End of Season Pressers (Monday May 15)

[Stephen]

Sounded more like he has an offer in hand and wants to talk to his wife about it.

Feels unnecessarily personal.

 

[PromisedLand]

Kyle should've been fired after the Montreal implosion. It's almost like people don't look at what other GMs do with less. Stacked against other GMs, Kyle is not even in the top half of the league.

The argument, "what if Kyle leaves and wins a Cup somewhere else!" is just a loser mentality. He couldn't do it here, for five seasons. This team looked best before he really got his hands on it, that is an indictment on him.

The problem with this team begins and ends with culture. That comes from the top. Entitlement and coddling are both synonymous with Dubas and Keefe and Shanahan has zero accountability.

Clean sweep the office and bring people who are desperate to win AND have been accountable for failure. Gallant was fired after the Rangers won playoff roundS, we're sitting here with our fans crying over Kyle's family. Jesus

Chefs Kiss for this post !

 

[Rude Dog]

The first question out of every reporters mouth should have been "Where the f*** is Shanahan?"

Shanahan is going to be explaining where they go from here on Wednesday. Based on today, I would be surprised if Dubas accepts the offer.

Or Shanny is waiting for one of his new tailored suits to arrive.

 

[thewave]

That sounds like he’s leaving.

If they were going to keep him and somehow the fanbase chased him out of town, well, it may be one of the first times running someone out of town works for us. We have such a bad track record at it lol

 

[Trapper]

If you have to force someone to do something that everyone see. Doesn't that mean this person isn't the right man for the job ?

If Dubas stays I want him to consider every possibility, including trading a core member because the change makes us a harder playoff team. Not because he’s forced too but because if you aren’t in on everything, considering everything, you’re wrong for the job.

 

[crump]

“Intention, work itself out, obviously I want to be here” - a lot of people today.

Also a lot of people..”you played with no intention, it didn’t work out, you obviously don’t want to be here”

Sure we got robbed on disallowed goals, no penalty calls in our favour etc, but the bottom line is they found themselves down 3-0 against the Panthers.

Nylander, to me, is the only one of the top forwards who showed up.

 

[Leaf Rocket]

You would be correct.

If this press conference is any indication, he doesn't care anymore. The only person I believe he said he wouldn't trade while he is here was Nylander.

Frankly Nylander was the only that also showed up too. So I would like to keep him more.

 

[Nooodles]

If they were going to keep him and somehow the fanbase chased him out of town, well, it may be one of the first times running someone out of town works for us. We have such a bad track record at it lol

Congratulations! What an achievement! Be proud if that happens! : )

 

[PromisedLand]

Lost in a lot of this discussion, we really didn’t “deserve” to win the first round, in fact I’d argue last year was a better showing.

Agreed !

I really wasn't too thrilled with the last minute change of the team composition. You do that in the offseason so that players have time to gell for the entire season.

Acquiring one or two pieces at TDL is fine but completely changing the roster outlook at the TDL was something I wasn't happy with.

Schenn, ROR, Acciari, Laf, McCabe etc... thats too much of a turnover at the TDL for the team to gel. He should have done that in the offseason. But he couldn't of course due to cap reasons IMO so he should have just rode it out as I had advocated before the TDL

 

[DarkKnight]

The good news, if Dubas returns he sounds like he isn’t standing pat necessarily, which is my pre-requisite for a return. No doubling down, running it back, he needs to shake it up and if he’s had this realization, I’m fine with him staying.

 

[MCR74]

While I appreciate his emotion, this is a results-oriented business after all. Something has to give.

If Dubas stays / management renews his deal, it better come with a very short leash.

 

[rocketman588]

If he's renewed we're 100% running it back

Every player and the coach don't come out in lock step with the believe in the core vote of confidence if not

Dude is saying whatever it takes to keep his job then will just go back to business as usual with a side helping of blaming it on shanny because for some reason that's what his media "sources" are trying

 

[57 Years No Cup]

It wasn’t hard for the players wife’s who he let walk to UFA? Guy is negotiating through the media

Yup. Playing the victim angle.

Seems clear to me Shanny isn't going anywhere and will be doing his review of dubas/keefe. He didn't show up today because he can't give any answers on futures. I believe the family stuff because he said he wont be a GM next season anywhere else so he wouldnt want to lie publically.

So its either Shanny wants Dubas back and they give it ago while making core and coach changes or Dubas/Keefe both out.

But according to the DDL he's gonna leave and go to Pittsburg! Like, he'll even have his choice of jerbs.

