Around the League - Offseason Edition

[Stephen]

Penguins Announce Hockey Operations Promotions | Pittsburgh Penguins

Kyle Dubas Assumes Role of President of Hockey Operations and General Manager

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Penguins Announce Hockey Operations Promotions​

Kyle Dubas Assumes Role of President of Hockey Operations and General Manager​

• Andy Saucier as Director of Professional Personnel
• Erik Heasley as Director of Minor League and Amateur Scouting Operations
• Amanda Kessel as Special Assistant to the President of Hockey Operations and General Manager
• Trevor Daley as Special Assistant to the President of Hockey Operations and General Manager

"At this time, I feel it is best for continuity that I formally continue in both roles as President and General Manager in the hockey operations department," said Dubas. "We will continue to reevaluate the GM position alongside all others in future off-seasons, to ensure that we are optimizing all facets of the department. We have a small but extremely dedicated management team here, and I have come to know each of them quite well over the last couple of months. We have also added both Jason Spezza and Vukie Mpofu to provide us with a nice mixture of playing experience, front office acumen, and growth potential."

Gotta preserve that 2.5 month continuity.

 

[Stephen]

Gudas apparently not wanting to play here because of the media attention comes across as somewhat manufactured to me.

Remember when Gudas took out Kampf in the playoffs and stood there shrugging after. Waiting for a response that never arrived. If I were Gudas, a player that takes great pride in standing up for himself and his teammates, I don't think I would want to play here either.

This bullshit story about the media sounds like exactly that: a bullshit story.

The media owns the team ffs. According to the media there's rainbows shooting out of every Leafs players ass. We should know this already because our lips are expected to be attached there.

Taste the rainbow.

Gudas stinks at hockey anyway. If he wants to be a nobody, that won't be a problem. Because he already is a nobody.

Won't be long until his fifteen minutes are up and we can all go back to forgetting who this guy ever was again.

Gudas played 3x playoff games in Toronto and thinks it's going to be Beatlemania all over again if he signed with Toronto.

 

[keonsbitterness]

I have conducted an extensive search, long and wide and have come to the conclusion that the best possible GM is me. It was a tight fit between me, and one other candidate, but I felt I could work better with me, than I could the other.

I wonder how his contract negotiations went, between himself, and his new GM, himself.

View attachment 733309

Reports indicate that Dubas threatened to quit if he didn't get a raise and keep both titles, so Dubas relented and gave Dubas double the raise.

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

Gudas played 3x playoff games in Toronto and thinks it's going to be Beatlemania all over again if he signed with Toronto.

Thanks for the response.

With an ego that big, I'd have thought Gudas would have loved the spotlight. Oh well, Gudas can go be a nobody in California. The Leafs have actual real stars on the team their fans can pay attention to.

They don't need Gudas and his Burke-like ego in the spotlight.

 

[Burnie97]

After this I don't want to say much about Dubas. Treliving we'll see... anyway...

I was always on the fence with Dubas. Thought he made some good moves and some bad. In hindsight it's easy for many of us to chirp but....

I will say... to believe he is some unbelievable gm after how he left( yes I'm aware of shanny being a bum too) the fact he "wanted" to stay and then f***ed around with leafs is bullshit. He said it himself (That he'd go no where else... needed time etc).

Then not long after goes on to Pitts and ... he's "looking" for a gm. Credibility for him is zero. I'll admit some saw it earlier but he seems like a bitter man now that he is climbing the corporate ladder.

Some will say good for him... some will say its shady.

He's not a bad gm but he's not the guy some think either. If he can turn Pitts from where they are to something special in 5 to 7 years that'd be something.

I hate to wish anyone bad but guy looks like an asshole right now.

Everyone knew when he took the job as president of Pittsburgh he'd be the GM. Didn't take too long.

I guess just leafs fans get that one.

Good luck in Pitts. If they make it and we play them though in the 1st round lol... crushing them would be nice.

