Confirmed with Link: Kyle Dubas Not Returning

[The Masters]

Less than a week after the Leafs were eliminated by the Florida Panthers in the NHL playoffs, the front office has effectively been pulled apart, first with the Dubas decision and then with the news that all three Marlies coaches were fired and special assistant to the GM Jason Spezza had resigned.

It’s also clear that more dismissals and resignations are coming in the near future.

Perhaps a lot of them.

As reported previously in the aftermath of the Leafs elimination, Shanahan and Dubas had been at odds for a while. On Friday, more details emerged on that front. Multiple sources close to the team said that Shanahan had blocked transactions that Dubas wanted to make at key points in the past several seasons, creating frustration in parts of the management group. Shanahan had also at times dictated certain moves he wanted made that Dubas didn’t agree with.

The president, as per his place in the hierarchy, typically won out in those battles. And, in some cases, the moves that weren’t made could have improved the Leafs’ ability to advance further in the playoffs.

Some of those disagreements likely contributed to the disarray Monday, when Dubas delivered an emotionally charged, unusual season-ending press conference during which he declined to commit to coming back as GM.

That press conference concerned Shanahan greatly, as it went off script from the talks they had had to date. He had spent months vouching for Dubas to Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment’s board and had finally won approval to negotiate a long-awaited contract extension, something that some members of the three-pronged ownership group had denied the previous year.

The friction in the Leafs front office and the relationship between the two men was still a factor, however, and Dubas’ desire for greater autonomy from Shanahan is believed to have been one of the untold reasons for how things ultimately played out.

Now those remaining in the organization are taking sides. Some on the Dubas side are preparing, like Spezza, to leave. Others are hopeful of moving up in the new world order.

It is, in short, a bit of a mess.

Others connected to the team, however, are simply disappointed that what had been a successful partnership between Shanahan and Dubas for nine years fell apart so quickly and so publicly.

Everyone knew all was not well. But few expected it to implode like this, right before the finish line.

“Really tough on everyone,” said one team source. “Not feeling great about the whole thing today. It should have ended very differently.”

It should have ended, they say, with Dubas remaining the Leafs GM.

That it didn’t will be a topic debated in NHL circles for years to come.

---

Only those who were in the boardroom know for sure, but one of the things that is believed to have been discussed during Dubas’ first meeting about his contractual status with Shanahan and ownership last Sunday was coach Sheldon Keefe’s future.

It’s likely Dubas was told then that Keefe would (or should) be a casualty during an offseason that all involved agreed required significant change.

There is also a view in the organization that players have become too comfortable, which will likely feed into whatever organizational decisions are made this summer. Part of what was at issue with the board was whether Dubas was prepared to make those hard decisions, such as firing a coach he was very close with and trading players he had backed ever since they entered the league up to seven seasons ago.

Was that part of what went into Dubas going off script on Monday? Perhaps. He declined to comment when contacted by The Athletic on Friday, but others in the organization believe whatever happened Sunday weighed heavily on him, especially in the emotional 48 hours after another early postseason elimination.

The dysfunctional negotiations that unfolded the next three days after that point ultimately led to Shanahan’s decision to move on.

“I just felt differently. And I felt that the long-term future of the Maple Leafs might have to change,” Shanahan said on Friday afternoon.

With Dubas now gone, Keefe will almost certainly be let go once a new GM is put into place, despite having a year remaining on his contract.

It’s also considered highly unlikely that capologist Brandon Pridham will get the GM job, given it’s vastly different than his experience and current responsibilities.

Even if Pridham stays in a complementary role, however, many of Dubas’ other lieutenants would seem to be at risk. Assistant GMs Ryan Hardy, Darryl Metcalf and Hayley Wickenheiser were all close to Dubas and relatively short on front-office experience when promoted into their roles as part of an unorthodox front-office setup that had so many AGMs in different roles.

A new GM is likely to opt for a more traditional structure — and to bring in several of their own people.

In terms of who that GM might be, the frontrunner appears to be former Flames GM Brad Treliving, who has been in rumors behind the scenes going back to at least March. But I’m also hearing candidates could come in the form of current GMs or team presidents with other teams who have out clauses in their deals and who may be interested in the high-profile (and high-paying) role in Toronto.

Someone like Blues GM Doug Armstrong, who has plenty of experience and has won a Stanley Cup, could plausibly be an option, if he’s contractually able to leave St. Louis in the short window Shanahan has to make this hire.

However the GM search plays out, the Leafs are expected to hire someone who has NHL experience in the role. And it’s expected Shanahan will seek guidance from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and the league office before making the hire, as many teams in this situation do.

As for the coaching staff, it’s believed that Joel Quenneville is intrigued by the idea of coming to Toronto. He has yet to meet with the league to be granted re-entry to the NHL after resigning as Panthers coach in October 2021 following the Blackhawks investigation into the sexual assault of former player Kyle Beach by video coach Brad Aldrich, however. As such, it feels unlikely the Leafs would be willing to make such a controversial hire at this time.

But it is safe to say that it will likely be a high-profile, experienced coach who replaces Keefe.

There’s a feeling high up in the organization that the team’s core players may benefit from a significant shakeup, including having less of a “players” coach and by trading a significant piece of the core.

While Shanahan will need a new GM in place to make moves like that, it’s apparent that whoever joins the Leafs in that role will likely be informed that more than cosmetic changes are required.

Given how complex the Leafs roster decisions are going to be this offseason, getting that GM hire right will be imperative. Without Dubas, the Leafs front office is low on experienced hands, and with so many currently in place contemplating their futures, the exodus could create even more uncertainty as the draft and free agency approach at the end of next month.

