Penguins GM Kyle Dubas reveals how close he came to joining Avalanche front office while with Maple Leafs 

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas once had a chance to leave Toronto for a GM role elsewhere. Dubas was the Maple Leafs’ assistant general manager at the time, and it did not happen for several reasons.

Lou Lamoriello was the Maple Leafs' general manager from 2015 to 2018, under whom Dubas was working. Lamoriello wanted him to stay because he knew the players and staff.

Dubas spoke about his career on "The Cam & Strick" Podcast on Tuesday.

"There had been, obviously, the situation the spring before, where I had the chance to leave and to be a GM elsewhere," Dubas said (1:40:40 onwards). "It didn’t come to happen for a number of reasons... So Lou’s (Lou Lamoriello) view of it at the time was like, ‘You know all the people here, you know the players, you know the ins and outs of it,’ and so that was a strong push for me to stay."

In May 2017, the Colorado Avalanche showed interest in Kyle Dubas. They received permission from Toronto to talk with him. The Avalanche were coming off a 22-56-4 season and were looking to improve their front office.

Dubas had been with the Maple Leafs since July 2014. And at that time, Dubas said he was not ready to be an NHL GM.

“I believe I have a lot to learn and I believe Toronto is the best place for me to learn that,” Dubas said in 2017 via Sportsnet.

Kyle Dubas became the Maple Leafs GM in 2018. He stayed in Toronto for several seasons. He was fired in 2023 and later joined the Penguins front office.

The Avalanche rebuilt their team after that difficult 2016-17 season. They went on to win the Stanley Cup in 2022.

Kyle Dubas gave a positive response to Mitch Marner’s trade

Kyle Dubas also spoke about Mitch Marner’s trade to the Vegas Golden Knights. It was Dubas who signed Marner to a $65.41 million contract in 2019 and kept him in Toronto for six years. Dubas called Marner an awesome person and a wonderful player and said,

"I hope it works out well for everybody," Dubas said. "... And I hope that Mitch plays well in Vegas, you know... cheer for him and cheer for the rest of the guys for finally finding their way through."

Before the trade, Toronto signed Marner to an eight-year, $96 million contract. They traded him to Vegas for Nicolas Roy. Marner scored 102 points last season, and he wants to compete for the Stanley Cup.