However, contrary to those who believed he would become the team's general manager, Dubas has ultimately become the President of Hockey Operations.
A title quite different from what he did with the Leafs, as he will now have the task of mentoring and supporting the next GM of the Penguins. He will indeed hold the position on an interim basis, until a candidate is selected.
In the last few minutes, as he was in a press conference for his arrival with the organization, Dubas answered a few important questions about the future of the team.
While many analysts thought that major changes might occur in the lineup, as the Penguins disappointingly missed the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, the new president reiterated a huge vote of confidence in the team's current core:
Dubas also confirmed that his new head coach Mike Sullivan isn't going anywhere:
As Pittsburgh will have $20 million available in payroll this summer, with only eight forwards, six defensemen, and a goaltender signed with NHL contracts, there could be a lot of action during the offseason, certainly on the free agent market, but potentially also in trades.
POLL | ||
1 JUIN | 1123 ANSWERS Kyle Dubas made a huge decision concerning the core of the Penguins Do you believe that the Pittsburgh Penguins pulled off a big move by hiring Kyle Dubas? | ||
Yes | 640 | 57 % |
No | 483 | 43 % |
List of polls |