Kyle Dubas named Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations

It didn’t take long.

Just under two weeks after being let go by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kyle Dubas was hired as president of hockey operations by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Dubas was relieved by Toronto President Brendan Shanahan on May 19, with his contract set to expire at the end of June. The Leafs announced Brad Treliving as the new general manager on Wednesday afternoon.

This will be Dubas’s second NHL team, having served as an assistant or senior general manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2014-23. Dubas will replace Brian Burke, who, along with Ron Hextall, was relieved in April. Burke also served as the Leafs’ general manager.

« We are thrilled to welcome Kyle to the Pittsburgh Penguins, » said John Henry and Tom Werner of Fenway Sports Group.

“Throughout his career, Kyle has proven himself to be a forward-thinking hockey spirit and embodies all the qualities – integrity, intelligence and an unwavering commitment to building a winning culture – that we value at a leader with the Penguins and Fenway Sports Group. We did an exhaustive job of selecting candidates throughout this process, but it didn’t take long to be impressed with Kyle, the reputation he’s built. is forged in and around the National Hockey League, and its vision for the organization on and off the ice.

“His passion for the sport and ability to foster collaborative relationships with his staff, coaches and players is the type of leadership style that will no doubt resonate with the front office and set us on a new path to success going forward. short term with our current championship caliber core and beyond with a commitment to long term sustainable success.

At his season-ending press conference last month, Dubas said he couldn’t see himself working anywhere other than Toronto.

« I definitely have no intention of going anywhere else, » Dubas said of the expected interest from other teams. « It would be either [Toronto] or take time [away] reflect. You won’t see me appear next week anywhere else. I can’t put this on my family after this year.

Dubas helped lead Toronto to a regular season record of 221-109-42, scoring some of the most successful regular season runs in Leafs history. Dubas served as general manager for Toronto’s first playoff victory in 19 years when the Leafs beat Tampa Bay in April.

The Penguins have yet to announce a general manager. The team has about $20 million in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly, with Nick Boninio, Jason Zucker and Tristan Jarry being the top free agents. Both Drew O’Connor and Ryan Poehling are FRGs.