Ex-Leafs GM Dubas lands gig to help pick Canada's Olympic roster

Kyle Dubas isn’t likely to work for the Toronto Maple Leafs again anytime soon, but he will still be representing the maple leaf in the near future.

Today, Hockey Canada announced that the former Leafs GM and current Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations will be joining the selection committee for the men’s national team ahead of the 2025 4 Nations Faceoff and the 2026 Winter Olympics. Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois was also named to the committee.

The 4 Nations Faceoff is a new event introduced by the NHL. It is meant to be a midseason international event in non-Olympic years. The first edition of the tournament will feature Canada, the United States, Sweden, and Finland.

The duo of Dubas and BriseBois will be on the selection committee for both upcoming tournaments, along with St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong, Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney, Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill, former NHLer Ryan Getzlaf, and a host of other Hockey Canada staff members.

“Julien and Kyle are accomplished NHL general managers, and I am excited to welcome them to our management group for both the 4 Nations Faceoff and Olympics, as I believe they will be strong assets to a well-rounded management team,” Armstrong said. “Both Julien and Kyle have enjoyed long and successful careers, and we believe their experience and knowledge of NHL players will be a great addition to our staff as we continue to evaluate Canadian players and build rosters for international competition.”

Dubas joined the Leafs organization in 2014 and was eventually named general manager in 2018 on a five-year contract.

In his final press conference with Toronto, Dubas appeared to speak from the heart — he said the 2022-23 season was hard on his family and that he wasn’t quite sure what the future held for him. Less than a week later, Dubas was fired by the Leafs, eventually ending up in his current role with the Penguins.