The Pittsburgh Penguins have received permission to talk to former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas, Sportsnet can confirm.
The Leafs announced Dubas was no longer GM last Friday in the aftermath of the team’s second-round exit in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Dubas’ contract is set to expire late next month.
The Penguins, who missed the playoffs this year, are searching for a president of hockey operations and general manager after cutting ties with Brian Burke and Ron Hextall.
Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan announced he was removing Dubas from his role last Friday, a week after the team lost a second-round series against the underdog Florida Panthers in just five games.
It capped a dramatic week. Dubas, in his season-ending press conference last Monday, said he wasn’t sure if he wanted to stay in the role as GM, adding he had to discuss it with his family.
In his press conference on Friday, Shanahan said Dubas’ Monday availability was the first time he considered that the Leafs might have to move forward with a new GM.
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One day before Shanahan made the announcement, the team president said Dubas’ agent sent him a new contract offer with different financial requests. Dubas then emailed Shanahan, the president said, to say he wanted to remain in the role.
But Shanahan decided otherwise, opting to remove Dubas from the position.
Shanahan hired the former Soo Greyhounds GM as an assistant GM in 2014 and then promoted him to GM in May 2018 after the club removed Lou Lamoriello from the position.
Under Dubas, the Leafs were a regular-season powerhouse, but lost in the first round of the post-season four years in a row before breaking a 19-year playoff series win drought this season with a six-game victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Dubas fired coach Mike Babcock and replaced him with former Toronto Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe early in the 2019-20 season. Dubas also hired Keefe to coach the Greyhounds.
Keefe, who has one year left on his contract, is believed to be on shaky ground now in Toronto now that Dubas has been removed.
The Penguins, meanwhile, had a 16-year playoff streak end this season.
Fenway Sports Group purchased the Penguins in late 2021 and is now gearing up to make its first hirings to lead hockey operations.
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