After another disappointing Toronto Maple Leafs playoff loss, it's time to break up the core four forwards and that might mean moving on from Mitch Marner, who becomes a free agent at the end of the 2024-25 season. Former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas is once again going back to his water well of Toronto-grown talent. As the current president of hockey operations and general manager for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Dubas and the Pens signed yet another ex-Leaf as the team continues to restructure its defensive core. The Penguins announced on Tuesday that the team has signed defenseman Filip Kral to a one-year contract through the 2024-25 season which carries an average annual value of $775,000 at the NHL level. The 24-year-old was drafted by the Maple Leafs in the fifth round (149th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft [https://x.com/MapleLeafs/status/1010581396874825729] – Dubas’ first draft as a general manager in Toronto. Kral was tied to the Leafs for three seasons (2020-23), but was primarily playing in the AHL with the Marlies. The Czechia native made his NHL debut on Oct. 29, 2022, playing in two games against the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks. With the Marlies, he appeared in 92 career AHL games, recording seven goals, 22 assists and 29 points. Kral spent the 2023-24 season with the Lahti Pelicans of the SM-liiga – Finland’s top professional league. In 46 games with the club, Kral had the best season of his pro career, scoring five goals, 32 assists and 37 points in 46 games, leading all team defensemen in assists and points. The left-handed defenseman was awarded Liiga’s Matti Keinonen Trophy, netting a league-best +28 rating. At a stature of 6-foot-2, 198 pounds, Dubas is familiar with the attributes he can bring to the Penguins’ blueline. As an established but young AHLer, joining an aged defensive core in Pittsburgh, Kral may be inexperienced at the NHL level but as a left-handed shot for a team seeking to get younger, he may be in a good position to be utilized when push comes to shove. Though he may not be guaranteed a spot on the backend, don’t be surprised if Dubas gives him a shot after training camp reps. KYLE DUBAS LOVES HIS PLAYERS Over his five-year tenure as the Maple Leafs general manager, one thing was clear about Dubas; he loves his players. With that said, Kral is not the first ex-Leaf Dubas has brought in since being relieved of his duties in Toronto last summer. For starters, he signed unrestricted free agent Noel Acciari [https://x.com/TSN_Sports/status/1675233752090398724]after his 23-game stint with the Leafs in 2022-23 and more recently, acquired Michael Bunting via trade from the Carolina Hurricanes – a player that has not only been with him in Toronto but in junior hockey during his Sault Ste. Marie days. From a personnel standpoint, Dubas brought along Jason Spezza [https://x.com/TSN_Sports/status/1668986722300964867], who was hired by the Leafs as a special assistant to the general manager in the 2022-23 season before departing to become the assistant general manager in Pittsburgh last summer. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTk1MTUxMDE2NDM2ODQ0/cf1808c0-6a82-4298-9049-3eb2eae105b0.jpg] Related How the Maple Leafs Performed in the Final Day of Preliminary Action at the World Hockey Championships and What's Next [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/how-the-maple-leafs-performed-in-the-final-day-of-preliminary-action-at-the-world-hockey-championships-and-whats-next] Report: Former Maple Leafs Assistant Coach Jim Hiller Has Interim Tag Removed From Head Coaching Spot With Kings, Toronto Assistant Coach Implications [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/report-former-maple-leafs-assistant-coach-jim-hiller-has-interim-tag-removed-from-head-coaching-spot-with-kings-toronto-assistant-coach-implications] 'Let's Go': Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan Recalls Fighting New Head Coach Craig Berube in the 80s [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/lets-go-maple-leafs-president-brendan-shanahan-recalls-fighting-new-head-coach-craig-berube-in-the-80s] News from THN.com NHL Playoff Predictions: Which Clubs Will Be Our Stanley Cup Finalists? [https://thehockeynews.com/news/nhl-playoff-predictions-which-clubs-will-be-our-stanley-cup-finalists] Finding NHL Coaching Matches for the Devils, Jets, Sharks and Kraken [https://thehockeynews.com/news/finding-nhl-coaching-matches-for-the-devils-jets-sharks-and-kraken] NHL Draft Notebook: Helenius, Brandsegg-Nygard and Solberg Compete at Men’s Worlds [https://thehockeynews.com/news/nhl-draft-notebook-helenius-brandsegg-nygard-and-solberg-compete-at-mens-worlds]
