Penguins reportedly waiting for Kyle Dubas to make decision on GM job offer
The ball is reportedly in Kyle Dubas' court as the former Leafs GM mulls an offer from Pittsburgh less than two weeks after talks broke down with Toronto.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are reportedly doing everything possible to convince Kyle Dubas to sign on the dotted line as their next general manager.
Dubas has been highly sought after by the Penguins, who received permission to contact him last week after he parted ways with the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this month. That meeting appears to have gone fairly well.
Pittsburgh has continued to express interest in the former Maple Leafs GM and it's apparently "his job if he wants it," Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday. The franchise has also reportedly suspended its GM search until they receive a final decision from Dubas.
Fenway Sports Group, who purchased the Penguins in 2021, attended this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix — won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen — and are expected to check in with Dubas after returning home later this week.
The 37-year-old executive met with captain Sidney Crosby at the team’s practice facility last week, according to Penguins reporter Taylor Haase. Dubas also toured the organization, which reportedly rolled out the red carpet upon his arrival.
Dubas claimed he "definitely" didn’t have it in him "to go anywhere else" besides Toronto during his end-of-season presser a few weeks ago. But, of course, that was before his messy departure from the franchise which featured a falling out between he and team president Brendan Shanahan at the tail end of the negotiating process.
The Penguins, meanwhile, relieved director of hockey operations Brian Burke and GM Ron Hextall of their respective duties last month after the franchise’s 16-season playoff streak ended.