Mark Madden: Penguins' development plan should focus on building a championship contender

The Pittsburgh Penguins have a plan. President of hockey ops/GM Kyle Dubas has a plan.

Like with any plan, whether it works remains to be seen.

The Penguins have 18 picks over the first three rounds of the next three drafts. That includes four first-rounders.

That indicates a commitment to the future, even if your best player is 37. (Memo to Dubas: The plan must germinate organically, not accelerate to fit Sidney Crosby’s timetable.)

When will the Penguins make the playoffs again? Not earlier than 2026-27, but that’s not the big question.

When will the Penguins legitimately be a threat to win playoff series again? To legit contend for a championship? That’s what’s important.

That should be the end game of a sports team’s plan: To win a championship. Not just sneak into the playoffs and be one-and-done.

The latter is clearly the Steelers’ plan.

Why else would the Steelers be pursuing a 41-year-old quarterback like they’re dateless for prom night? Aaron Rodgers gets them nowhere close to a championship, probably not even a playoff win. Heck, he doesn’t guarantee the Steelers make the postseason.

The Steelers’ plan is to preserve Mike Tomlin’s streak of never having a losing season. It’s the only thing a once-legendary franchise has left to hang its hat on.

A 4-13 season made the Washington Commanders into contenders overnight. The Steelers would rather go 9-8 in perpetuity.

There’s no telling when the Penguins will contend.

One player currently in the system could accelerate the process: 21-year-old Russian goaltender Sergei Murashov.

Murashov is playing for the Penguins’ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton farm team and has terrific stats: He’s 11-2 with a 2.66 goals-against average and a save percentage of .914. Murashov started the season with Wheeling, the Penguins’ lesser affiliate, and was said to be too good for that level.

Murashov won his first 11 starts with Wilkes-Barre. He won 13 in a row with Wheeling. His numbers have been overwhelming since he first strapped on pads. Murashov drips with raw ability.

Murashov is impressing, not least because it’s his first pro season in North America. But he almost certainly won’t be ready for promotion to Pittsburgh next season. He’s not to be rushed.

Goaltending mistakes are amplified at the NHL level. Murashov will err as part of his learning curve. Let him do so out of the spotlight. (His weakness seems to be rebound control.)

The Penguins’ rise looks somewhat dependent on Murashov’s rise, when/if he becomes a dominant netminder. (Building around one of those would be quite a switch for the Penguins.)

One recent column speculated that the Penguins might pursue star Toronto winger Mitch Marner when he hits free agency after the season.

That’s fun conjecture but won’t (and shouldn’t) happen.

You don’t spend big until you’re almost done rebuilding. At that point, you know exactly what you need and splash the cash accordingly.

The Penguins have traditionally spent to the salary cap, but they shouldn’t for the next few seasons.

That’s not being cheap. That’s common sense.

The Penguins are playing to 90.6% capacity at home this season. Revenue has diminished. Unless you need to spend, don’t. Right now is about development.

The Steelers, meanwhile, will go 9-8. Yay.