Kyle Dubas has done an excellent job during his tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but it’s clear he has some regrets over his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Dubas, who will be advising Team Canada at the upcoming IIHF World Championship, joined Spittin’ Chiclets to discuss many topics, where he revealed his greatest regret as an NHL executive.

“The one I regret the most, I’ve said this before openly: it’s Mason Marchment,” Dubas said. “We traded Mason to Florida. He had come up with us the whole way. We had signed him to a minor-league deal after his overage season in major junior. He was in Orlando in the ECHL for most of the first year, he didn’t play for three months, working with the development team. That was my responsibility then. That was 16-17 then with the Leafs working for Lou. He came so far. Helped us win a Calder Cup in ’18, he was a huge part of that.

“He was 25, 0r 24 at the time when we moved him to Florida. We needed the skill at that point, and it was a younger skilled guy who came in, Denis Malgin. Every time I see Mason play, no matter where he is, I just kick myself because we really needed that style of player throughout. Just the competitiveness, the ability to score, the ability to get under people’s skin, the physicality, the ability to get to the net, I always kick myself about that one.”

Toronto traded Marchment for Denis Malgin in February 2020 and it immediately backfired. Marchment recorded 47 points for the Panthers during the 2021-22 season, before signing a four-year contract with the Dallas Stars. He’s been a useful power forward in a top-nine role for the majority of his career and is the archetype of a player the Maple Leafs sorely missed during the Core Four era.

Malgin wasn’t nearly as productive. He did not record a point in eight games with the Maple Leafs during the 2019-20 season. He posted two goals and four points in 23 games with the Maple Leafs during the 2022-23 campaign, before he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Dryden Hunt.

It was a trade that Leafs fans certainly regret, and while Dubas has certainly matured as an executive with the Penguins, it may be a bit more difficult for those in Southern Ontario to enjoy his success this year.

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