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Fantucchio’s Focus: Dubas pops up in Pittsburgh; Kane undergoes hip procedure

Published

11 months ago

June 2, 2023

Andrew Fantucchio

Kyle Dubas was named the new president of hockey operations of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, June 1.

Good morning; my name is Andrew Fantucchio. Today is Friday, June 2, and here’s what I’m focused on around the NHL.

Dubas pops up in Pittsburgh:

It almost made too much sense not to happen, but two weeks after being let go by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kyle Dubas was announced as the new president of hockey operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.

Welcome to Pittsburgh, Kyle Dubas!

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 1, 2023

Dubas served as the general manager in Toronto for the last five seasons and constructed the first Leafs team to win a playoff series since 2004 this year. Following Toronto’s second-round loss to the Florida Panthers, Dubas said he didn’t intend to work for any team other than the Maple Leafs as his contract with the club was set to expire.

“I definitely don’t have it in me to go anywhere else,” Dubas said on May 15. “It’ll either be here, or it’ll be taking time to recalibrate, reflect on the seasons here. You won’t see me next week pop up elsewhere. I can’t put [my family] through that after this year.”

However, four days later, Dubas was not brought back by Maple Leafs’ alternate governor and president, Brendan Shannahan, in an unusually public falling out between him and the organization.

As he was introduced with the Pittsburgh on Thursday, Dubas regretted some of the statements in his final press conference in Toronto.

“Maybe I was too honest that day with how I was feeling in that exact moment,” Dubas said.

Now with the Penguins, Dubas will oversee the entirety of the organization’s hockey operations department. According to Pierre LeBrun, Tampa Bay Lightning director of hockey operations Mathieu Darche was one of the other candidates the Penguins considered for the position.

Treliving introduced in Toronto:

While the former head of their front office was being introduced in Pittsburgh, the Toronto Maple Leafs welcomed Brad Treliving as their new general manager on Thursday.

Treliving joins the Maple Leafs after nine seasons as the GM of the Calgary Flames. In his introductory press conference, Treliving was adamant that addressing Auston Matthew’s contract situation is his top priority.

“Auston is one of the elite players in the world,” Treliving said. “We’re not talking about a good player in the league. We’re talking about an elite player in the world. Getting to Auston is a priority. That’s priority No. 1.”

Despite the focus being on Treliving, the hiring of former Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas in Pittsburgh also drew some attention.

“I don’t think it was intentional,” said Maple Leafs’ alternate governor and president Brendan Shannahan of the timing of Dubas’s hiring. “I think [the Pittsburgh Penguins] need to get to work as well. I fully endorsed Kyle…and I’m very happy for him.”

Patrick Kane undergoes hip procedure:

First reported by Elliotte Friedman, Patrick Kane underwent a hip resurfacing procedure on Thursday, according to his representative, Pat Brisson, which has an expected recovery time of four to six months.

Patrick Kane’s representative, Pat Brisson, says Kane had a hip resurfacing today under Dr. Edwin Su. As is normal, follow-ups are planned, but roughly 4-6 months recovery is expected. Brisson says Kane “wants to play for a long time,” and doctors are optimistic that will happen

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 1, 2023

Kane is an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Caps welcome Carbery:

Spencer Carbery was introduced as the new head coach of the Washington Capitals on Thursday.

Carbery was one of the marquee names on this offseason’s list of candidates to receive a head coaching job and interviewed with several teams from around the league.

The job in Washington is Carbery’s first head coaching job at the NHL level, as he has spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs.