Does GM Kyle Dubas Deserve More Credit for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Resurgence?
The Pittsburgh Penguins started again last season under General Manager Kyle Dubas and new head coach Dan Muse. Most expected the Penguins to miss the playoffs and get the number one pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Obviously, that didn’t happen as the Penguins made the playoffs and lost in the first round to the Philadelphia Flyers.
GM Kyle Dubas has taken his share of criticism over the years, especially after trading for Erik Karlsson from the San Jose Sharks. Karlsson looked like his old self under Dan Muse and wasn’t a fan of former coach Mike Sullivan’s play. But when you have Sidney Crosby still averaging a point per game this season, Evgeni Malkin finding a fountain of youth, and Kris Letang solidifying the defense, the goal is to win.
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The Pittsburgh Penguins wanted to prove everyone wrong last season, including GM Kyle Dubas. During the 2026 season, Dubas acquired Nick Robertson from the Toronto Maple Leafs and signed him to a two-year, $3.25 million per season contract. He also signed Andrei Kuzmenko and Trevor van Riemsdyk, and acquired Hendrix Lapierre and Kaedan Korczak. So it’s time to give Dubas his due.
Anthony Di Marco of the Daily Faceoff was on TSN Radio in Montreal and was asked about the job Kyle Dubas did in Pittsburgh rebuilding the Penguins on the air while still trying to win with Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and Evgeni Malkin.
Writing for NHLRumors.com
Host: “What did you make of the Pittsburgh Penguins offseason, and everything Kyle Dubas was saying, about legacy players, and trying to continue to build around them?”
Anthony Di Marco: “I mean, that’s been the mandate, right, since he got to Pittsburgh. Just try and keep this thing while you’re rehabbing or rebuilding on the plane. And I want to give Kyle Dubas credit. I think he’s learned from his time in Toronto. He’s been one of the most aggressive general managers in the NHL.
He takes a flyer from Nick Robertson to enter. And I think he’s done a smart job there of really trying to keep this thing competitive and honoring the legacies of, like you said, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, and I think now, by extension, Erik Karlsson, but you’re also trying to rebuild this thing.
I think they did a good job, like reloading their goal scoring area, but, sorry, for Artur Silovs and another young goalkeeper, whose name escapes me. He delivers, just like Brayden Yager’s Rutger McGroarty did last season.
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So, for me, I think he’s done as good a job as he thought, given the position he was put in when he was hired three seasons ago.”
It’s clear that under GM Kyle Dubas, the Pittsburgh Penguins are headed in the right direction as far as the legendary trio goes. Who knows, he might find a way to add a 40-point scorer before the offseason ends.
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