Kyle Dubas discussion

[Ports]

I have no problem with people having different viewpoints, but there are very clearly people on here that just complain to complain. Like was KD supposed to get a franchise goalie at the TDL? Do people actually think that is possible? Remember MAF has to agree to go to TOR as well, so before even suggesting that, think that one through as well.

I really don't know how anyone could look at this deadline as a complete failure. We got better, period. Maybe not as much as our direct competition, but we also paid by far the least and I'd argue going forward we have the brightest future of the bunch.

No matter what, we will be facing TB, FLA, BOS, or CAR in the first round and we are likely the underdog in every single one of those series.

what feasible trade did we miss out on that drastically improves our chances to get past that gauntlet? We are riding our horses that have got us here, and if we fail we will still have Robertson, Knies, Neimela, Abruzzese, Holmberg, and Steeves all on their ways in the coming years in addition to all of our 1st rounders.

Every other team contending in our division was content to mortgage their future. And guess what, between BOS, TB, and FLA only 1 of them can win it all, and maybe not even that. I think I am OK keeping our chips to stack the deck in years where the path to the end doesn't look so challenging.

Wouldn't it be hilarious to see TB, FLA, and BOS get rid of multiple 1st round selections only to be beat out by the Leafs in the playoffs? has anyone given consideration to that possibility? as unlikely as it may seem, it is still a possibility.

long term we will almost certainly win by this "inactivity"

It may not have been a grand slam deadline, but we didn't strike out by any means

Leaf fans are hoping for a miracle because the reality is pretty obvious. They’re great regular season team but not a good playoff team and today was the last day to change that.

 

[fahad203]

Dubas on 590 with Kypreos and Bourne:

• On establishing deadline targets: Spent the first 20 games evaluating his own team, and then narrowing focus on what types of players they wanted to acquire. Said they had interest in Giordano at that point. Have liked Blackwell and Lyubushkin interest goes back further.
• On working under the cap: He had more flexibility under the cap this year than in previous years. Didn't want to overspend and prevent injured players, including Muzzin, from returning to the roster. Thinks teams that made larger scale moves had guys who were out long term. Important for the team to bring Muzzin back and find great form.
• On Giordano: Didn't think specifically of fit with Brodie when acquiring Giordano. Wanted to give coaching staff multiple options and flexibility. Entirely up to Keefe on how to use him.
• On Giordano's age: he's been a top 4 for a very long time with Calgary and now with Seattle. Thinks he can do it here too - doesn't want team relying on one pair, but to build a group of 7 or more where responsibilities can be spread around. Knows that Rielly / Brodie & Muzzin / Holl work well already. Reiterates that priority was giving 7 or more guys that could be relied upon by coaches.
• On goaltending: Want the 2 established goaltenders to find their groove and play to their ability. Think Campbell's injury will be blessing in disguise - now gets good time with practice and goalie sessions. Really likes Jack's history of finding his groove again after difficult stretches. They need Petr to get back to work and find his feet again. Hard work in the gym and practice, find confidence, and put it back into play on the ice. Calls Kallgren a great story, and excited to see how he responds after the disappointment of Nashville. Says it's easy to believe in goalies when things are going well, but he still believes in them even though things haven't gone as well lately.
• On Harri Sateri waiver claim: since October 2018, we've had 11 players claimed on waivers. Next closest team has 6. Thinks there's something to playing in Toronto. Wasn't sure whether he would get through waivers or not, until this morning - spoke to Harri's agent who informed that he believed a number of teams would be putting in claims.
• On Matthew Knies: Minnesota is playing Friday night. Says focus is on making sure player enjoys the week and enjoying NCAA tournament. Hasn't discussed with him or family about the path forward. Once tournament concludes, as per standard, they will discuss with player and fam about their preferred path forward.
• On not wanting to move 1st / top prospects: admits that Matthew Knies name came up a few times over the past few days. Says you always think highly of your prospects, but that belief is reaffirmed when other teams are calling about that player.
• On Blackwell: Likes Colin's ability to be versatile and move around the lineup. Tenacious forecheck, strong work ethic. Really likes the fact that he brings all of those things + playing both special teams. Think he can make plays with the puck as well. Good combination of hard work & skill.
• On Kase's injury luck: Everytime you have player with that sort of injury history, you want to help them best you can. Thinks Kase's case is bad luck + how hard he plays every shift. Always puts himself into competitive positions, never takes a shift off. Doesn't think he will ever shy away from contact, but they are helping him with assessing and avoiding contact.
• On Robertson & Liljegren's usage: With Robertson, last stretch has been good to move him around all over the lineup and see where he is compared to when he came up similar time last year. Says player needs to get bigger and stronger, but thinks his playmaking and teamwork has really come along nicely. Has been a valuable measuring period. With Liljegren, has continually earned more opportunities. Thinks the mistakes are being minimized in his game, and praises a great performance against Carolina last week. Very happy with his progress.
• On LTIR usage putting teams over the cap: Can't speak for other teams, but says team's thought process with Muzzin was always to take cautious approach with his 2 concussions. Thought that Muzzin's playstyle + role/assignments would have made it very unfair to just drop Muzzin straight into the playoffs. Says he has missed 7 of the last 9 weeks, and didn't think it's fair to ask Muzzin to drop into the playoffs, cold.

