Kyle Dubas throws one of his big free agent signings under the bus

When Kyle Dubas was general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, he developed a reputation of being a player first general manager. It always seemed like the young executive went to bat for his team and tried to deflect all blame off of his players where possible. After less than one year in Pittsburgh, it appears that he is completely changed that mindset.

After the Pittsburgh Penguins season came to an end, today, the team took part in end of season media availability today. Dubas made himself available for questions and was quite candid when discussing certain topics. Last summer the Penguins signed veteran defender Ryan Graves to a 6-year contract paying him 4.5 million a season.

Unfortunately, for the Penguins and graves, the defender had a disappointing season. In 70 games, he scored three goals and added 11 assists. This displayed a nearly 50% decrease in overall production. Today when Dubas spoke he completely threw the defender under the bus.





While some fans appreciated the candid honesty, others felt the need to point out that this is the type of player Graves has always been. Graves has always played sheltered defensive minutes while other members of the team shouldered a more difficult load. So to see a general manager throwing a player under the bus after that player produced. How they have throughout their entire career is surprising.

With 5 years remaining on his contract, Pittsburgh certainly hopes that Graves can somehow find a level of success he has never found before in his career. However, this is not a good look for their general manager.