TSN Critiques, Debates Kyle Dubas Inclusion to Team Canada

“Kyle just keeps moving up and up and up without having any actual success on his resume,” TSN host Bryan Hayes said to begin the debate.

The TSN Overdrive panel, led by Hayes, delivered blunt assessments of current Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas on Tuesday after Hockey Canada named Dubas the director of player personnel for Team Canada in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off tournament and the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Dubas is the former GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs. A messy and public departure marked the end of Dubas’s tenure, during which Toronto won only one playoff series despite heavily talented rosters. Dubas reportedly wanted more control of the organization, a request that was rebuffed by president of hockey operations Brendan Shanahan, who decided not to extend Dubas’s contract despite Dubas’s desire to remain.

The inclusion to Team Canada is a prestigious honor, but not everyone on the panel was enthusiastic. Dubas took some heat, especially from Hayes, who questioned the executive’s track record.

“I’m not trying to take a run at Dubas to play to the crowd in Toronto,” Hayes said before flashing some incredulity. “The fact is, he won one round in Toronto, hasn’t made the playoffs in Pittsburgh, and he’s on Canada’s executive team.”

While Hayes didn’t shy from the conversation, co-hosts Frank Corrado and Gord Miller seemed to backpedal. Miller pointed out that Dubas won the Calder Cup as the general manager of the Toronto Marlies. Corrado speculated that Dubas’s inclusion was also about filling out the team with off-ice personnel such as sports science and trainers.

St. Louis Blues president of hockey operations/GM Doug Armstrong will lead Team Canada in both tournaments. Armstrong and Dubas already hooked up for one trade this summer–when the Penguins acquired Kevin Hayes and a 2025 second-round pick from St. Louis.

“Dubas was a part of the World Championships this year, so he’s put in some time into Hockey Canada,” Hayes said. “I’m not surprised because Kyle is a really smart guy. He’s been an executive for a while. He’s been in the fire (and) he’s not the main guy, but when you look at the credentials of Kyle Dubas — and I’ve talked about this since he left (Toronto) — he hasn’t won anything, and he’s the president in Pittsburgh.”

The final rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off will be announced in late November. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is already part of Team Canada.

You can view the TSN segment here. The network no longer allows U.S. outlets to embed the video.