How close is Kyle Dubas to becoming the Penguins' general manager?
How about close enough to have met with the resident franchise icon?
A source with knowledge of the situation told DK Pittsburgh Sports that Dubas, an apparent finalist for the GM vacancy, was at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex for a session that extended late into Tuesday night. Sidney Crosby also was there and was believed to be among those who met with Dubas. Members of the Penguins' public relations staff also were on hand.
Dubas, 37, was general manager of the Maple Leafs for the past five seasons and was in the last year of his contract with Toronto. The Maple Leafs' president, Brendan Shanahan, announced Friday that Dubas' contract would not be renewed. The contract runs through June 30, which is why the Penguins needed permission from the Maple Leafs to speak with Dubas.
Dubas had said last week that if his contract weren't renewed by Toronto he didn't wish to go elsewhere anytime soon, citing family concerns. But with Dubas making the trip to Pittsburgh and having this meeting Tuesday evening, it's clear that Dubas is at least considering the position.
It's also increasingly clear that the list of finalists is dwindling. Also Tuesday, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reported that Eric Tulsky, assistant GM of the Hurricanes, and Dan MacKinnon, assistant GM of the Devils, had been ruled out as candidates for the position. That left multiple outlets putting forth that Dubas and Mathieu Darche, assistant GM of the Lightning, are/were the two finalists.
Dubas had released a statement through his Twitter account earlier Tuesday regarding his departure from the Maple Leafs, a statement he captioned with the word "onward."
"While I understand there is interest surrounding the circumstances of my departure, I will not get into the specifics of what I consider to be reasonable and consistent but private discussions," Dubas wrote. "In the days that I felt I needed to assess and evaluate my own view to the future, both with respect to the necessary direction of the Club and ensuring that I had the full support of my family for what I knew would be required in the offseason and years to follow, the organization, as is their right to do, decided to go in a different direction.
"In the nine seasons since being afforded the opportunity to work in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, we have had the chance to learn a lot and have grown significantly through the ups and downs. We have watched our family double in size while developing meaningful relationships which will last a lifetime. It was an honour to be able to work in such an inspriring place, with dedicated, loyal people and an extremely passionate fan base. The impacet of that and the relationships with all of the people at MLSE, from the board of directors through to the ushers at Scotiabank Arena, will forever hold a dear place in our hearts. To the players, coaches and staff at the facility each day, past and present, than you for your passion and commitment at every step of the journey together. It was a tremendous pleasure to work alongside you each day. We will roll from here."