Appreciate the hard work in noting this down and the summary

Thank you sir

 

[Zybalto]

Best D core we’ve had, kids maturing a factor as well. Forward group looks potent. Dubas is betting his career in Campbell coming back, it’s a giant if and let’s just hope it works out. He will be crucified if it doesn’t, a hero if it works out.

I kind of wonder if, looking at his last 5 starts, Campbell was playing through something before he finally shut it down.

Even looking at the overall goaltending standings ending around a month ago (Feb. 18th):

Andersen: .928
Markstrom: .927
Campbell: .924
Vasy: .922
Bobsrovsky: .919

He's right there and then looked completely out of it again.

 

[Tak7]

Dubas on 590 with Kypreos and Bourne:

• On establishing deadline targets: Spent the first 20 games evaluating his own team, and then narrowing focus on what types of players they wanted to acquire. Said they had interest in Giordano at that point. Have liked Blackwell and Lyubushkin interest goes back further.
• On working under the cap: He had more flexibility under the cap this year than in previous years. Didn't want to overspend and prevent injured players, including Muzzin, from returning to the roster. Thinks teams that made larger scale moves had guys who were out long term. Important for the team to bring Muzzin back and find great form.
• On Giordano: Didn't think specifically of fit with Brodie when acquiring Giordano. Wanted to give coaching staff multiple options and flexibility. Entirely up to Keefe on how to use him.
• On Giordano's age: he's been a top 4 for a very long time with Calgary and now with Seattle. Thinks he can do it here too - doesn't want team relying on one pair, but to build a group of 7 or more where responsibilities can be spread around. Knows that Rielly / Brodie & Muzzin / Holl work well already. Reiterates that priority was giving 7 or more guys that could be relied upon by coaches.
• On goaltending: Want the 2 established goaltenders to find their groove and play to their ability. Think Campbell's injury will be blessing in disguise - now gets good time with practice and goalie sessions. Really likes Jack's history of finding his groove again after difficult stretches. They need Petr to get back to work and find his feet again. Hard work in the gym and practice, find confidence, and put it back into play on the ice. Calls Kallgren a great story, and excited to see how he responds after the disappointment of Nashville. Says it's easy to believe in goalies when things are going well, but he still believes in them even though things haven't gone as well lately.
• On Harri Sateri waiver claim: since October 2018, we've had 11 players claimed on waivers. Next closest team has 6. Thinks there's something to playing in Toronto. Wasn't sure whether he would get through waivers or not, until this morning - spoke to Harri's agent who informed that he believed a number of teams would be putting in claims.
• On Matthew Knies: Minnesota is playing Friday night. Says focus is on making sure player enjoys the week and enjoying NCAA tournament. Hasn't discussed with him or family about the path forward. Once tournament concludes, as per standard, they will discuss with player and fam about their preferred path forward.
• On not wanting to move 1st / top prospects: admits that Matthew Knies name came up a few times over the past few days. Says you always think highly of your prospects, but that belief is reaffirmed when other teams are calling about that player.
• On Blackwell: Likes Colin's ability to be versatile and move around the lineup. Tenacious forecheck, strong work ethic. Really likes the fact that he brings all of those things + playing both special teams. Think he can make plays with the puck as well. Good combination of hard work & skill.
• On Kase's injury luck: Everytime you have player with that sort of injury history, you want to help them best you can. Thinks Kase's case is bad luck + how hard he plays every shift. Always puts himself into competitive positions, never takes a shift off. Doesn't think he will ever shy away from contact, but they are helping him with assessing and avoiding contact.
• On Robertson & Liljegren's usage: With Robertson, last stretch has been good to move him around all over the lineup and see where he is compared to when he came up similar time last year. Says player needs to get bigger and stronger, but thinks his playmaking and teamwork has really come along nicely. Has been a valuable measuring period. With Liljegren, has continually earned more opportunities. Thinks the mistakes are being minimized in his game, and praises a great performance against Carolina last week. Very happy with his progress.
• On LTIR usage putting teams over the cap: Can't speak for other teams, but says team's thought process with Muzzin was always to take cautious approach with his 2 concussions. Thought that Muzzin's playstyle + role/assignments would have made it very unfair to just drop Muzzin straight into the playoffs. Says he has missed 7 of the last 9 weeks, and didn't think it's fair to ask Muzzin to drop into the playoffs, cold.

