On Monday night, as the Montreal Canadiens played the Edmonton Oilers, nine men watched the game from the scouts section of the Bell Centre press gallery.
The one name that got people talking was Kyle Dubas. After leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs, Dubas was appointed president of hockey operations and general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and right now, he has his hands full.
His Penguins currently sit 25th in the NHL, and while he was hoping to see them return to the playoffs this season, it’s not looking great right now. In Pennsylvania, Dubas didn’t find himself in an unknown situation. He’s got a core of stars earning the big bucks and limited means to provide a supporting cast.
However, the difference with Toronto is that the Penguins’ core is aging, and it may just be time to think about starting a rebuild, even if Pittsburgh has a strong emotional link to Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kristopher Letang.
Still, the mere mention of a rebuild in Pittsburgh has got some Canadiens fans wishing and hoping that a deal for Montreal native Letang could be possible. While he is a proven right-shot blueliner and one of Kent Hughes’ former clients in his previous life, it would be surprising to see the GM pull the trigger on that kind of deal.
For one thing, Letang is already 37 years old, and for another, he is signed for another three years at $6.1 M per. Considering Hughes did try to sign Jonathan Marchesseault to a contract this Summer but didn’t want to commit for too long with a 33-year-old, three years with a 37-year-old seem highly unlikely, a former client or not.
Related: Montreal Canadiens Players Who Deserve a Spot in the 4 Nations Tournament
There’s another reason that could explain Dubas’ presence, though. Last July, he was named Canada’s director of player personnel for the 4 Nations Face-off. So there’s a chance he could have been keeping a close eye on Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki or goaltender Samuel Montembeault, although the latter’s rocky season so far might have cost him his chance at a spot on Team Canada.
Of course, he might have been there to see the Oilers play because he’s hoping to work out a deal with Stan Bowman; who knows. So many possibilities…
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