Mark Madden: Give Penguins' rebuild time, and watch Kyle Dubas become the hero

The “2025 trade deadline” phase of the Penguins’ rebuilding project is complete. President of hockey ops/GM Kyle Dubas did well. But then the players fouled it up by winning their last two games, and against good teams, too.

You can’t tell Sidney Crosby to not be Sidney Crosby.

Fewer wins equal better draft picks. But the captain ignored that memo.

Where’s Mike Bullard when you need him? He scored 51 goals in the Mario Lemieux tank season of 1983-84, none of them game-winners.

Or maybe Vincent Tremblay in goal: 0-4 in March of ’84 with a goals-against average of 6.02.

That said, the Penguins did recall netminder Tristan Jarry from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, who double-crossed current priorities by playing well.

Losing might help the quality of the Penguins’ 2025 draft picks, but there’s no diminishing the quantity Dubas has assembled.

The Penguins have 18 picks in the first three rounds of the next three drafts, including four first-round choices and six second-round selections.

Getting second-round picks for both Anthony Beauvillier and Luke Schenn should hang in the Louvre.

The Penguins won’t use all those picks. Doing so would actually hinder the developmental process. The system would get cluttered. There’s only so many spots.

Some of those choices will be packaged to trade up or to acquire prospects and maybe the odd young veteran.

In the space of a year, the Penguins’ system went from being ranked rock bottom in the NHL to mid-table currently. Combine that with all those picks, and the Penguins are in a reasonably good place.

But it’s going to take time.

It would be nice to challenge for a Stanley Cup again while Crosby is still active.

But the earliest the Penguins figure to make the playoffs again is 2026-27. That’s a longshot, and they won’t be a legit contender.

Keeping Rickard Rakell made sense.

It keeps Crosby engaged. Crosby, Rakell and Bryan Rust are a good fit as a line. Crosby seems a lock to have an NHL-record 20th straight season with a point per game.

It’s not wise to burn a roster all the way to the ground. You need something to build on. A foundation.

Rakell is signed through 2028 at a salary cap hit of $5 million. If he keeps scoring, that’s reasonable.

It also makes sense to keep the Penguins’ top prospects in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the rest of the season.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is tied for the fourth-most points in the American Hockey League and could make a playoff run. Let youngsters like Joel Blomqvist, Ville Koivunen, Rutger McGroarty, Owen Pickering, Vasily Ponomarev, etc., play together, learn together and hopefully win together.

Let them develop a winning environment they can bring with them. Summoning them to Pittsburgh to lose does no good.

But next season, any of the Penguins’ prospects that prove themselves ready for the NHL between now and then should play in Pittsburgh.

That’s where I get a bit worried.

Coach Mike Sullivan prefers and trusts veterans.

For example, forwards Noel Acciari, Kevin Hayes, Danton Heinen and Blake Lizotte are signed for next season.

How many youngsters are they going to block? How much ice time will they steal from those promoted? I could see Hayes playing 15 minutes while Ponomarev gets five. (Or gets scratched.)

It makes me wonder if a lot of the Penguins’ prospects are ticketed for another season in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Like I said, this project will take time.

Trying to rush it to fit Crosby’s timetable might sabotage it. Crosby has to be patient, too.

But at least the framework is in place.

Dubas is a villain to the Canadian hockey media who love to stooge for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Dubas was Leafs GM from 2018-23 but gets blamed for all of that franchise’s problems since they last won a Stanley Cup in 1967.

Dubas will be the hero in Pittsburgh. You watch.