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Analyst Questions Team Canada's Front Office Choice

Team Canada committed to new front office faces, but not everyone is on board with the decision.

Nick Horwat

Pittsburgh Penguins president and general manager Kyle Dubas has been added to Team Canada's front office for the 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Winter Olympics.
Pittsburgh Penguins president and general manager Kyle Dubas has been added to Team Canada's front office for the 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Winter Olympics. / Nick Horwat
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It was recently announced that Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois and Pittsburgh Penguins president and general manager Kyle Dubas would join the Hockey Canada front office for multiple upcoming international tournaments. Hockey Canada stated that BriseBois will serve as assistant general manager and Dubas as director of player personnel for the 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Winter Olympics.

BriseBois and Dubas will work alongside Don Sweeny of the Boston Bruins and Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars to build a successful Team Canada at the upcoming tournaments. With NHLers returning to international play, the expectations for Canada are higher than ever.

With such high hopes, one analyst believes choosing Dubas may not have been the right direction for Canada. Bryan Hayes spoke on TSN’s OverDrive, saying there is a glaring absence from Dubas’ resume.

“He hasn’t won anything,” Hayes said. “Winning isn’t a requisite? We’re talking about Canada here. Think about all the different possibilities, and winning is not something that has to be on your resume.”

Before joining the Penguins, Dubas spent nine years in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, with five as the general manager. In that time the Maple Leafs won one playoff series. In his first year as president and GM in Pittsburgh, the Penguins did not make the playoffs.

“I’m just pointing out how Kyle continues to move up and up and up without having any success,” Hayes said. “The fact is he won one round here (Toronto), hasn’t made the playoffs in Pittsburgh, and is on Canada’s executive team.”

Cooler heads on the panel with Hayes tried to find the positives in Dubas joining the Canadian front office. Gord Miller noted that there shouldn’t be too many questions about who appears in the lineup.

“I think we obsess too much about who’s in the management group,” Miller said. “That team picks itself.”

No matter the tournament, Canada is always one of the favorites thanks to their storied history and success with the sport.

Frank Corrado speculated that maybe Dubas would have his focus turned more toward building other aspects of Team Canada.

“I guess you would be tasked with putting the rest of the team together,” Corrado said. “Not just the players. Who’s going to lead your sports science? Who’s going to be the trainer? Who’s going to be your equipment staff?”

It’s not clear what Dubas will be tasked with on Team Canada, but he will be involved in building what should be a favorite for gold medals in each tournament.

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Nick Horwat

NICK HORWAT

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