Surprising Name Emerges as Frontrunner for Penguins GM
While Kyle Dubas looks like a lock for the Penguins' GM position, there are other names being thrown around that could take the role if he decides to go elsewhere.
Surprising Name Emerges as Frontrunner for Penguins GM
Mathieu Darche worked his way up to the NHL from Canadian college hockey. Throughout his relatively short NHL career (250 games), Darche played for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, and the Montreal Canadiens.
After retiring in 2012, Darche moved into a management position and has since worked his way up to Assistant GM with the Tampa Bay Lightning winning two Stanley Cups in the process.
On the 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman shared what he thinks is possible for Darche in the near future:
The Penguins and Darche being potential partners makes a lot of sense. Darche is one of the best Assistant GMs in the league and will likely be the GM of a team sometime soon.
While Dubas looks like the guy in Pittsburgh, Darche is a solid backup option and could potentially leave Tampa for Pittsburgh even if it is working under Dubas.
| POLL | ||
MAI 27 | 181 ANSWERS Surprising Name Emerges as Frontrunner for Penguins GM Is Darche a good fit for Pittsburgh? | ||
| Yes | 102 | 56.4 % |
| No | 79 | 43.6 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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YESTERDAY
NOVEMBER 2, 2025
| ||||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Jonathan Huberdeau | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Matthew Schaefer | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Cutter Gauthier | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jake Guentzel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Beckett Sennecke | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Ian Cole | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Lawson Crouse | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sam Dickinson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Yanni Gourde | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brandon Hagel | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Simon Holmstrom | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jack Hughes | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Travis Konecny | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Chris Kreider | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Denton Mateychuk | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Lucas Raymond | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Moritz Seider | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jeff Skinner | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Frank Vatrano | 1 | - | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Canadiens | 12 | 9 | 3 | - | 18 | |
| Red Wings | 13 | 9 | 4 | - | 18 | |
| Lightning | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 14 | |
| Senators | 13 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 14 | |
| Bruins | 14 | 7 | 7 | - | 14 | |
| Panthers | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 13 | |
| Maple Leafs | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 13 | |
| Sabres | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 13 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Devils | 13 | 9 | 4 | - | 18 | |
| Penguins | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 18 | |
| Hurricanes | 11 | 7 | 4 | - | 14 | |
| Blue Jackets | 12 | 7 | 5 | - | 14 | |
| Rangers | 13 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 14 | |
| Islanders | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 13 | |
| Capitals | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 13 | |
| Flyers | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 13 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 13 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 19 | |
| Jets | 12 | 9 | 3 | - | 18 | |
| Mammoth | 12 | 8 | 4 | - | 16 | |
| Stars | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 15 | |
| Blackhawks | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 13 | |
| Predators | 13 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 12 | |
| Wild | 13 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 11 | |
| Blues | 12 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 8 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Ducks | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 15 | |
| Golden Knights | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 15 | |
| Oilers | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 15 | |
| Kraken | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 14 | |
| Kings | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 14 | |
| Canucks | 13 | 6 | 7 | - | 12 | |
| Sharks | 13 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 11 | |
| Flames | 14 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 8 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||