Biggest takeaway here for me:
Dubas trying VERY hard not to put too much pressure on Matthew Knies, but his avoidance / lack of answer on Knies future strongly implies that he's going to be up with the NHL team this year.
The Biega move opens up another contract slot too.

 

[capfit9]

No chance, Dubas is no idiot. Kyle knows he would have a better chance winning a Powerball lottery than having someone claim Mr. Rebound and his $3.8M anchor for the next two seasons.

I recall Jeff Marek during the 2nd intermission "reporting" that teams were interested in Mrazek but Toronto wasn't keen on trading him, I guess we now know with certainty where that's coming from and at what point the front office realized they made a massive mistake

 

[fahad203]

I recall Jeff Marek during the 2nd intermission "reporting" that teams were interested in Mrazek but Toronto wasn't keen on trading him, I guess we now know with certainty where that's coming from and what point the front office realized they made a massive mistake

Probably the other teams wanted Leafs to retain ?

 

[Orfieus]

I think it is unrealistic to think Dubas will be fired before he shakes up the top6. I think he sold higher-ups on one last attempt and this is that attempt

 

[ECanuck]

Every other team contending in our division was content to mortgage their future. And guess what, between BOS, TB, and FLA only 1 of them can win it all, and maybe not even that. I think I am OK keeping our chips to stack the deck in years where the path to the end doesn't look so challenging.

Not a single team mortgage their future. Just because you traded your 1st rounders doens't mean you mortaged your futures
1st rounders are not guranteed anything. Detroit Red Wings went years not having top talent being drafted in top rounds in mid 2000s
Starting 2001 - 2010 they absolutely no body that was a star from their 1st round picks

Boston maintained all their top prospects. Not a single one of them was gone. Lysell, Lohrei. Urho Vaakanainen was their Dermott. Very expendable

Florida. They kept Lundell and Knight. Tippett has been a super flop so far. They have a very young core. They dont' care about their 1st rounders nor should they

None of these teams mortgaged their futures. You don't need gazillion prospects in your system. You need handful and you build your team around them. All of these teams have them

Their future is now. So should ours be.
You are never going to find a player like Matthews for next 20 years then to have another player like Marner, Nylander on top of that some dude although he's being hated on Tavares who was the envy of every team not to long ago. Who once was a pernieal superstar
He's still a very good player. That's 4 very good stars in this league

You do all that, only to F it up by not getting good goaltending

The path didn't look that challenging last year. You take every shot you get because you'd never know.

 

[ECanuck]

I'm not sure what you can wait for. The next time Leafs will have a one two punch at center like we have now might be decades.

 

[TheTotalPackage]

Dubas isn't on the clock nor will he be fired any time soon.

 

[fahad203]

I'm not sure what you can wait for. The next time Leafs will have a one two punch at center like we have now might be decades.

