NHL Rumors: Kyle Dubas to Speak with Penguins About GM Job After Maple Leafs Exit
The Pittsburgh Penguins are reportedly set to interview former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas for their GM vacancy.
Darren Dreger of TSN reported the Penguins reached out and were granted permission to speak to Dubas, whose contract will be allowed to expire at the end of the 2022-23 season.
A former player agent, Dubas had been with the Leafs organization since 2014. He became the franchise's 17th general manager in 2018.
The Leafs have made the playoffs in seven straight seasons overall but have not gotten past the second round.
The Penguins fired general manager Ron Hextall and president Brian Burke in April. The moves came after Pittsburgh failed to make the playoffs for the first time in 16 seasons.
Whoever winds up taking the Penguins' general manager job could be undertaking a roster primed for a rebuild. Pittsburgh's roster is increasingly aging and expensive, with Sidney Crosby ($8.7 million), Evgeni Malkin ($6.1 million), Jeff Petry ($6.2 million) and Kris Letang ($6.1 million) all making significant salaries at age 35 or older.
It's fair to wonder if Dubas would want to undertake a full-scale rebuild in a small (but loyal) market after cutting his teeth in hockey hotbed Toronto. It's probably an indication of where the Penguins roster stands that they're still in the relative infancy of their hiring process.
