Did the GM of the Penguins just spoil another team's plans?
General managers in the National Hockey League make a point of never publicly discussing the moves being made by rival teams around the league, but recently Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas appears to have broken that rule.
Dubas made a recent appearance on the Cam and Strick podcast and it would be during that appearance that the Penguins general manager appeared to hint at the fact that teams around the league were calling the Penguins in an effort to re-acquire their own draft picks.
"We dealt with it a lot this summer as well," admitted Dubas on the Cam and Strick podcast. "Teams calling for their picks back in the 2026 draft, and you know why."
At the time of his comments Dubas had been discussing the trade he made with the St. Louis Blues the summer prior, a trade that eventually allowed the Blues to submit a pair of offer sheets to snatch away both forward Dylan Holloway and defenseman Phillip Broberg away from the Edmonton Oilers. There was no doubt that Dubas was implying that the teams making the calls this summer were doing so for the very same reasons, and it's not hard to guess which teams those may have been.
At the upcoming 2026 NHL Entry Draft the Penguins currently own a second round pick that belonged to those very same St. Louis Blues, a second round pick that initially belonged to the Winnipeg Jets, and a third round pick that initially belonged to the San Jose Sharks. The Penguins also own a 2027 second round pick that initially belonged to the New York Rangers and a 2027 third round pick that initially belonged to the Washington Capitals, but the Blues, Jets and Sharks seem like the most likely candidates in this particular scenario.
Dubas clearly didn't want to push the envelope any further and stopped himself from saying any more.
"That's their business," he clarified, cutting himself off in the process.
That being said he made it clear the Penguins were open for business.
"If they wanna pay a fair price, we'll probably talk about it," said Dubas with a smile.
If you see any of the teams mentioned above make a trade with the Penguins for one of their own draft picks, you now know what to expect.
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