 

[Pholus]

He's not a bad gm but he's not the guy some think either. If he can turn Pitts from where they are to something special in 5 to 7 years that'd be something.

I'd be shocked if Pittsburgh isn't going into a full blown tank 5ish years from now, all their stars are mid-30s and they have little in the way of prospects. If Dubas can have them being something special with Crosby/Malkin/Letang all retired, that would prove he is as smart as the Dubas-haters claim he thinks he is.

As for Gudas, he can claim he didn't want the spotlight of Canadian media, but I highly doubt Toronto was offering him $12m over 3yrs. That was probably the reason he chose Anaheim.

 

[notbias]

After this I don't want to say much about Dubas. Treliving we'll see... anyway...

I was always on the fence with Dubas. Thought he made some good moves and some bad. In hindsight it's easy for many of us to chirp but....

I will say... to believe he is some unbelievable gm after how he left( yes I'm aware of shanny being a bum too) the fact he "wanted" to stay and then f***ed around with leafs is bullshit. He said it himself (That he'd go no where else... needed time etc).

Then not long after goes on to Pitts and ... he's "looking" for a gm. Credibility for him is zero. I'll admit some saw it earlier but he seems like a bitter man now that he is climbing the corporate ladder.

Some will say good for him... some will say its shady.

He's not a bad gm but he's not the guy some think either. If he can turn Pitts from where they are to something special in 5 to 7 years that'd be something.

I hate to wish anyone bad but guy looks like an asshole right now.

Everyone knew when he took the job as president of Pittsburgh he'd be the GM. Didn't take too long.

I guess just leafs fans get that one.

Good luck in Pitts. If they make it and we play them though in the 1st round lol... crushing them would be nice.

Why do people keep saying "looking"... Friedman said he thinks Dubas wanted Pridham, so apparently he wanted to hire someone. I am glad we kept Pridham and he didn't jump ship.

I just don't know what GM he'd sign at this point... the options suck... he also doesn't have the luxury we have in Toronto, I feel like we can get any GM we want because we have tons of money to throw at problems.

Do you have a suggestion on a GM available? The names thrown around by insiders for the Toronto job included Bergevin...

Also, I think Dubas was brought in to go for a quick run with the core and then do a rebuild, I don't think Pittsburgh will be a playoff team in 5 years... I'd be shocked if they were.

 

[Tufted Titmouse]

I would be so furious if we had signed players like Jarry and Graves to a combined 10m/AAV. So glad that nonsense is gone.

 

[Arzak]

Why do people keep saying "looking"... Friedman said he thinks Dubas wanted Pridham, so apparently he wanted to hire someone. I am glad we kept Pridham and he didn't jump ship.

I just don't know what GM he'd sign at this point... the options suck... he also doesn't have the luxury we have in Toronto, I feel like we can get any GM we want because we have tons of money to throw at problems.

Do you have a suggestion on a GM available? The names thrown around by insiders for the Toronto job included Bergevin...

Also, I think Dubas was brought in to go for a quick run with the core and then do a rebuild, I don't think Pittsburgh will be a playoff team in 5 years... I'd be shocked if they were.

If he can do one thing it's selling your future for first round exit.

 

[notbias]

If he can do one thing it's selling your future for first round exit.

I'd worry about Treliving... the last firsts he traded was to dump Monahan...

 

[Jmo89]

maybe he wants himself as GM, but the options now are terrible, so maybe it's not the case...

Treliving was a terrible pick up and he was likely the best of the bunch.

For all the people who complain about what Dubas did, what Treliving did in Calgary is 100x worse, and he was the best candidate.

100x worse yet still made it to the second round of the playoffs twice. I know that's a low bar but it shows how much of a loser Dubas is.

 

[tmlfan98]

 

[notbias]

100x worse yet still made it to the second round of the playoffs twice. I know that's a low bar but it shows how much of a loser Dubas is.

