Opinion: The Kyle Dubas GM Of The Year Snub Is Insane

The finalists for the annual Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year award were announced on Tuesday, and somehow, Pittsburgh Penguins president/general manager Kyle Dubas wasn't one of them.

Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin, Colorado Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland, and Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek are the finalists.

All three have done a great job with their respective teams, but it's still crazy that Dubas wasn't even a nominee for this award after the work he did over the last year to turn the Penguins from what many expected to be a bottom-five team into a playoff team.  

For starters, he hired Dan Muse as head coach after the 2024-25 season ended, and it's already been one heck of a hire. He did an outstanding job with the veterans and the younger players, while the special teams units were also fantastic. Muse was eventually named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award. 

Switching gears a little bit, basically all of the roster moves that Dubas made last summer and during the 2025-26 season were home runs. He signed Anthony Mantha to a one-year "prove it" deal, and he went on to have the best season of his career, compiling 33 goals and 64 points. Yes, he didn't play well in the playoffs, but it was still a great signing. 

Justin Brazeau and Parker Wotherspoon were also brought in on cheap deals during free agency last summer and, like Mantha, had their best individual seasons. Brazeau lit the league on fire to start the season and finished with 17 goals and 34 points in 64 games. 

Wotherspoon was a great fit on the top defensive pair with Erik Karlsson and was the Penguins' most reliable defenseman on the left side. He was strong in his own zone and was also one of their most physical players. 

Dubas traded for goaltender Arturs Silovs from the Vancouver Canucks and only gave up forward Chase Stillman and a fourth-round pick. Silovs was up-and-down during the regular season, but lived up to his name as a big-game goalie in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

He drafted Ben Kindel, who went on to have a better rookie season than anyone expected, finishing with 17 goals and 35 points. Bill Zonnon is also on the way after scoring his first AHL goal on Tuesday, and Will Horcoff had a strong freshman season for the University of Michigan. 

Goaltender Tristan Jarry got off to a solid start with the Penguins this season, winning nine of the 14 games he played. He was still in the third year of a five-year contract, making $5.375 million per season, and Dubas still found a way to get out of the deal. He shipped Jarry and forward Sam Poulin to the Edmonton Oilers for fellow goaltender Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second-round pick.

Skinner was serviceable for the Penguins down the stretch and into the playoffs. Kulak was playing solid with Letang before he was later flipped to the Avalanche for fellow defenseman Sam Girard and a 2028 second-round pick. Girard was up-and-down with the Penguins after the trade and will have an opportunity to show more once the 2026-27 season starts in October. Overall, it's still tidy business by Dubas. 

How about sending a second-round pick, a third-round pick, and forward Danton Heinen to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Egor Chinakhov? Chinakhov needed a change of scenery and fit the Penguins like a glove, compiling 18 goals and 36 points in 43 games after the trade. He was fantastic with Evgeni Malkin and Tommy Novak and is set to get a new contract this summer. 

Elmer Soderblom was acquired by Dubas just before the trade deadline and was a great fit in the bottom six. He racked up five goals and 10 points in 20 games after coming over from the Detroit Red Wings, using all of his 6'8 frame to his advantage. His board play was also impressive, as was his ability to protect the puck. 

Soderblom is expected to be a mainstay in the Penguins' bottom six next season and potentially future seasons as well. 

Dubas has been on a heater for over a year, and it's a shame that it wasn't recognized by the general managers and the small panel of NHL executives and media members who vote for this award. 

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