 

[PromisedLand]

Reading between the lines it really seems like management didn't view Keefe as a problem at all.

he kept playing Holl, Gio

put up the kerfoot-tavares-nylander line; the line that has absolutely sucked ass the entire regular season; kept playing matthews-marner together eventhought they didn't generate much offense. kept playing ROR on the third line, kept giving tavares mins eventhough he was struggling

i mean wtf... a competent coach should adjust

and don't even get me started on how he couldn't use the last change to his advantage

 

[DarkKnight]

Every player and the coach don't come out in lock step with the believe in the core vote of confidence if not

What else were they going to say, it’s beyond predictable that the group believes in the group, there was co-ordinated talking point, it’s just a natural reflex.

 

[sxvnert]

Shanahan is going to be explaining where they go from here on Wednesday.

7 question limit?

Question one: "So how do you feel Shanny about X..."
Question two: "Boxers or briefs"
Question three: "Do you still believe in this team?"

100% Fluff incoming

 

[leafan11]

Feels unnecessarily personal.

It felt like Dubas was basically putting it out there it was super hard for his family to go into the last year of his deal without a contract extension.

 

[Gabriel426]

Feels unnecessarily personal.

1. Maybe the offer is not as good as expected
2. Maybe the offer is too good but wife and family mentioned the TO market is too much to handle at times.
3. Keefe. He knows if he continues, Keefe is gone and he doesn’t want to do it.

The talking of the family stuff won’t make sense if he has no offer. Unless he is trying to drive up the offer price from other teams but he didn’t need to say Lesfs GM or nowhere. Unless the other teams offer is President.
The talking with Shanny and the board are more like giving them an answer and also laying out plans for the coming season, including who to target as a coach and who to trade for.

 

[Mr_Fun]

I don't recall anyone chirping Dubas' family. If they did that's f***ing low.

We've had fans threaten Wes MacAuley so it wouldn't surprise me we have dimwits in this fanbase that would harass the GM's family.

 

[DarkKnight]

I just said I don’t mind him returning, so this isn’t anti Dubas obviously, but I found the family card a bit much on one level. It was so hard not having a contract this year? Seemed a a bit self serving, can’t every player and coach say the same thing? Anyways.

 

[Mess]

Last year Shanahan, Dubas and Keefe came out in lockstep (virtually holding hands) with the Trio telling everyone that they were all coming back and doubled down on their belief in the dream team.

This year Shanny the main decision maker on management future was absent and unavailable for comment even, and Kyle talking about how taxing the job personally is based his inability to assemble a winning team.

So things are certainly a lot different then last year, and more questions then answers.

My pure speculation would be that Shanny when he stands in front of the board might have to present them with options. Option A - Keep Dubas and move forward or Option B; Offer another GM option for consideration.. Simply walking away from Dubas without another or better option and leave a big hole in management is not a logical position for the organization to put themselves in. Dubas might simply be back not on performance but not having a better option at present and NO GM is worse.

However we were told that this would be a "prove it year" for Dubas and Keefe and they would need to earn their extensions. Instead being out after just 3 playoff wins and this year delivering a measly 5 playoff wins is up for debate if they "earned it".

 

[Skullz]

Feels unnecessarily personal.

That was my thinking as well.

However, he also went into depth about some of his potential plans, such as the coming marlies, trading a member of the core 4, etc.

So I'm not sure, feels almost 50/50%.

I hope he's back. Loved what he said, especially about how everything is on the table.

 

[DarkKnight]

It felt like Dubas was basically putting it out there it was super hard for his family to go into the last year of his deal without a contract extension.

It felt like he was trying to show how unfair it all was, when in reality that’s sport and he’s been in TO for a long time. How does every UFA a feel, how does every coach feel? Maybe he’s in the wrong business if the pressure of being on the clock is so impactful.

 

[ITM]

My read of Dubas’ answers:

Genuinely wants to stay.

There’s at least some fire to the smoke re: Shanahan.

Is invested in improving the team and conceded Florida moving Huberdeau for a skilled physical forward was a material move for the better given Florida’s similar path last year to Toronto’s this year.

Didn’t confirm Keefe staying, rather, indicated it’s not apparent in totality if Keefe is the answer to the number of adjustments needed to compete for the Cup; I say that because he could name games and line matchups but didn’t have a complete on the ready answer in light of Keefe’s entire body of work against Florida?

Those are the words of a man seriously in doubt of his coach’s longevity

 

[3blizzard4]

If Keefe is fired, i can 100% see them going hard after Gallant.