That was Calgary's peak... the future there is bleak, everyone is aging on that team, likely a rebuild.

Toronto has many more years of contention, not sure the scenarios are comparable.

 

[Jmo89]

That was Calgary's peak... the future there is bleak, everyone is aging on that team, likely a rebuild.

Toronto has many more years of contention, not sure the scenarios are comparable.

Results matter. Dubas' results were that of a loser.

 

[notbias]

Out of every destination, it makes the most sense.

Pittsburgh is going to be really bad soon, may as well load up and take one more shot.

Would be a fun team to watch (more fun 5 years ago).

Results matter. Dubas' results were that of a loser.

I don't disagree, we dealt a loser who had a team that was ready for more years of competition for a loser who looks like he closed the window on his team.

That's all I am saying.

 

[Jmo89]

Out of every destination, it makes the most sense.

Pittsburgh is going to be really bad soon, may as well load up and take one more shot.

Would be a fun team to watch (more fun 5 years ago).



I don't disagree, we dealt a loser who had a team that was ready for more years of competition for a loser who looks like he closed the window on his team.

That's all I am saying.

Sure, then we mostly agree. I don't really like Treliving either, but considering the tools and time Dubas had at his disposal I'm willing to give it some time before declaring the current regime a failure.

I think saying Treliving is 100x worse is a bit excessive. (Yes I understand you were using hyperbole, I think saying he's significantly worse is excessive.)

 

[notbias]

Sure, then we mostly agree. I don't really like Treliving either, but considering the tools and time Dubas had at his disposal I'm willing to give it some time before declaring the current regime a failure.

I think saying Treliving is 100x worse is a bit excessive. (Yes I understand you were using hyperbole, I think saying he's significantly worse is excessive.)

I just look at the state of the teams and think we got the worst of the two options.

Results do matter, but the current state of the team also matters and Calgary looks like they are headed for a rebuild, and I think it is largely due to some terrible UFA signings and one bad trade. That team became old very quickly.

 

[Ziggdiezan]

7 x 6.5 for Tom Wilson. Will be a really rough contract on the backend you gotta imagine

 

[Burnie97]

Why do people keep saying "looking"... Friedman said he thinks Dubas wanted Pridham, so apparently he wanted to hire someone. I am glad we kept Pridham and he didn't jump ship.

I just don't know what GM he'd sign at this point... the options suck... he also doesn't have the luxury we have in Toronto, I feel like we can get any GM we want because we have tons of money to throw at problems.

Do you have a suggestion on a GM available? The names thrown around by insiders for the Toronto job included Bergevin...

Also, I think Dubas was brought in to go for a quick run with the core and then do a rebuild, I don't think Pittsburgh will be a playoff team in 5 years... I'd be shocked if they were.

So you believe he only had one candidate and when that didn't come to fruition then he was like... yup I'm the GM now? I think he probably had a good idea before getting canned whether that was a possibility or not.

By most accounts he left because he didn't have enough power to do whatever he wanted with the Leafs so he went to Pittsburgh where they said go ahead.

Again I don't want to get all into it because I know some people think he's the best GM ever. He was fine. Like I said before some good and bad moves. How he left though... is some bullshit. For me you can't spin it another way. Looks pretty obvious.

When Dubas made the decision he made to leave... I think he always figured I'll be the GM but eventually I'll hire Spezza or someone obvious like when some better GMs contract expires but he knew it'd be him to start and that gives him the power he wanted that he couldn't get here.

Again not saying Shanahan is perfect either.

Just my two cents.

As for what he'll do with Pittsburgh they may very well get a guy like Karlsson for a shot at a cup for a year or two but I think that'd be bad. Either way rebuild is coming soon and if he's around for that it'll be interesting to see how he steers the ship to get back to contention if they give him that leeway.

