Dubas acquired the gritty forward in February in a trade that also saw Ryan O’Reilly become a member of the Leafs.
Dubas acquired the gritty forward in February in a trade that also saw Ryan O’Reilly become a member of the Leafs.
When Noel Acciari met the media during locker clean-out day in May, he was asked point blank if he’d like to come back to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“Playing in Canada, you want to be a Maple Leaf. It’s very special. I was very fortunate to get traded here and experience this all. I’d love to (return)," he said.
Just four days later, the man who pulled the trigger on that trade — Kyle Dubas — was relieved of his duties as general manager of the club, and that appears to have changed things.
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While new Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving did his best to retain some of the team's pending unrestricted free agents, Dubas, who went on to become president of hockey operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins, ended up landing the physical forward.
"Kyle and I formed a bit of a relationship toward the end there in Toronto and he told me the plan for Pittsburgh," Acciari told reporters in Pittsburgh last week.
Acciari signed a three-year, deal with the Penguins that carries an average annual value of $2 million per season. The term is substantial for a 31-year-old player who will primarily play on the team's bottom six.
But it's clear that Dubas was impressed with the way Acciari played defensively while also finding ways to chip in. That will be helpful for a team looking to get back into the playoffs after missing out after losing their final game of the season.
"He's done a great job with all of the guys that have come in," Acciari said of Dubas. "I take it personally getting scored on. Everyone wants to score goals but I want to be good defensively first and then the offense will come from that."
The 31-year-old had four goals and one assist in 23 games with the Maple Leafs last season. He also had two goals in 11 playoff games with Toronto in 2023. He also cited his relationship with former Penguins forward Brandon Tanev on signing with Pittsburgh. The two were teammates for three seasons at Providence College and Tanev was trying to also sell him on Seattle before Acciari chose Pittsburgh.
"He told me I'm going to love it and they're going to love you," Acciari said of Tanev's reaction. "He told me that's a great fit as much as he wanted me to come play with him in Seattle.
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