Does dubas remain GM if the leafs get bounced by Florida?

[Throw More Waffles]

I wrote before the playoffs started that the leafiest thing always happens with the leafs. ALWAYS. And I outlined what the leafiest possible thing would be.

Now, this season, losing in round 1 isn't very leafy. It's expected. And it would lead to very easy decisions. Dubas (not yet signed to an extension for a reason) would be gone. Likely Keefe as well. And almost assuredly at least one of the core 4. This situation makes future decisions too "easy". And easy decisions isn't nearly leafy enough.

Now, another possibility is the leafs going deep in the playoffs. That also leads to easy decisions. The core finally broke through and went deep. They've proven themselves. You re-sign Dubas/Keefe and do whatever you can do to keep the core together. Again, that's too easy. That isn't NEARLY leafy enough.

What is leafy? Well, as I said before the playoffs started, the leafiest thing possible Is to barely win a close first round series against Tampa, and then get absolutely dominated in round 2 in 4 or 5 games.

THAT'S the leafiest thing possible. Which makes it a literal inevitability.

It leads to VERY hard decisions which will leave the fanbase and talking heads completely and utterly divided.

Remember, the leafiest thing imaginable ALWAYS happens to the leafs. So that is what will happen as a literal prophecy.

 

[Mr Papagoergyo]

Most likely stays. Not sure hes learned that the way this team is built doesnt work for playoff hockey.
Needs more quality forward depth, 3rd D pair neess to be better.
Have to find money to fit in those postions.

 

[JKG33]

I personally think dubas has done enough to stay….. especially if Matthews likes him. Rocking the boat right before your star franchise player needs a deal then that’s kind of silly.

IF he goes I want treliving. He won’t let Matty leave for nothing. That’s literally the only thing that matters for this off season.

I think keefe needs to go if they go out. He does seem to get out coached a lot.

Yea no doubt Matthews loves Dubas, he bent Dubas over last round of negotiations.

If a player like Matthews is so fragile that he needs to be coddled then his ass needs to be traded yesterday

 

[Leafs87]

Everything falls on the GM as he built the team
Do you consider the bruins season a good one? I guess it depends if the team was built to set a regular season record or win a Stanley cup...to me it wasn't built well enough to win a cup, no matter the regular season success

I think the Leafs were built well enough for this playoffs.

The way I look at the Dubas situation is we took him in young. He made his mistakes as expected, and from this point on I believe he will be one of the better GMs. It would be stupid to of spent all these development years and now let him walk developed. We would have endured his mistakes while not having his finished/polished form. Also who is better out there right now?

 

[francis246]

Yes. I think Dubas needs to nut up and fire his buddy Sheldon. If he can’t come to grips with don’t that then I think you move on from both.

Dubas has given Sheldon pretty good teams and Sheldon let’s his emotions/overthinking take over and it’s cost us so many times.

 

[DarkKnight]

Yes, he made the right moves, this is on the team. One caveat, Keefe should have been turfed last season.

 

[JKG33]

Yes, he made the right moves, this is on the team. One caveat, Keefe should have been turfed last season.

The team that was assembled by who exactly?

 

[leafan11]

Who replaces Keefe ?

 

[DarkKnight]

The team that was assembled by who exactly?

I think he’s learned on the job, for my money he had an excellent deadline this year, now it’s on these guys to deliver.

 

[francis246]

If they lose in round 2, especially if it's as embarrassing as it's trending, and they don't clean house, I might take a season off.

Dubas has left this franchise with almost no draft picks, almost no prospects, and made no positive improvements to the core since his arrival, and has 1 total series win to his name - which, quite frankly, we got seriously outplayed in.

If our ownership group thinks that's good enough, which it obviously is not, and doesn't care that their franchise is a running gag, I am not sure why I should care anymore.

We have a first in this years draft lol? We also have one of the deepest prospect pools we’ve had in a while. We’ve also had some shitty luck with our prospects. Nick Robertson breaks his leg then breaks his clavicle in back to back seasons. Amirov gets a brain tumour. Matthew Knies has arrived and looks really good but then gets injured on a bad play.

There’s a lot of mistakes Dubas has made but drafting players isn’t one of them.

Ty Voit, Holmberg, Hirovinen, Niemela, Minten, Abruzzese, Steeves, McMann all look like serviceable players.

If you can get Robertson and Knies to stay healthy our Left Wings look pretty solid.

I’d actually argue it’s remarkable he was able to improve the team like he did without giving up one of our top prospects.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

The team that was assembled by who exactly?

He was going to make it better by trading Marner and Matthews or something? If the core of this team can't get it done that is on the core of this team. He has essentially been building around his entire time as GM. Like we are caught in a pretty shitty spot honestly. Our best players are so good that trading them will never make sense, because well we just won't be a playoff team anymore....but they aren't good enough to actually win in the playoffs.

 

[JKG33]

I think he’s learned on the job, for my money he had an excellent deadline this year, now it’s on these guys to deliver.

But that's it, it's on the guys he assembled. A competent GM looks at this team and realizes the core ain't it. Instead he's doubled down for a 5th go

He was going to make it better by trading Marner and Matthews or something? If the core of this team can't get it done that is on the core of this team. He has essentially been building around his entire time as GM. Like we are caught in a pretty shitty spot honestly. Our best players are so good that trading them will never make sense, because well we just won't be a playoff team anymore....but they aren't good enough to actually win in the playoffs.