 

[Fogelhund]

7 x 6.5 for Tom Wilson. Will be a really rough contract on the backend you gotta imagine

That’s going to look bad before too long. Honestly though, it doesn’t matter for the caps. Once Ovi is done, they will need a rebuild/retool of some sort anyway and the $ won’t matter. Three more years of Ovi, then the team is probably done.

 

[Mess]

7 x 6.5 for Tom Wilson. Will be a really rough contract on the backend you gotta imagine

CapFriendly reports the full breakdown of Wilson’s deal, which carries a 15-team no-trade clause until 2027-28 and a ten-team no-trade clause for the remainder:

2024-25: $4MM salary, $5MM signing bonus
2025-26: $4.5MM salary, $3MM signing bonus
2026-27: $3.625MM salary, $2MM signing bonus
2027-28: $4.3MM salary, $2MM signing bonus
2028-29: $4.275MM salary, $2MM signing bonus
2029-30: $900K salary, $4.5MM signing bonus
2030-31: $900K salary, $4.5MM signing bonus

 

[notbias]

So you believe he only had one candidate and when that didn't come to fruition then he was like... yup I'm the GM now? I think he probably had a good idea before getting canned whether that was a possibility or not.

By most accounts he left because he didn't have enough power to do whatever he wanted with the Leafs so he went to Pittsburgh where they said go ahead.

Again I don't want to get all into it because I know some people think he's the best GM ever. He was fine. Like I said before some good and bad moves. How he left though... is some bullshit. For me you can't spin it another way. Looks pretty obvious.

When Dubas made the decision he made to leave... I think he always figured I'll be the GM but eventually I'll hire Spezza or someone obvious like when some better GMs contract expires but he knew it'd be him to start and that gives him the power he wanted that he couldn't get here.

Again not saying Shanahan is perfect either.

Just my two cents.

As for what he'll do with Pittsburgh they may very well get a guy like Karlsson for a shot at a cup for a year ot two but I think that'd be bad. Either way rebuild is coming soon and if he's around for that it'll be interesting to see how he steers the ship to get back to contention if they give him that leeway.

The reports of the extra power he wanted in Toronto was streamlining processes, not cutting anyone out. We may find it is different, but that is what was reported.

Friedman thinks he wanted Pridham, no reason to not believe him.

I just really think it is a bad market for GMs, we saw it with our own search, and some of the names being thrown around were terrible. That is with some people having an "out" to come to Toronto too, I doubt that is the case for Pittsburgh.

Dubas may be exactly what people are painting him as, I can see it, I just also don't think there are any good options for GM, so I am not going to rule out the other options as well.

I am interested to see how Pittsburgh looks after Crosby and company leave, but I think while you have them, you go for it. Their prospect pool is terrible already, may as well start building that slowly and then jump all in when the stars leave.

 

[BertCorbeau]

That’s a really rich deal for Wilson … but proven powerforwards that can put up 20+ goals in a season command a premium

 

[Burnie97]

That’s a really rich deal for Wilson … but proven powerforwards that can put up 20+ goals in a season command a premium

Clarkson all over possibly

 

[Ziggdiezan]

That’s going to look bad before too long. Honestly though, it doesn’t matter got he caps. Once Ovi is done, they will need a rebuild/retool of some sort anyway and the $ won’t matter.

Ya it makes sense that way for sure, kept the AAV pretty low and chances are he will end up on LTIR before it is done/the caps are competitive again

CapFriendly reports the full breakdown of Wilson’s deal, which carries a 15-team no-trade clause until 2027-28 and a ten-team no-trade clause for the remainder:

2024-25: $4MM salary, $5MM signing bonus
2025-26: $4.5MM salary, $3MM signing bonus
2026-27: $3.625MM salary, $2MM signing bonus
2027-28: $4.3MM salary, $2MM signing bonus
2028-29: $4.275MM salary, $2MM signing bonus
2029-30: $900K salary, $4.5MM signing bonus
2030-31: $900K salary, $4.5MM signing bonus

Wow I guess Washington give quite a bit of signing bonuses