The Penguins' general manager search is nearing its conclusion, but one candidate has been a surprise late addition to the conversation.
It was just a week ago that Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said in his season-ending media availability that he had no interest in working anywhere other than Toronto next season. He was in the last year of his contract with the Maple Leafs, a contract that is set to expire on June 30. He expressed a desire to return as general manager on the Leafs, but cited family concerns as a reason for not wanting to work elsewhere if Toronto did not renew his contract.
"I definitely don't have it in me to go anywhere else," Dubas said. "So it'll need to be here or it'll be taking time to recalibrate and reflect on the seasons here. You won't see me pop up elsewhere next week."
Well, a week later, Dubas' name is popping up elsewhere.
The Maple Leafs announced on Friday that Dubas' contract would not be renewed after spending the last five seasons as the Maple Leafs' general manager. But because Dubas' existing contract doesn't expire until June 30, interested teams must first ask and receive permission from the Maple Leafs in order to interview Dubas.
The Penguins reportedly requested permission from Toronto to speak with Dubas, and it was granted.
Dubas seemed pretty adamant last week about not wanting to move his family to work in a new city, but his tune may have changed now that he is without a job. The Penguins were already pretty far along in their general manager search before Friday, but Dubas becoming available adds an interesting wrinkle to the process.
Could Dubas be the Penguins' next general manager? We'll see where things go over the next few days. In the meantime, let's take a look at some of Dubas' biggest hits and misses during his time managing the Maple Leafs.
HITS
The 2023 trade deadline - This past trade deadline may have been some of Dubas' best work and a big reason why the Leafs actually managed to make it out of the first round this year. Dubas brought Ryan O'Reilly, Noel Acciari, Luke Schenn, Sam Lafferty, Erik Gustafsson and Jake McCabe. Schenn and O'Reilly in particular were key players in Toronto's short-lived playoff run, and Lafferty and Acciari were solid pickups to bolster Toronto's depth.
Drafting Matthew Knies - Dubas had a pretty good track record as far as drafting goes during his time in Toronto, something that is worth a look in a story of its own if these talks with Dubas do actually go anywhere. Knies was a late-second-round pick in 2021. Knies, a forward, turned pro this spring after his sophomore season at the University of Minnesota. He played three games in the regular season and was a regular in the Leafs' lineup in the playoffs, scoring one goal and three assists in seven games before an injury knocked him out of the second-round series against the Panthers. That's a pretty short sample size, but it looks like the Leafs got a good, young player who can carve out a regular NHL role next season. With Knies being on an affordable entry-level deal, that's especially valuable for a cash-strapped team.
Acquiring Zach Hyman - Remember Greg McKegg, the journeyman forward who played 26 games for the Penguins in 2017-18? Nobody would fault you if you didn't. McKegg was originally a 2010 third-round pick of the Leafs and played four NHL games over three professional seasons in Toronto's system. Back in the summer of 2015, then-assistant general manager Dubas was a co-interim general manager along with Dale Hunter after the Leafs fired general manager Dave Nonis and before they had hired Lou Lamoriello. While a 29-year-old Dubas temporarily had the keys that summer, he made a move of his own. He traded McKegg to the Panthers for forward Hyman and a seventh-round pick. McKegg played 46 NHL games over the next two seasons with Florida before being lost to waivers. Hyman became a key part of Toronto's forward group for the next six seasons before leaving as a free agent in 2021. It was Dubas' first real move as a general manager, and it had a big positive impact for years to come.
Acquiring Jake Muzzin - The Muzzin deal was a costly one, but it was a good move. In 2019 Dubas traded the Leafs' first-round pick and prospects Carl Grundstrom and Sean Durzi to the Kings for Muzzin. He mortgaged the future to help the team in the present and he got back a valuable asset for the NHL roster. Grundstrom turned into a bottom-six forward and Durzi turned into a third-pairing defenseman for the Kings. Muzzin turned into a key piece of Toronto's blue line, and chipped in offensively quite a bit as well. Muzzin's last two seasons were derailed by injuries, limited to 47 games in 2021-22 with two concussions and four games this past season after a spinal injury. While things took an unfortunate turn for Muzzin, the acquisition itself was a good move.
MISSES
John Tavares signing - Including Tavares here isn't meant to be a knock on him as a player at all, he's played well for Toronto. In Dubas' first season as general manager in 2018, he signed Tavares to a seven-year deal that has an $11 million cap hit and a full no-movement clause throughout the length of the deal. The Leafs were in cap hell this season, perhaps even more so than the Penguins were for large stretches, and Tavares' contract is a big part of that. The timing of the deal was also a little poor. The Leafs were in a rebuilding stage and not quite ready to become a contender, but adding such a big free agent in Tavares forced the Leafs to speed up the end of the rebuild, perhaps to a fault.
Nazem Kadri trade - This one was a tough look. It was Dubas' second summer as general manager in 2019, and he sent Kadri, Calle Rosen and a third-round pick for the Avalanche in exchange for Tyson Barrie (at 50% retained), the rights to Alex Kerfoot and a sixth-round pick. Kadri went on to win the Stanley Cup with Colorado before becoming a sought-after target in free agency. The Leafs brought Rosen back later that season by sending depth goaltender Michael Hutchinson to Colorado. Barrie left in free agency after one year in Toronto. Kerfoot remains and has turned into a top-six player. Even if Dubas felt like he had to move on from Kadri, the Leafs certainly could have gotten a better haul in return.
Acquiring Nick Foligno - The Foligno deal was part of a big three-team trade that also involved the Blue Jackets and Sharks at the 2021 trade deadline. The Leafs sent a first-round pick and a fourth-round pick to Columbus for Foligno, with Columbus retaining 50% of Foligno's salary. They sent a fourth-round pick to San Jose in exchange for the Sharks retaining another 25% of Foligno's salary, and also received Stefan Noesen from San Jose. Foligno missed some time with injury down the stretch of the rest of the season, and only ended up playing seven regular-season games and four playoff games as Toronto was bounced from the playoffs in the first round. He never scored a goal for Toronto, and recorded four assists in the regular-season and one in the postseason. The Leafs weren't able to get a deal done with Foligno before free agency opened and Foligno walked that summer to sign a deal with Boston. Dubas can't be faulted for that time Foligno missed due to injury, but it was still a hefty price for a rental for a team not built to go anywhere that postseason.
Not protecting Jared McCann - McCann was never seriously looked at as a potential Leaf. He was acquired from the Penguins prior to the 2021 Seattle expansion draft for Filip Hallander and a seventh-round pick. It was a cap dump for the Penguins, and a strategic move by Dubas to ensure that the Kraken would take McCann in the expansion draft -- he essentially gave up next to nothing in Hallander and a low pick in order to ensure that the Leafs didn't lose any of their own players. That's not a bad move in isolation, and hindsight is 20/20, but you have to wonder what McCann would have done for Toronto had he actually been protected. In fairness, Dubas wasn't the only general manager to bungle the McCann situation that offseason.