Lmao well then who's fault is it if the core players that were put in place can't get it done?

It's a simple solution that nobody has the balls or stomach for

 

[IPS]

Leafs in 6 and all the people who can't wait until the offseason to whine about Dubas/Keefe/Shanahan can go take a seat for the rest of the playoffs.

 

[Blanka]

This place overreacts so much. Stop watching hockey

Agreed. This core has proven itself over and over again with both multiple Cup appearances and wins to warrant this kind of response.

 

[francis246]

I hear ya. If rd2 is passing the test, we may as well all just drop out. It's a dead end going forward.



Nylander has also been more dangerous in big games. Ultimately this is why GMs don't typically reward players based on potential. Once you follow that model everything goes to crap.

In pro sports all GM’s do is pay players based on potential. Especially in the NHL. Winning a championship means dick all in contract negotiations. If that was the case players like Justin Williams would be getting 10 million contracts but they don’t.

Players have always and will continue to be paid for regular season success and the teams perceived potential of said players.

 

[Blanka]

I have never seen an NHL gm act like a baby like this guy. Throwing water bottles and slamming his desk all game. Isn't he supposed to be stoic and professional?

I have no problem with the passion. He's under a lot of pressure right now.

 

[francis246]

I have never seen an NHL gm act like a baby like this guy. Throwing water bottles and slamming his desk all game. Isn't he supposed to be stoic and professional?

why Does he have to be? It’s actually nice to see someone in the organization gives a shit and is passionate. #1 thing missing from the nhl is personality.

 

[Blanka]

Leafs in 6 and all the people who can't wait until the offseason to whine about Dubas/Keefe/Shanahan can go take a seat for the rest of the playoffs.

Yeah, but you see, that's now how this works. If certain fans have been supporting this club for 36 years, they've earned their right to watch the playoffs and bitch as much as they want if the club continues to play like this. So take whatever seat you want.

 

[Stephen]

I think the team is letting Dubas down. These self inflicted goals against, falling behind in the Florida series, that’s more of execution in the moment than any kind of thing the GM has done.

 

[IPS]

Yeah, but you see, that's now how this works. If certain fans have been supporting this club for 36 years, they've earned their right to watch the playoffs and bitch as much as they want if the club continues to play like this. So take whatever seat you want.

The entire offseason is basically that. It's a boring and repetitive discussion - I truly have no idea how some of you have the energy to just keep on participating in it.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

But that's it, it's on the guys he assembled. A competent GM looks at this team and realizes the core ain't it. Instead he's doubled down for a 5th go


Lmao well then who's fault is it if the core players that were put in place can't get it done?

It's a simple solution that nobody has the balls or stomach for

The core players. What were going to not draft Auston Matthews or something? It is entirely possible that this entire rebuild will just have been a failure on the basis that we happened to draft undoubted all world superstars that just can't win. Like I am not saying Dubas and Keefe should or should not stay. I don't think it makes a difference. It is shuffling deck chairs.

 

[PromisedLand]

In total 4 years only one series win where it was a result of luck (3 OT wins) is not success or progress.

 

[francis246]

The core players. What were going to not draft Auston Matthews or something? It is entirely possible that this entire rebuild will just have been a failure on the basis that we happened to draft undoubted all world superstars that just can't win. Like I am not saying Dubas and Keefe should or should not stay. I don't think it makes a difference. It is shuffling deck chairs.

Exactly there wasn’t much debate with our picks, I think we took the best players at those spots. The only one is the Nylander draft you could have taken Ehlers but imo Nylander is the better player.

 

[usernamezrhardtodo]

I have a hard time forgiving him when he allowed Matthews and Marner to take those horrible (for the team) contracts.

If he was going to pay them that much at the time, he should have played hardball on term. Now their contracts are up soon and they’re UFA’s so we have no power other than to hand them a blank cheque and pray they stay.

They played hard ball with Nylander but not those 2. Then bringing in Tavares to be a 2C at 11m was the icing on the cake. The team is just too top heavy. There’s no grit from their core and they depend on heavily retained veteran rentals in hopes to get by.

He’s done an admirable job since but his screwing up with the core of this team is unforgivable. Cap management is the most important thing a GM needs to do. Let’s pray Marner and Matthews extend their contracts with team friendly deals but we can only hold our breath. My assumption is they don’t and they push for selfish deals again, crippling the team further. We can hope though.

I’d straight up trade Marner for Brady Tkachuk if it was a video game. Obviously wouldn’t work IRL but I wish they had a Sam Bennett player (or literally Sam Bennett) as 2C and the extra 7m tied up in a shut down defender like Ekholm.

I still can't believe Calgary gave Bennet away for a 2nd or something close to that. He is a prick...but he raises his game every playoff he has been in. Shows how stupid Sutter was when he wanted a Sutter type player traded.

 

[francis246]

In total 4 years only one series win where it was a result of luck (3 OT wins) is not success or progress.

So all the OT losses to MTL was that luck or the leafs just choking?

You can’t pick and choose and diminish wins. Leafs worked hard to come back in those games and win.