Most hockey insiders seem to think that the Pittsburgh Penguins general manager job will belong to former Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas.
If he wants it.
And that “if” appears to be linked to the Ottawa Senators. Pierre Dorion is the franchise’s current GM. But there is some belief that when the sale of the team becomes final, new owners may want to go in a different direction. Dubas grew up a Senators fan, and many feel that there is a clearer path to a rebuild in Ottawa than there is in Pittsburgh because of all the expensive veterans under no-trade contracts here.
To say nothing of the Penguins’ utter lack of draft capital and minor-league prospects.
Yet, during this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast (a day late because of Memorial Day), Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLIVE says Dubas may be inclined to take the Pens job anyway.
“There’s no guarantee he gets Ottawa,” Madden said. “It’s likely, but no guarantee. Sometimes when you wait for something, and it’s not there, you look stupid. And maybe you are fouled a little bit moving forward.”
Madden also wonders if Dubas is swayed about the big picture of what working for Fenway Sports Group could look like — especially because Dubas is a big believer in analytics-based team construction, and FSG likes to hire executives who have that exact school of thought.
“If I was Dubas, I would say, ‘FSG wants a guy like me.’ Because that’s the kind of administrator they have pursued with their other sports teams too. A clinical methodologist. I think he would see a good fit, even if the Penguins aren’t in a good situation,” Madden said.
Another yellow light that may be flashing in Dubas’ face is that head coach Mike Sullivan wields a lot of power within the Penguins organization.
“I have been told that Dubas has been promised autonomy for personnel and a direct line of communication with FSG,” Madden said.
There’s some belief that former Penguins coach Eddie Olczyk may be under consideration for the vacant president of hockey operations job. If he lands that role, is it possible that Edzo can be a buffer between Dubas and Sullivan?
“Mike Sullivan hasn’t won a playoff series since 2018. He doesn’t deserve a buffer,” Madden quipped. “Will (Dubas) go to Sullivan and say, ‘Listen, you have to temper your coaching to the type of players we are able to assemble’? If I was Dubas, I would want that said by Sullivan before I took the job.”
Also, in the podcast, Madden and I discuss the Steelers’ offseason practices, the struggles of the Pirates and the series-ending finale of “Succession.”
