End of Season Pressers (Monday May 15)

[rumman]

Maybe his family was getting verbally harrassed? I know people should ignore that in this business but eventually it takes a toll. His family is young too. We literally had someone make a video attacking Grandma Dubas about his grand son. It's maybe why Dubas said it's either here or I'm taking time away from hockey.

If you can’t handle the heat get the f**k out of the kitchen………

 

[Leafs87]

Did anything of substance come of this or just same old shit?

 

[Superstar]

None of that changes the simple fact that Muzzin was the first big trade, and he was anything but soft. And you need skilled players too, nothing wrong with skill. Marchment did dick while he was here too, hardly anyone cared when we moved him.

IMO the core is rotten. Pretty much everyone agrees that the moves he made at the TDL were good, a ton of character, physicality and skill too and same result. Blame him for betting on the core if you want but if he would have moved someone like Marner early in his tenure, people would have said he's the dumbest GM ever. People kept saying that he gets no credit for anything the team achieves because he inherited this great core. Doesn't look that way anymore, not to me anyway.

No, Muzzin wasn't soft, but the team needed alot more grit than just Muzzin.

He had the skilled players in the core 4, but he neglected to add toughness to augment them until he had no choice except to do it...he wanted 4 lines of skilled players if he could, that's why he traded Marchment for Malgin...he's not all to blame, coaching was a big part of it, and Keefe is not a very good coach...hmm, to think about it, he's also responsible for hiring Keefe...Trotz did alot more with a much less skilled Isles team than Keefe ever did with the Leafs...that's sad to think about it.

 

[rumman]

Here's where I come in and over-analyze everything.

As far back as October we had Dubas on video freaking out. Remember in October "Jesus f***ING Christ. f*** ME!!!!" meme? In the playoffs we see him smashing a water bottle on the ground and another time where he's shouting at Tampa fans. There are numerous other examples I can't remember right now. He didn't show any of this behaviour years prior.

The stress clearly got to him and changed his personality a bit. Which in turn stressed out his family. I think putting so much faith in a group of 4 players and overpaying them so significantly created a situation where he mentally broke down as they endlessly disappointed him.

My guess is that Dubas wants an extension to try and finish what he started, but only if the price is right. If not, or he's not offered an extension, he'll take a season off to de-stress and chill out with his family.

Not usual for someone who’s been taken out to the woodshed several times to not learn a thing about negotiation………

 

[Buds17]

Anyone think Dubas takes up another position with the team if they could get a person they really want to come here to be a GM? Tbh I don't mind Dubas or if he stayed here but at the same time I could see why they might want a change because there's a lot of GMs and coaches out there who would've been fired already for getting the same results we've gotten over the last 5-6 years.

I'm not sure why the team would offer anything above the position of GM or why Dubas might settle for anything below that?

 

[Eternal Leaf]

I would bring Dubas back now that it seems he's open to removing a core piece (or two). If he tried defending them again, I would have said to let him leave.

But he needs to be smarter and realize Keefe has to go after evaluating the season in more detail. His coach is costing him big time in the playoffs and he needs to be quick to act unlike how he's managed the core.

Some things are obvious and you don't need to waste years on them. Keefe is one of those obvious fails that need to be removed.

 

[Gallagbi]

The f*cking stubbornness of trying to reinvent the wheel when we had superstars in their prime. Everyone could see what this team needed two three years ago except him.

Now he has woken up from his drunken stupor and he is open to anything. How convenient.

What did he re invent?

 

[PromisedLand]

don't shoot the messenger just presenting the message btw....

 

[A1LeafNation]

don't shoot the messenger just presenting the message btw....

A young Kyle. I think he's grown up and a top sought after GM these days.

 

[Superstar]

I would bring Dubas back now that it seems he's open to removing a core piece (or two). If he tried defending them again, I would have said to let him leave.

But he needs to be smarter and realize Keefe has to go after evaluating the season in more detail. His coach is costing him big time in the playoffs and he needs to be quick to act unlike how he's managed the core.

Some things are obvious and you don't need to waste years on them. Keefe is one of those obvious fails that need to be removed.

I think Dubas died a little inside when Marner made that dumb drop pass to Matthews in game 2 against the Panthers that led to the GWG for Florida.

 

[aingefan]

I've tried to provide summaries of all of them throughout the day, can be found here.

Thanks for the effort all day.

 

[rumman]

I think Dubas is 100% gone.

That was his way of saying he still wants to be here. Shanahan not being there today spoke volumes.

Both sides will end up saving face. Shanahan comes with a weak offer (assuming there even is one) and Dubas says "No thanks" to him.

For the love of God I hope your right…….

 

[theTTC]

An hypothesis that seems to fit:

Today had a tension of uncomfortable posturing by all the management protagonists, including Shanahan by his strange absence. I'm figuring Kyle is playing hard-to-get re: his new contract, because MLSE or Shanahan are moving to fire Sheldon, and Kyle is trying to stop that by softly threatening to walk if it's not withdrawn.

Kind of like a brothers-in-arms thing too; Keefe fired, then Kyle choosing to not work for anyone.

