It’s always amazing to see a general manager fired after a 111-point season and a first-round win over the Stanley Cup finalists.
But the Toronto Maple Leafs had been waiting too long for a playoff breakthrough, Kyle Dubas was out of contract, eliminating the Tampa Bay Lightning wasn’t enough and there was at least one lamb to sacrifice.
Leafs president Brendan Shanahan has admitted to offering Dubas a formal contract extension, but was put off by last Monday’s press conference where the young GM said he wanted to think about his future after a trying season for his family. After a fruitless discussion between the two men, followed by increased salary demands from Dubas, Shanahan decided that was the end of it. Shanahan added that Dubas had finally made it clear that he wanted to stay on in Toronto, but after the developments of the past few days, he was “not in the same place about the future of the Maple Leafs.”
Dubas served five years in Toronto. Under his rule, the Leafs never missed the playoffs and they finished in the top seven clubs overall in the NHL four out of five times. However, they had never passed the first round before this spring.
With a strong core in place, however, Dubas has made the right decisions this season, with a few exceptions. The acquisition of goaltender Matt Murray wasn’t great, although Toronto received third- and seventh-round picks to allow the Ottawa Senators to offload his salary, but Ilya Samsonov, hired for just $1.8 million by season, had a splendid year.
Dubas surrounded his core well by acquiring good veterans before the trade deadline: Ryan O’Reilly, Noel Acciari, Jake McCabe and Sam Lafferty, among others. O’Reilly had a big impact, not only in terms of productivity, with 9 points in 11 playoff games, but also with leadership and efficiency during face-offs.
The Maple Leafs have the excuse of first-round losses to powerhouses Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022 and 2019, but defeat at the hands of the Canadiens in 2021, after taking a lead three games to one, hurt.
The acquisition of John Tavares on the free agent market in 2018 destabilized the payroll and the arrival of the former captain of the Islanders did not allow the Maple Leafs to break into the playoffs. Tavares has just 22 points in 31 playoff games in Toronto.
What to do with the kernel?
Was the decision to hire him that of Dubas, President Brendan Shanahan or the owners of the Leafs? Very difficult to know.
It is also difficult to guess the internal dynamics. How well did Shanahan pull the strings? Did Dubas have carte blanche or his hands tied? And did we see with the same eye the big decisions that await the club?
PHOTO CHRIS O’MEARA, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Will Mitchell Marner (16), Auston Matthews (34) and William Nylander (88) continue their career together?
Kyle Dubas said during his review earlier this week that he was not closed to the idea of trading one of his core members consisting of Tavares, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander.
The next general manager will have the delicate task of keeping this core intact or not. And if he concludes a transaction, he will have to choose the right player to trade. The ideal candidate for the position of CEO will have to be in tune with Shanahan and the owners.
The fate of Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe will be tied to the arrival of the new general manager. His sleep is likely to be lighter in the coming weeks.
Dubas does not intend to accept employment elsewhere at this time. At least he hinted at the beginning of the week, in the event of his dismissal. Let’s see if he will be tempted by the Pittsburgh Penguins who, it seems, would make him eye.