Penguins: Dubas’ History Of Firing Head Coaches

Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas has been an executive in some capacity since the 2011-12 season.

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His first executive gig was with the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL, where he earned a promotion from scout to general manager. From there, he became the assistant general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs and served as the general manager of the Toronto Marlies.

After 12 years in Ontario, Dubas moved to Pittsburgh for the start of the 2023-24 campaign and has been calling the shots for the Penguins ever since.

Interestingly, in his more than decade of experience as the general manager of an AHL or NHL team, Dubas has fired only three head coaches, which leads many in the Penguins fan base to wonder if he could eventually fire Mike Sullivan.

Head Coaching Changes Under Dubas Leadership

When Dubas took over the Greyhounds in 2011-12, Mike Stapleton became head coach. The following season, Stapleton was replaced by Sheldon Keefe, who remained in the role for another season after Dubas departed for Toronto in 2014.

Related: 5 Possible Replacements For Penguins’ Mike Sullivan

Just like with the Greyhounds, when Dubas took over the Toronto Marlies, he got a new coach out of the gate, Gord Dineen. And just like his previous stint as general manager, he replaced Dineen with Keefe, who would lead the Marlies to a Calder Cup title in 2018.

Soon, Dubas went from assistant general manager to general manager with the Maple Leafs, retaining Mike Babcock as head coach when he assumed his new role.

However, that relationship ended in his second season as Maple Leafs boss, and Dubas went to a reliable candidate for Babcock’s replacement, Keefe.

Then, for the third time in his career, Dubas left Keefe as a head coach of a franchise when he departed Toronto and signed on to the executive roles he has with the Penguins in 2023.

Here’s a breakdown of each coach’s record under Dubas at the time of their firing:

Perspectively, Dubas inherited Sullivan, a two-time Stanley Cup champion and the longest and most successful head coach in the Penguins’ history.

But, after a 3-4-1 start in 2024-25, Sullivan is now just 41-36-13 with Dubas as a boss. Outside of Stapleton’s dismissal over a decade ago, Sullivan has the worst win-loss record of any head coach that Dubas has fired in the AHL or NHL.

Considering the 38-year-old executive doesn’t have an extensive history of dismissing bench bosses, will there come a point when he realizes a change is necessary, or will he continue to allow Sullivan to remain in his role as a coach, relying on his legacy to keep him employed?

Related: At What Point Do Penguins Replace Sullivan?

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