Remember when Tyler Bozak and Grabo was our one two punch

I remember

 

[DarkKnight]

I kind of wonder if, looking at his last 5 starts, Campbell was playing through something before he finally shut it down.

Even looking at the overall goaltending standings ending around a month ago (Feb. 18th):

Andersen: .928
Markstrom: .927
Campbell: .924
Vasy: .922
Bobsrovsky: .919

He's right there and then looked completely out of it again.

He was fighting something last few starts for sure, my concern is he was uneven since Christmas.

 

[fahad203]

He was fighting something last few states, my concern is he was uneven since Christmas.

All those goalies you see there. They have been starters for 5+ years minimum
Except for one goalie

Proof is in the pudding.

 

[57 Years No Cup]

I'm even more convinced now that Dubas should be fired after just finding out that Chicago retained 50% of MAF's salary. Who is this franchise changing player in this draft available when we pick? Stupid.

 

[TorMapleJays]

How many kick at the can does he get with gambles.

 

[Zybalto]

He was fighting something last few starts for sure, my concern is he was uneven since Christmas.

I dunno, he came out of the break with a shutout against the Sens, a .933 win against Mcdavid and company, an .898 in that wild game against the Avs in Colorado that definitely wasn't on him (everyone agreed here) and then a .912 win in Vegas. He sat at .935 at this point on the season and everyone was tearing their hair out thinking he was gonna ask for 7 million+ at the end of the year.

Thats why I always point out nothing seemed too out of sorts because things really wernt.

 

[DarkKnight]

Dubas isn't on the clock nor will he be fired any time soon.

1000 percent is and will be fired if we lose first round. Hopefully that doesn’t happen, obviously, but if we do lose feel free to call me out because I’m convinced they clean house, coach, GM, even Shanny.

 

[DarkKnight]

I dunno, he came out of the break with a shutout against the Sens, a .933 win against Mcdavid and company, an .898 in that wild game against the Avs in Colorado that definitely wasn't on him (everyone agreed here) and then a .912 win in Vegas. He sat at .935 at this point on the season and everyone was tearing their hair out thinking he was gonna ask for 7 million+ at the end of the year.

Thats why I always point out nothing seemed too out of sorts because things really wernt.

I think that’s cherry picking a little, given the next games after what you’ve highlighted. He was off the hook to start the year, I embarrassingly said he was the best since Belfour at the time, so I’m not looking to hate on the guy but he’s a big concern now and I don’t think it was just his ribs.

 

[Tak7]

Dubas on 590 with Kypreos and Bourne:

