Former Leaf Pursued By Kyle Dubas and the Penguins

Kyle Dubas has wasted little time making his presence in Pittsburgh felt since joining the team this summer.

Now, reports are indicating Dubas may want to reunite with one of his former players from his days as Toronto Maple Leafs GM, since he's already acquired Andreas Johnsson, Noel Acciari and Radim Zohorna. Could Zach Aston-Reese be added to that list soon?

Aston-Reese — who previously played for the Penguins from 2017 to 2022 — remains an unrestricted free agent, with the Staten Island native playing all of last season in blue and white. He only scored 14 points in 77 games, but 10 of those points were goals, and a little bit more secondary scoring is never a bad thing even when you have Crosby, Malkin and Guentzel on your team.

Assuming the Leafs don't bring Aston-Reese back, the Penguins could be in a good position to bring the player back to Pittsburgh, where his career began. Even if it's just as a PTO (professional try-out) and/or purely in a depth role, it has to be worth considering for Dubas.