I agree that Dubas did not ruin this team. BUT it was clear that Pits needed to get younger. He decided to get OLDER. Where they are in the standings now, should be no surprise to anyone, when looking at that team on paper to start the year.

I wasn’t thrilled with our offseason and I was one of the few who thought the EK trade wasn’t a good idea simply because giving up that 1st was going to be a big loss. However, no one saw Graves being this bad. The Reilly Smith trade looked like a solid move and while losing a 3rd isn’t going to break the future, we certainly expected Smith had more in the tank to give than this. Had he bought out Granlund before free agency it would have sent the whole summer in a different direction. We really haven’t seen him make his toughest decisions yet though. We have to see what he does with Jake and how this draft looks since last year we were really carrying out Hextall’s draft.

Has he helped?

I didn't love the EK trade - 10m is just too much based on his age. And they already had Letand, so he felt a bit redundant. I agree on giving up the 1st.
As for Smith, I was torn. 3rd round pick for Smith is a no brainer BUT he is another older guy. I thought they would be better off keeping that cap space and using that spot on a younger guy. But It's hard to argue against that trade, next to the age.
As for Graves, I agree. Good signing. Hasn't panned out as well as it should have. YET.

I have always like Dubas. Great human. Good GM for the most part. I didn't love everything he did in Toronto but I liked a lot. I disagreed pretty aggressively with the direction he took Pits in the offseason though. This outcome is very very predictable in my mind.

I call the offseason a minor negative only because of losing the 1st. I will really turn on him if Jake walks for free like Johnny Hockey did.

Oh that would be a catastrophe. I doubt it happens though.

It was Dubas that wanted Karlsson so YES Dubas ruined PIT , Karlsson is never worth 11m , he was for 1 year , last year , the rest of the time he just glides like he always has.
Since all that crap in OTT Karlsson has never been a player worth taking a chance on and everyone knows it except Dubas!
Look at all the stupid trades and contracts he gave out on TMl and then did NOT learn his lesson and went after way overpriced old players in PIT!
So glad Dubas is gone from TML just wish we can get rid of Shanahan and Keefe too!

The problem is they have one of the worst power plays in the league. An average power play and they are easily in a playoff spot now and no one is having these discussions. Coaching is what deserves a lot more criticism than anything else. And the front office dedication to that coaching.

You mean losing a 1st, having one of the worst PP% in the league and having to pay Karlsson $30M in the next 3 years.

Yeah, that's pretty bad.

Karlsson is never here if the previous fool didn’t trade Marino and Matheson

It was Hextall that ruined our blueline by shipping out Marino and Matheson for freaking Ty Smith and Petry. He then added the mess that was Granlund. That is the mess Dubas inherited.

Ask me: Dubas is 'addicted' to deals - OR - he likes shiny things.
I've worked with guys that just love deal-making; it's a rush!

We all should like shiny things as long as they’re as functional as they are shiny.

True. Love me some sparklies!
ERIC the OLD-shiny - YES (insert meme)!!
ERIC the OLD-functional - well highly debatable.............?

You are deflecting. Nobody forced Dubas to do the Karlsson trade. He took a bad situation and made it worse.