• On establishing deadline targets: Spent the first 20 games evaluating his own team, and then narrowing focus on what types of players they wanted to acquire. Said they had interest in Giordano at that point. Blackwell and Lyubushkin interest goes back further before this season
• On working under the cap: He had more flexibility under the cap this year than in previous years. Didn't want to overspend and prevent injured players, including Muzzin, from returning to the roster. Thinks teams that made larger scale moves had guys who were out long term. Important for the team to bring Muzzin back and find great form.
• On Giordano: Didn't think specifically of fit with Brodie when acquiring Giordano. Wanted to give coaching staff multiple options and flexibility. Entirely up to Keefe on how to use him.
• On Giordano's age: he's been a top 4 for a very long time with Calgary and now with Seattle. Thinks he can do it here too - doesn't want team relying on one pair, but to build a group of 7 or more where responsibilities can be spread around. Knows that Rielly / Brodie & Muzzin / Holl work well already. Reiterates that priority was giving 7 or more guys that could be relied upon by coaches.
• On goaltending: Want the 2 established goaltenders to find their groove and play to their ability. Think Campbell's injury will be blessing in disguise - now gets good time with practice and goalie sessions. Really likes Jack's history of finding his groove again after difficult stretches. They need Petr to get back to work and find his feet again. Hard work in the gym and practice, find confidence, and put it back into play on the ice. Calls Kallgren a great story, and excited to see how he responds after the disappointment of Nashville. Says it's easy to believe in goalies when things are going well, but he still believes in them even though things haven't gone as well lately.
• On Harri Sateri waiver claim: since October 2018, we've had 11 players claimed on waivers. Next closest team has 6. Thinks there's something to playing in Toronto. Wasn't sure whether he would get through waivers or not, until this morning - spoke to Harri's agent who informed that he believed a number of teams would be putting in claims.
• On Matthew Knies: Minnesota is playing Friday night. Says focus is on making sure player enjoys the week and enjoying NCAA tournament. Hasn't discussed with him or family about the path forward. Once tournament concludes, as per standard, they will discuss with player and fam about their preferred path forward.
• On not wanting to move 1st / top prospects: admits that Matthew Knies name came up a few times over the past few days. Says you always think highly of your prospects, but that belief is reaffirmed when other teams are calling about that player.
• On Blackwell: Likes Colin's ability to be versatile and move around the lineup. Tenacious forecheck, strong work ethic. Really likes the fact that he brings all of those things + playing both special teams. Think he can make plays with the puck as well. Good combination of hard work & skill.
• On Kase's injury luck: Everytime you have player with that sort of injury history, you want to help them best you can. Thinks Kase's case is bad luck + how hard he plays every shift. Always puts himself into competitive positions, never takes a shift off. Doesn't think he will ever shy away from contact, but they are helping him with assessing and avoiding contact.
• On Robertson & Liljegren's usage: With Robertson, last stretch has been good to move him around all over the lineup and see where he is compared to when he came up similar time last year. Says player needs to get bigger and stronger, but thinks his playmaking and teamwork has really come along nicely. Has been a valuable measuring period. With Liljegren, has continually earned more opportunities. Thinks the mistakes are being minimized in his game, and praises a great performance against Carolina last week. Very happy with his progress.
• On LTIR usage putting teams over the cap: Can't speak for other teams, but says team's thought process with Muzzin was always to take cautious approach with his 2 concussions. Thought that Muzzin's playstyle + role/assignments would have made it very unfair to just drop Muzzin straight into the playoffs. Says he has missed 7 of the last 9 weeks, and didn't think it's fair to ask Muzzin to drop into the playoffs, cold.

Dubas on TSN Overdrive

• On local players returning home: Says if a player was younger, would feel the need to warn them of all the attention from family and friends. The older players, not so much. Says Mark has a family, who will join him in Toronto, which helps. Says team has plenty of support available, including players like Spezza & Tavares, that can help relate to coming home and playing, if Giordano requires guidance. Doesn't think he will need it.
• On Gio's fit: Lots of high quality game left in him. Such a smart player. Wins puck battles, moves puck to forwards quickly. Always has his head up. Can play against good players and protects middle of the rink really well. Extremely high competitive level. Quiet leader, not afraid to speak up - something they've tried to continually bring in over the years. Also thinks it's not overbearing leadership style, which allows Auston and Mitch and other younger players to grow in the room
• On the lineup moving forward: Says he likes that all minutes / assignments aren't restricted to one pair. Says that even though their top 4 are all on paper left handed, says they have flexibility on whether those players can play on the left or right. Also think that the Liljegren and Lyubushkin, righties, can compliment those 4 as well. Likes the idea of having 1 of those 4 (Rielly, Brodie, Muzzin, Gio) on the ice at all times is exciting.
• On no goalie upgrades: Says he understands angst at the goalie position. Says that one thing that gives him great confidence with Campbell, is repeated ability at all levels of hockey, of finding his game when things haven't gone well. Has good ability to stabilize his game and get back into the right direction. Thinks injury rehab will do him good - allows him to focus on development of his game, rather than the schedule or conserving energy for the coming games. Expects Campbell to get back to the .910-.915 mark.
• On Mrazek: has had stretches of tough games in his career, and has shown continued ability to bounce back and find his game. Encouraged by how hard Petr is working lately in the gym, practice, and with goalie coaches. Thinks its important to give both goaltenders the resources to find their game and confidence.
• On Seteri: tried to get him through waivers, but once he was claimed, decided best option was to put all trust on what they already have. Says they knew he wasn't going to clear waivers early today after speaking to their agent.
• On Mrazek waivers: he will come back to the NHL team with 1 of the team's 4 recalls today. Was a move purely for extra cap space flexibility. Players with higher dollar unlikely to get claimed at this time of year, and didn't think some of the other options would make it through. Says it was tough to do, and that he never wants to do that to anyone, but they did it for cap purposes.
• On handling players who are struggling: Always wants to use the tools and resources to help players find their games. Didn't want to put a player in that waiver position again, but felt it was necessary to preserve cap space and roster space. Says they spoke with Mrazek and his agent, who they have a great relationship with. Happy he got through and remains a member of the team.
• On how much roster maneuverability they have left + college players: You get 4 recalls. They are using 1 on Mrazek today. The other roster formations up front, will be dictated by injury situations that come up over the next few weeks. College situation more complex, as Knies and Abrusseze are still playing in NCAA Tournament this weekend. Haven't discussed with either of them about the plan after the tourny - want them to focus on enjoying the tournament and hopefully making the Frozen Four.
• On how they've viewed Tavares / Nylander games lately: thinks the evaluation of both of those players is unfairly being compared to the Bunting - Matthews - Marner line. Still think they are producing at a very high level. Both at near a PPG over last stretch. Feels they are very fortunate to have them both, and praises both of them for how they always respond when the heat picks up. Also reserves praise for the way Nylander played in the playoffs last year. Thinks his calm, stoic energy can often be used against him but he views it as a great asset in this market. Think Tavares feels he has a lot to prove this year given the injury last year, and says he's really happy with what they are getting from the pair of them.
• On the Kase injury: Says the health of the person comes first. When injuries stack up, especially to one single region, says you have longer term concerns and prioritize what the team's ethical and moral responsibility is to those players and their families after a hockey career is over. Think they had to protect Muzzin from himself by putting him on LTIR to give him 3 weeks minimum, off. As an organization, they will always be about putting the health of their people first and foremost in their mind, even if it hinders them competitively.

