Kyle Dubas didn’t take long to find a job. The former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager was named president of hockey operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday morning.
The announcement comes less than two weeks after Dubas learned that his contract would not be renewed by the Maple Leafs.
As president of hockey operations, the 37-year-old Canadian will be responsible for establishing the franchise’s strategic vision and philosophy, including finding a general manager.
“Throughout his career, Kyle has proven himself to be a forward-thinking hockey man. He embodies all the qualities — integrity, intelligence and commitment to building a winning culture — that we value in a leader at the Penguins and at Fenway Sports Group,” owners John Henry and Tom Werner said in a statement.
The pair say they did an “exhaustive” job selecting candidates, but say they were quickly “impressed with Kyle, the reputation he’s built in and around the National Hockey League, and his vision of the organization on and off the ice”. His leadership style, they believe, will set the team on a “long road to short-term success with our current championship-caliber core.”
Dubas has spent the past nine seasons with Toronto, including five as general manager. Upon his appointment, he became the second-youngest general manager in NHL history. The Leafs went 221-109-42 during his reign.
“The opportunity to work with such passionate and committed people, along with the established character and leadership of the long-standing core of talented players, gives me great enthusiasm for the challenge ahead,” said Dubas. Our family has felt extremely comfortable throughout this process and we are thrilled to now call Pittsburgh our home. »
Dubas’ challenges
After being tasked with helping the Maple Leafs achieve playoff success for the first time in two decades, Dubas will look to keep the Penguins’ window open with stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kristopher Letang.
All three are 35 or older and haven’t won a series since 2018. Still, Dubas doesn’t believe the age of the club’s core members is the source of the team’s problems.
“I’ve heard a lot of people express doubts about the possibility of seeing this team go for the big honours. If these people are willing to bet against (Crosby, Malkin and Letang), then they do, Dubas said at a press conference. I intend to bet on them. I think this band can still claim top honors. »
Crosby and Malkin had productive campaigns. But despite going 14-2-2 in November and December, the Penguins lacked consistency and saw the longest active playoff streak in major North American sport come to an end.
Even though the Penguins will have about 20 million wiggle room under the salary cap this summer and can talk to the 14e rank in the draft at the end of the month, it would be amazing to see the team make any major changes.
Dubas inherited the NHL’s oldest club last season and the roster is filled with question marks, especially up front behind Crosby, Malkin and Jake Guentzel.
Star goaltender Tristan Jarry could become an unrestricted free agent this summer and was affected by injuries in the second half of the campaign. Forward Jason Zucker could also claim full autonomy.
The team also has several older players with full or partial no-trade clauses, including forwards Jeff Carter and Bryan Rust and defenseman Jeff Petry.
“Yes, these are real issues,” admitted Dubas. I think that has an impact on what we can add on a depth level and on a youth level. This will be the key. »
Under Dubas, the Maple Leafs had three of the best five seasons in team history in winning and point percentage. The team also reached the first round of the playoffs this spring for the first time since 2004.
Following the Maple Leafs’ elimination, Dubas said he didn’t necessarily want to continue working as general manager, not least because of the stress it caused within his young family.
He joked that he may have been “too honest” in his record following the Maple Leafs’ elimination.
With The Canadian Press