Kyle Dubas and the Penguins have officially named their next general manager.
It’s Kyle Dubas.
The team announced Thursday that Dubas, who was hired as president of hockey operations in June, will formally be assuming the GM duties, as well.
It was hardly a surprising development given that Fenway Sports Group brought in Dubas, the former Toronto GM, to run the show and he has been hands-on ever since as the Penguins navigated the NHL draft and free agency.
But it is still noteworthy because Dubas publicly expressed some interest in hiring a GM and the GM title theoretically could have helped the Penguins poach another rising exec from another team had they decided to go that route.
In a statement, Dubas explained Thursday why he decided to take on the dual role, while also leaving the door open for a new GM to be hired next summer.
“At this time, I feel it is best for continuity that I formally continue in both roles,” he said. “We will continue to re-evaluate the GM position alongside all others in future offseasons, 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.”
Dubas announced Thursday that a few of them had received promotions.
Andy Saucier is now Pittsburgh’s director of professional personnel. Erik Heasley was elevated to director of minor league and amateur scouting operations. And Amanda Kessel and Trevor Daley are now special assistants to Dubas.
Thursday’s press release also indicated that Nick Pryor will stay on as director of amateur scouting. His father, Chris, was fired in April, along with Ron Hextall and Brian Burke. It was unclear where that would leave Nick Pryor with the new regime, but Dubas thought highly enough of him to keep him in the fold.
The Penguins have a revamped front office after landing Dubas, promoting those four aforementioned executives and bringing in Jason Spezza to be assistant GM and Vukie Mpofu as director of hockey operations and legal affairs.
Dubas said in the statement that he feels his hockey operations team has “a nice mixture of playing experience, front office acumen, and growth potential.”
Matt Vensel: mvensel@post-gazette.com and Twitter @mattvensel.
First Published: August 3, 2023, 6:42 p.m.
