TSN's Craig Button blasts Pens GM Kyle Dubas

There was a dramatic change in management over the summer, as the Toronto Maple Leafs parted ways with Kyle Dubas in what was a rather startling move not long after their season came to an end at the hands of the eventual Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers. He would soon be replaced by Brad Treliving, who had previously served as GM of the Calgary Flames.

It didn't take Dubas long to resurface, taking over the role of president of hockey operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins. And shortly before the regular season began, he elected to make himself the general manager of the Penguins for the time being. And his biggest move since taking over in Pittsburgh was trading for reigning Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Erik Karlsson. 

However, the Penguins have been consistently inconsistent this season, resulting in a recent closed-door meeting following their latest loss at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Right now, they sit in 2nd to last place in the Metropolitan Division. 

And according to TSN's Craig Button, Dubas has mismanaged things so far in his short tenure in Pittsburgh.

“He made the same significant error in Pittsburgh this past summer as he did in Toronto,” Button said on the sports network. “And that was signing a player they didn’t need. Not that Erik Karlsson isn’t a good player–he’s a heck of a player. Not that John Tavares wasn’t a good player, and he is a good player. They didn’t need them.”

"You take $10 million and allocate it to a player you don’t need in Erik Karlsson,” Button continued. “He could have taken that money and built out the depth of his group. So, while Tampa Bay is trying to manage the talent drain, the attrition — Kyle Dubas had salary cap space.

“He had money to spend and didn’t spend it wisely."

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