/End of Dubas interviews. Enjoy.

 

[Zybalto]

I think that’s cherry picking a little, given the next games after what you’ve highlighted. He was off the hook to start the year, I embarrassingly said he was the best since Belfour at the time, so I’m not looking to hate on the guy but he’s a big concern now and I don’t think it was just his ribs.

Don't feel embarrassed.

At that point, the guy literally had the 2nd best save% in the NHL from the time the Leafs traded for him. I wasnt on the hype train myself but it was hard to argue against the fact he was one of the best in the league for almost 2 years (shortened as they were).

Its one of the reasons to give us hope as the 10 or so bad games he's had since then ( he's also had a few good ones) might just be the anomaly.

 

[acrobaticgoalie]

Comments?

Thrilled this didn't happen

 

[DarkKnight]

Don't feel embarrassed.

At that point, the guy literally had the 2nd best save% in the NHL from the time the Leafs traded for him. I wasnt on the hype train myself but it was hard to argue against the fact he was one of the best in the league for almost 2 years (shortened as they were).

Its one of the reasons to give us hope as the 10 or so bad games he's had since then ( he's also had a few good ones) might just be the anomaly.

For sure, that’s my hope, but it just feels like a gamble now, particularly when the backup plan was just waived.

And, in my defence we haven’t had many decent goalies since Belfour, it was more he looked better than Freddie I thought.

 

[57 Years No Cup]

