Kyle Dubas Is Not the Answer as Penguins’ GM
Kyle Dubas is a popular option to be Pittsburgh Penguins' GM, but he's not the best option.
After the Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated by the Florida Panthers, the rumors of Kyle Dubas' departure for the Pittsburgh Penguins intensified quickly. The Maple Leafs have disappointed again and are still looking for a way to take the next step towards the Stanley Cup. Because of the failure and an uncertain contract situation, Dubas may search for greener pastures and the Penguins make sense as a landing spot. He's an exciting executive who should continue to be a general manager, but he's not the best option for the Penguins moving forward.
Poor Coach Selection
A huge issue with Dubas is not his contract negotiating skills or his player evaluation abilities, but rather his inexperience and short-sightedness about coaching. Over the past few years, Dubas hand-picked and stood by Sheldon Keefe as the Leafs' head coach. The two have a strong relationship, dating back to working together in the OHL at Sault Ste. Marie. Both Keefe and Dubas experienced success at the major junior level, as well as in the American Hockey League. After Dubas was given the reigns as gm, he quickly elevated Keefe to the head coach position.
As head coach, Keefe has posted a more than respectable record of 166-71-30, including back-to-back 50 win seasons. On the surface, the team has succeeded under Keefe, but the problems run much deeper.
The biggest strike against Keefe and his staff is they have no ability to guide the team in the playoffs. The Maple Leafs have consistently shown an inability to adapt to the tougher and physical playoff style of play. Keefe has lost three times in the first round or qualifying round, and is coming off of his first appearance in the second round, where the team looked grossly outmatched.
Despite this, Dubas double downed on his head coach. Loyalty is a wonderful quality, but blind loyalty can be detrimental. As the Penguins move into a time where their playoff hopes could waver, they'll need a general manger in charge who can make the tough calls, especially when it comes to coaching. Dubas is not that person.
Excellent Idea, Poor Execution
Dubas is a very intelligent and well-respected executive in the league. He has a record of using applied analytics and can draft well due to his extensive career in the junior ranks. Both of those skills would translate smoothly to the incoming Penguins' general manager and team. The only hold up is that Dubas also has a track record of forgoing those sensible approaches in favor of a big swing, and he hasn't quite hit the mark.
Look at some of the contracts he's given out. Applaud him for the low-risk, high reward signings like Mark Giordano, Michael Bunting, and Ilya Samsonov, but hold him just as accountable for signing John Tavares to a $77 million dollar contract as his first big move in charge back in 2018. While Tavares has become a captain and consistent player, he hasn't led this team to the promised land, and now he's 32 with an $11 million cap hit for two more seasons.
Similarly, Dubas has become increasingly desperate to add through trades, and it has also failed to pay off. This season's deadline had a similar feeling in Toronto as it did in Pittsburgh, that feeling of intense pressure to make the perfect moves. He went all-in and acquired veteran help across the lineup, including forwards Ryan O'Reilly, Noel Acciari and Sam Lafferty, and defensemen Jake McCabe and Luke Schenn. The moves were not as lopsided as the cost for the Penguins to acquire Mikael Granlund, but the trades Dubas made barely moved the needle for a team that expected a trip to the Cup Final.
After some brief injuries, Ryan O'Reilly was excellent in the playoffs, with nine points in 11 games. Aside from him, the rest of the deadline acquisitions were just average. Lafferty and Acciari combined for three goals and five points in two rounds of the playoffs and failed to boost the depth scoring they were acquired to increase. McCabe and Schenn played larger roles in the Leafs postseason plans, but still weren't enough. Overall, Dubas moves were promising, but underdelivered.
And that's the last thing the Penguins need as they move into this transitional phase. Pittsburgh needs a steady, consistent hand guiding the ship. With no disrespect to him, Dubas has simply failed to provide that in his time in Toronto. The pressure of the city, media, and organizational history aside, there is nothing about Dubas' performance as general manager that tells me he is fit for the job in Pittsburgh. He's an exciting option, and a qualified one, but he's far from the right one.
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more!
- Subscribe to Inside the Penguins on YouTube
- Follow Inside the Penguins on Twitter: @InsidePenguins