Kyle Dubas named Pittsburgh Penguins’ president of hockey operations
That didn’t take long.
Just under two weeks after getting let go by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kyle Dubas has been hired as the president of hockey operations by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Dubas was relieved by Toronto president Brendan Shanahan on May 19, with his contract set to expire at the end of June. The Leafs announced Brad Treliving as the newest GM on Wednesday afternoon.
This will be Dubas’ second NHL team, having served as either the assistant or main general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2014-23. Dubas will replace Brian Burke, who, along with Ron Hextall, was relieved back in April. Burke also previously served as GM of the Leafs.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kyle to the Pittsburgh Penguins,” a joint statement from John Henry and Tom Werner from Fenway Sports Group said.
“Throughout his career, Kyle has proven himself as a forward-thinking hockey mind and embodies all of the qualities – integrity, intelligence, and an unwavering commitment to building a winning culture – that we value in a leader at the Penguins and within Fenway Sports Group. We have done exhaustive work narrowing down candidates throughout this process, but it did not take long to be impressed by Kyle, the reputation he’s cultivated for himself in and around the National Hockey League, and his vision for the organization on and off the ice.
“His passion for the sport and ability to foster collaborative relationships with his staff, coaches and players is the type of leadership style that will undoubtedly resonate with the front office and set us on a new path for success in the near-term with our current championship-caliber core and beyond with a commitment to sustainable, long-term success.”
At his end-of-season press availability last month, Dubas said he couldn’t see himself working anywhere else but Toronto.
“I definitely don’t have a view to going anywhere else,” Dubas said about the potential of working elsewhere before getting let go by Toronto. “It would either be [Toronto] or taking time [away] to reflect. You won’t see me next week pop up elsewhere. I can’t put my family through that after this year.”
Dubas helped lead Toronto to a regular season record of 221-109-42, marking some of the most successful regular season runs in Leafs history. Dubas was GM of Toronto’s first playoff series win in 19 years when the Leafs beat Tampa Bay back in April.
The Penguins have not announced a general manager as of yet. The team has around $20 million in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly, with Nick Boninio, Jason Zucker and Tristan Jarry being the most prominent free agents. Drew O’Connor and Ryan Poehling are both RFAs.