Is Penguins' GM Kyle Dubas The Clear Frontrunner For GM Of The Year?

When Kyle Dubas was hired as the President of Hockey Operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jun. 1, 2023 - and later named General Manager - he had a lot of work ahead of him. 

The Penguins had just missed the playoffs for the first time in 17 years, and the organization - as well as ownership - still believed it had what it took to get back. Dubas went out and landed Erik Karlsson, who was coming off a career-best season and Norris Trophy campaign, but that wasn't enough to get them back into contention.

So, he went into sell mode at the deadline, trading away Pittsburgh's most valuable on-the-market asset in Jake Guentzel and beginning what was thought, by many, to be a rebuild that would take years to execute.

But flash forward just two years later, and the Penguins are back in playoff contention. And, no, they're not just back by a stroke of luck, they look to be a legitimately good hockey team when relatively healthy and pitted up against some of the better teams in the league. When looking back at everything Dubas has done since the beginning of the offseason for the Penguins, it's starting to make more and more sense why they're competitive and what the plan for the rebuild's "next steps" are. 

And if the Penguins do, indeed, make the playoffs, Dubas should pretty much just be handed the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year award. 

Of course, there are other general managers around the league who deserve a ton of recognition this season, too. Chris MacFarland - GM of the Colorado Avalanche - has managed to build a powerhouse team that could break some NHL season records, and that's after trading superstar Mikko Rantanen at last season's deadline. Kelly McCrimmon - GM of the Vegas Golden Knights - brought in Mitch Marner during the offseason and recently traded for Rasmus Andersson, who should help their blue line in the push for another division title.

Then there's New York Islanders' new GM Mathieu Darche, who had a masterclass of a 2025 draft and who - like Dubas - has steered a team with lower expectations right into the playoff conversation. Even Detroit Red Wings' GM Steve Yzerman and his "Yzerplan" is starting to bear some fruit, with Detroit being one of the East's top teams this season. 

But it's hard to ignore what Dubas has done for a team that many pegged as a lottery team. Not only has he managed to infuse some talent into a previously barren pipeline during his tenure as GM, but he's continued to add even more talent to both the pipeline and to the NHL roster without sacrificing the future. 

In this year's draft, he selected center Ben Kindel 11th overall, which - at the time - was a move criticized by many. Well, Kindel has played full-time at the NHL level this season - primarily as the team's third-line center - and already looks like a veteran. Once the production catches up, he will be a star. And he's one of only three players drafted this season still remaining at the NHL level, with the others being Michael Misa of the San Jose Sharks and Matthew Schaefer of the Islanders. 

He also used the first-round pick from the New York Rangers - courtesy of the Marcus Pettersson trade last spring - to trade down and select two more players in the first round in Bill Zonnon and Will Horcoff, both of whom are promising prospects. 

And that's not even accounting for the other moves he made in the offseason. He added defenseman Parker Wotherspoon and wingers Justin Brazeau and Anthony Mantha in free agency, all of whom have been significant contributors to the Penguins' playoff push. He added goaltender Arturs Silovs via trade, and he has been a factor. He also brought back forward Connor Dewar after non-tendering him as an RFA, and he's been a significant piece on Pittsburgh's penalty kill and their fourth line. 

Then there are his in-season moves, most of which have panned out up to this point. Dubas first swapped goaltender Tristan Jarry and Stuart Skinner, also getting defenseman Brett Kulak from the Edmonton Oilers in the process, and Skinner and Kulak have both been solid for the Penguins so far. As has Egor Chinakhov, who was bought from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a second- and third-rounder (plus Danton Heinen) and has already showed some promise as the goal-scorer the Penguins hoped they were getting. There were two other moves for defensemen in Egor Zamula and Ilya Solovyov as well, one of which didn't pan out and one of which is pending. 

And all of this isn't even accounting for three second-round picks and the third-round pick that they acquired through taking on salary dumps like Connor Clifton, Matt Dumba, and Skinner, two of which have actually been pretty solid contributors for the Penguins. Or the trades that never happened in Karlsson, Rickard Rakell, and Bryan Rust, all of whom have continued to be key parts of their lineup and locker room. 

Dubas isn't done yet, either. And neither are the Penguins. If they remain in playoff contention, there's a good chance that Dubas will add to the roster for the playoff push. There are even whispers that they are in the mix for some bigger names - maybe even big fish like Jason Robertson. 

There is still a lot of season left, and a lot can happen. Maybe the Penguins will fall out of contention, and they'll go back into sell mode. Or maybe they won't, and Dubas has the choice to either ride with the wind and keep the current roster intact or get creative in trying to both improve the NHL roster and keep their promising future intact.

If they don't - and they manage to make the playoffs and, perhaps, even go on some kind of Cinderella run - this could quite possibly one of the best-managed seasons in recent memory. Between free agent signings and trades that give him the option to keep or flip depending on the situation and draft picks who should pan out to be pretty good NHL players, the Penguins are in a good spot.

So, regardless of how things turn out, Dubas deserves a lot of praise for the work he's done with the Pittsburgh Penguins this season - and he should be recognized for it.

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