker and a good shooter. Spence plays with a physical edge and understands how to play within a pro-style system. He could be a steal on Day 2. Shane Vansaghi, LW/C, Michigan State Univ. (NCAA) A physical, hard-working forward who lays it on the line every shift, Vansaghi is typically the kind of player NHL teams will call in the first round. His production at Michigan State is likely the reason he fell a bit. He was so close, so often when it came to finding the scoresheet in his freshman season, that there is room to believe a big sophomore year is in store. He's a pro-style forward, and someone will be ecstatic to draft him. Milton Gastrin, C/LW, MoDo Jr. (Swe.) Gastrin is smart and defensively responsible with legitimate moments of intriguing skill. He was on the edge of the first round on most draft boards, so it's not entirely shocking to not see him go on Day 1, but the versatility as a center and winger is enticing. He could be a sneaky good pick early on Saturday. Alexander Zharovsky, RW, Ufa Jr. (Rus.) Zharovsky, one of the most skilled and interesting players in the draft, skyrocketed up boards by the end of the season. There is a ton of risk because he needs some refinement in various parts of his game, but the intrigue had people discussing a possible first-round selection. We will have to see where he ends up because he's a big swing. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on
New York Times
2 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Penguins' NHL Draft first round was unpredictable, unorthodox and completely Kyle Dubas
Follow our live coverage of the 2025 NHL Draft. PITTSBURGH — A few days before the NHL Draft, a Pittsburgh Penguins employee told me something about the team's president and general manager, Kyle Dubas, that stuck with me. 'Kyle isn't worried about what anyone else thinks. He's going to do what he wants. He's got guts.' Advertisement Fast forward to Friday's first round, where Dubas did pretty much everything unconventionally. If he was trying to win a popularity contest on social media, he failed. If he was trying to satisfy fans who treat mock drafts as gospel, he failed. Benjamin who? If he was trying to expedite the Penguins' rebuild to find players who could immediately help Sidney Crosby get back to the playoffs before he retires — which probably would've looked like trading up for a top-five pick — he failed. But, overall, did he fail? First of all, if you think you know, you don't. We won't know for years. On the surface, it seems disappointing that none of the big names in the top 10 slipped through the cracks to 11, where the Penguins were sitting, or that more familiar names, such as thumper Kashawn Aitcheson, were overlooked. It seems at least conceivable that Benjamin Kindel may have still been on the board when the Penguins made their second selection. We'll never know. Dubas noted after the draft that 'we had intel' that he wouldn't have been on the board for much longer. So, there is that. And Dubas did pull off some shrewd business. There's nothing sexy about trading down in a draft, especially a top-heavy one. Still, dealing the 12th pick for the 22nd and 31st picks is pretty good business. Turning around and dealing the 31st and the 59th to move back up to 24th is pretty good business, too. The Penguins met some objectives on the night. They have serious talent in the pipeline on defense (Harrison Brunicke, Emil Pieniniemi, Finn Harding, Owen Pickering) and in goal (Sergei Murashov). However, they look far more bleak at forward. Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen have the look of good NHL players, but neither projects to be a star. Behind those two, the organization doesn't have a ton of talent up front — some, but hardly overwhelming. Advertisement So, Dubas looked squarely at the forwards available and took three in the first 24 picks in the first round. After the 2024-25 season, Dubas decided the Penguins needed to get bigger and more difficult to play against. Bill Zonnon, the 22nd pick, is known for being a relentless, physical competitor who is nasty to play against. Will Horcoff, whom the Penguins took two picks later, is 6 feet 5 inches and physically imposing. He's the son of former NHL player Shawn Horcoff. Those two players may well help the Penguins become tougher to play against down the line. Friday was unpredictable and unorthodox for the Penguins, but they progressed. They selected three players in the first round since 1984. They selected multiple players in the first round for the first time since 2012. And yet, fans seem largely disappointed. They're restless. They're bored. They don't want to wait to compete for a championship again. They want fireworks. They wanted Dubas to trade up. (He said he tried but that there were no takers.) It's not that Dubas doesn't care about what the fans want. Of course he does. But he also is paid to make big decisions, and sometimes, the best decisions are not immediately received well or understood by the public. Everyone wanted a big name. Everyone wanted the Penguins to move up in the draft. Dubas said that, to move up in the draft, the Penguins would have ended up with just one player on Friday. Now, they have three. It's Dubas' show, with a hand from Wes Clark, his vice president of player personnel, who clearly has considerable influence on the draft process. When Dubas took over the Penguins just over two years ago, he seemed to go out of his way to please everyone. He might've wanted to impress Sidney Crosby and Mike Sullivan more than anyone. Even so, he had to have known a dramatic makeover was necessary. Advertisement But you try sitting in a room with Crosby and telling him you're going to sell. Try telling that to Sullivan. Good luck. Dubas gave them a chance to win with the current group, even though it was unlikely to work out. After a few months, he cut the cord and traded Jake Guentzel. That was the day Dubas made the Penguins truly his. Since then, the Penguins have sold, they've collected assets and they've built for the future. Now, is he building the right way? It's tough to say either way, even though the decision to draft Benjamin Kindel at No. 11 is going to be questioned until proven otherwise. Regardless of these moves' success or failure, this is Dubas' show. That's probably why this job appealed to him in the first place. Brendan Shanahan isn't here. Dubas is his own boss. Penguins ownership scarcely makes its presence felt. Former CEO David Morehouse is long gone. So is Sullivan, who possessed an awful lot of power for a coach. In the last month, we've seen Dubas go outside the box on a coaching hire and with the 11th pick in the draft. You might not like it. You might question it. You might have reason to. If the Penguins rise in the next few seasons, Dubas might look like a genius. If they fail, you'll be able to hear the laughter from Toronto. Either way, Dubas is doing it on his terms, which is precisely how he wants it. (Photo of Benjamin Kindel with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang and his son, Alex: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