 

[The Masters]

An hypothesis that seems to fit:

Today had a tension of uncomfortable posturing by all the management protagonists, including Shanahan by his strange absence. I'm figuring Kyle is playing hard-to-get re: his new contract, because MLSE or Shanahan are moving to fire Sheldon, and Kyle is trying to stop that by softly threatening to walk if it's not withdrawn.

Then he can pack his bags too. Since his presser, I feel like it was soft for him to use the family card (if it wasn't health related). This is the NHL, it's a grind. If it was for leverage then go take a hike cuz he hasn't produced in the playoffs. Team should have lost again in the first round.

 

[horner]

A young Kyle. I think he's grown up and a top sought after GM these days.

It's nice that he has used his time to learn with our Core.
A rookie GM then coach what did shanny expect.
Dubas thought he could change how the playoffs were run .
Silly Boy it is a war

 

[Gabriel426]

I still think he comes in below the other 3.
We will see for sure.

I can’t even see Willie making more than Johnny a hockey and Tkachuk and both are making at 9.5mil. Then you have Hubie who got 10.5mil but he has been a 90pts players 3-4 yrs prior to extension.
I also don’t think any teams will pay Willie 10mil at this point of his career. If he goes off and score 50g and 100 pts plus win the Cup for thr Leafs next season, then he makes a strong case of getting North of 10mil.

 

[capfit9]

don't shoot the messenger just presenting the message btw....

 

[horner]

Dubas and Keefe to Pittsburgh

We will gladly take Sullivan to coach our team

 

[Gabriel426]

I think Dubas died a little inside when Marner made that dumb drop pass to Matthews in game 2 against the Panthers that led to the GWG for Florida.

Think we all did

 

[Sypher04]

I would bring Dubas back now that it seems he's open to removing a core piece (or two). If he tried defending them again, I would have said to let him leave.

But he needs to be smarter and realize Keefe has to go after evaluating the season in more detail. His coach is costing him big time in the playoffs and he needs to be quick to act unlike how he's managed the core.

Some things are obvious and you don't need to waste years on them. Keefe is one of those obvious fails that need to be removed.

I would say his comments were pretty far from an endorsement of Keefe, so that’s definitely interesting

 

[WillyC]

My take is, he’s coming back… he’s going to sit the original big 3 down separately and tell them, push has come to shove and he’s about to trade 1 or all 3.

He’s gonna want to hear from each, why they want to be here and what it’s going to take contract wise.

Then he’s going to fire Keefe and trade whoever doesn’t commit… maybe as early as the draft. Might even trade 2 of them.

We’re Calgary in this situation… not Florida.

 

[Buds17]

don't shoot the messenger just presenting the message btw....

A bit of both here IMO. The players in question essentially did lead the team in points overall (with Rielly and ROR also sprinkled in). Did they ultimately offer enough though? Did (some) members of the supporting cast provide enough?

 

[hockeywiz542]

Whether Kyle Dubas returns or not, major change may finally be coming to the Maple Leafs

If he does in fact return, Dubas suggested change may be coming. And if he doesn’t return, then change is coming for certain.

theathletic.com

You’d have to imagine that the combination of money, commitment, and power are part of his decision too, a big part. How much and for how long are the Leafs willing to extend his contract? How much commitment, in other words, are they willing to show? A brief commitment, and thus, a limited show of faith, and perhaps Dubas really does walk away. A long-term deal that secures his future with the team and maybe he stays.

The other thing is power.

Dubas may desire more autonomy than he’s got, what with Shanahan sitting just a rung higher on the depth chart as team president. It was certainly notable that Shanahan wasn’t there speaking alongside Dubas, as he had last spring.

The Leafs said only that Shanahan would address the media at a later date.

Now that’s almost certainly tied to Dubas’ uncertain future; it’s better to answer questions about the future of the organization when Dubas’ future is cleared up. But it also inevitably makes for the optics of division.

..............

More telling was Dubas pointing directly to the team that just beat his own in the second round, the Florida Panthers, and their willingness to trade two core players, Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar, for rising star, Matthew Tkachuk.

That, too, came after a disappointing postseason.

Dubas even described it as a “template” for the way in which the Leafs might go about something similar, by which he meant taking their time with such a monumental decision and executing it properly.

The Panthers, he noted, made that franchise-upending trade in late July.

“That’s a big move,” Dubas said. “But I don’t think it was hastily done.”

He added more tellingly: “I would consider anything with our group here that would allow us a better chance to win the Stanley Cup. So I would take nothing off the table at all. And I think everything would have to be considered with regards to anything to do with the Leafs.”

Which sounds a lot like a team led by Dubas will explore a “big move” like that more vigorously than they might have in the past. Nothing is off the table at all.

It’s hard to see a world in which all four stars return.

 

[capfit9]

Dubas and Keefe to Pittsburgh

We will gladly take Sullivan to coach our team

If they wanted to get rid of Sullivan, he would've been let go with Hextall & Burke. I think Sullivan has some connections with the Fenway Group higher ups and they like him. He's not going anywhere.

 

[Trapper]

I like the fact that for the first time in a long time, these guys are wondering if they “can or will be traded”.
Way too comfortable.