Dubas on TSN Overdrive

• On local players returning home: Says if a player was younger, would feel the need to warn them of all the attention from family and friends. The older players, not so much. Says Mark has a family, who will join him in Toronto, which helps. Says team has plenty of support available, including players like Spezza & Tavares, that can help relate to coming home and playing, if Giordano requires guidance.
• On Gio's fit: Lots of high quality game left in him. Such a smart player. Wins puck battles, moves puck to forwards quickly. Always has his head up. Can play against good players and protects middle of the rink really well. Extremely high competitive level. Quiet leader, not afraid to speak up - something they've tried to continually bring in over the years. Also thinks it's not overbearing leadership style, which allows Auston and Mitch and other younger players to grow in the room
• On the lineup moving forward: Says he likes that all minutes / assignments aren't restricted to one pair. Says that even though their top 4 are all on paper left handed, says they have flexibility on whether those players can play on the left or right. Also think that the Liljegren and Lyubushkin, righties, can compliment those 4 as well. Likes the idea of having 1 of those 4 (Rielly, Brodie, Muzzin, Gio) on the ice at all times is exciting.
• On no goalie upgrades: Says he understands angst at the goalie position. Says that one thing that gives him great confidence with Campbell, is repeated ability at all levels of hockey, of finding his game when things haven't gone well. Has good ability to stabilize his game and get back into the right direction. Thinks injury rehab will do him good - allows him to focus on development of his game, rather than the schedule or conserving energy for the coming games. Expects Campbell to get back to the .910-.915 mark.
• On Mrazek: has had stretches of tough games in his career, and has shown continued ability to bounce back and find his game. Encouraged by how hard Petr is working lately in the gym, practice, and with goalie coaches. Thinks its important to give both goaltenders the resources to find their game and confidence.
• On Seteri: tried to get him through waivers, but once he was claimed, decided best option was to put all trust on what they already have. Says they knew he wasn't going to clear waivers early today after speaking to their agent.
• On Mrazek waivers: he will come back to the NHL team with 1 of the team's 4 recalls today. Was a move purely for extra cap space flexibility. Players with higher dollar unlikely to get claimed at this time of year, and didn't think some of the other options would make it through. Says it was tough to do, and that he never wants to do that to anyone, but they did it for cap purposes.
• On handling players who are struggling: Always wants to use the tools and resources to help players find their games. Didn't want to put a player in that waiver position again, but felt it was necessary to preserve cap space and roster space. Says they spoke with Mrazek and his agent, who they have a great relationship with. Happy he got through and remains a member of the team.
• On how much roster maneuverability they have left + college players: You get 4 recalls. They are using 1 on Mrazek today. The other roster formations up front, will be dictated by injury situations that come up over the next few weeks. College situation more complex, as Knies and Abrusseze are still playing in NCAA Tournament this weekend. Haven't discussed with either of them about the plan after the tourny - want them to focus on enjoying the tournament and hopefully making the Frozen Four.
• On how they've viewed Tavares / Nylander games lately: thinks the evaluation of both of those players is unfairly being compared to the Bunting - Matthews - Marner line. Still think they are producing at a very high level. Both at near a PPG over last stretch. Feels they are very fortunate to have them both, and praises both of them for how they always respond when the heat picks up. Also reserves praise for the way Nylander played in the playoffs last year. Thinks his calm, stoic energy can often be used against him but he views it as a great asset in this market. Think Tavares feels he has a lot to prove this year given the injury last year, and says he's really happy with what they are getting from the pair of them.
• On the Kase injury: Says the health of the person comes first. When injuries stack up, especially to one single region, says you have longer term concerns and prioritize what the team's ethical and moral responsibility is to those players and their families after a hockey career is over. Think they had to protect Muzzin from himself by putting him on LTIR to give him 3 weeks minimum, off. As an organization, they will always be about putting the health of their people first and foremost in their mind, even if it hinders them competitively.

/End of Dubas interviews. Enjoy.

You are the man. Thank You.

 

[Bigmarycombo]

The Leafs have a defense which will have Jake Muzzin, Mark Giordano, Justin Holl, and Ilya Lyubushkin on it in the playoffs and there are still people who think that defense is "soft".

If anything, I have concerns about whether our defense will be able to move the puck in the playoffs.

I swear there are some people that will not be happy until we have 6 Chiarots on our back end and then will get in an upheaval or be totally dumbfounded when we play 90% of the game in our own end and give up 6 goals against per game.

You can’t actually keep a straight face when you include holl in a conversation of being hard to play against.
Last game he couldn’t absorb a hit from that monster player Matt duschene and as a result cleaned Kallegren clock. Holl is the softest player on our team and he is probably the slowest

 

[ACC1224]

You can’t actually keep a straight face when you include holl in a conversation of being hard to play against.
Last game he couldn’t absorb a hit from that monster player Matt duschene and as a result cleaned Kallegren clock. Holl is the softest player on our team and he is probably the slowest

Think that was Forsberg.
Holl shouldn't be in the top 6 though, hopefully that won't be the case.