As for Dubas’ future, while he stated on Monday that he didn’t anticipate quickly relocating to a new role, the thinking around the league right now is that his views may change if he receives a significant offer in a role with full autonomy in the coming months. The situation in Ottawa, in particular, could be intriguing, with new, deep-pocketed ownership and a young roster on the rise.

Mirtle: With Kyle Dubas gone, prepare for more Maple Leafs front-office fallout

The Maple Leafs' parting ways with Kyle Dubas is likely the beginning of front-office upheaval with the team.

theathletic.com

 

[Stephen]

Feels very much like ownership moreso than Shanny here. That presser didn't really follow enough logic for me to think there wasn't significant pressure after Monday from ownership to move on.

Friedman said the telecoms don't like surprises, Monday's presser + the last minute financial ask was probably enough to seal Kyle's fate with ownership.

I don't doubt there was issues power structure wise, but if Shanny had a contract offer to him Sunday that they had been working on since March, I just find it really hard to believe what transpired from Monday-Friday would be enough to change your mind in this very specific window/offseason where Matthews needs to be signed.

Kyle pushed leverage he thought he had, but he had every right to try after the organization made him sit all year without an extension (bad decision IMO). Now they're stuck finding a new GM, new vision, and selling Matthews on it in a month over paying Kyle 1.5-2M more without a cap. Lose Auston and you'll lose significantly more than 1.5-2M a year IMO, so its a gamble for MLSE/ownership. We'll see if they're right.

Just don't hire a dinosaur who is going to sign our version of the Jack Campbell contracts, setting back the franchise.

I think there's definitely pressure from the board as well, but as a fan it's more about optics and the power structure becoming factional than anything else.

With the Toronto Raptors, Ujiri and Webster are very united front despite having won a championship together and also looking at a bit of a cloudy future. They've done more than the Leafs and they're headed for more uncertainty. You don't see the powerplays, public negotiations, drama between those two front office representatives, whereas Nick Nurse was kind of the high profile guy who was on a lame duck contract and looked like he was getting too big for his britches. Nurse got fired.

Toronto Blue Jays, really don't see any kind of friction between Shapiro and Atkins in public. They keep it in house and it's a united front that's presented to the public. Are their philosophical differences? I would assume there would be. But they get digested before anything messy comes to light and I don't think you have a sense the whole organization is centered around Atkins, all the fans love Atkins, players only respond to Atkins and Shapiro is just getting in the way.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

We added 7 players at this years deadline and somehow Dubas hands were tied in upgrading the team at the deadline lol

 

[Stephen]

Button on TSN has been pushing George McPhee from Vegas a lot in the last day. I would be over the moon with prying him out of Vegas. Armstrong from the Blues would be good too. Trelieving would be straight up awful.

McPhee did a great job in Vegas, but also steered the Washington Capitals in the Ovechkin era, so maybe he has some insight into how to get over the hump. I also like McCrimmon. He was a Shanaplan target but elected not to join the Leafs way back when.

 

[SprDaVE]

We added 7 players at this years deadline and somehow Dubas hands were tied in upgrading the team at the deadline lol

Yeah that seems really dumb. Did Shanahan force Dubas to acquire Murray too? Maybe forced him to trade Kadri for Barrie and Kerfoot? I wonder where Mirtle heard this? I think anyone with a brain see through that and understand who the leak is. Without any concrete information as to what did/didn't happen and what was blocked/not blocked, this is all garbage tabloid stuff..

This isn't to say Shanahan didn't have his say on team moves and acquisitions... the guy is the President and the boss, of course. There are always 2 sides of the coin in these things.

 

[notbias]

Mirtle: With Kyle Dubas gone, prepare for more Maple Leafs front-office fallout

The Maple Leafs' parting ways with Kyle Dubas is likely the beginning of front-office upheaval with the team.

theathletic.com

So this is Shanahan's team and he is staying? Fantastic.

Yeah that seems really dumb. Did Shanahan force Dubas to acquire Murray to? Maybe forced him to trade Kadri for Barrie and Kerfoot? I wonder where Mirtle heard this?

I think anyone with a brain see through that and understand who the leak is.

Who cares who leaks it if it is true?

 

[SprDaVE]

So this is Shanahan's team and he is staying? Fantastic.



Who cares who leaks it if it is true?

How do you know if it's true? There's nothing tangible said other than "trades were blocked that could have made the team better". That is vague as hell and really doesn't say anything. Was it the Fleury and Hagel for Knies trade that was blocked by Shanahan? Maybe Shanahan pushed for Foligno? Without any concrete info, it's vague tabloid bullshit.

Meanwhile Dubas made a million deadline trades? What? Nothing of what Mirtle reported lines up with the trades and signings of the last few years other than perhaps there was some tension and disagreements.

 

[The Masters]

McPhee did a great job in Vegas, but also steered the Washington Capitals in the Ovechkin era, so maybe he has some insight into how to get over the hump. I also like McCrimmon. He was a Shanaplan target but elected not to join the Leafs way back when.

Mcphee was also a target for shanny and woulda been the gm had lou rejected. Too bad we couldnt get both lou and mcphee at the time then mcphee woulda took over and not this goof ball dubas who made a mess in 5 years.

But hard for mcphee to leave that situation with full power. Will be interesting what shhanny does. I agree i want no part of treliving.

 

[57 Years No Cup]

Making the playoffs and then playing well in the playoffs are 2 different things.

Dubas had plenty of opportunity to right the ship and change team composition and cap allocation by trading a core piece but he didn't. On the contrary he gave out ridiculous contracts to the players and went dumpster diving. Spending additional assets in the trade because Leafs had no cap space so that the trading team and a third team would retain on cap.

That is one embarrassing GM IMO.

Dubas walked into the best situation. I can't recall any GM in history of this sport walking into the situation that Dubas walked into and then went on to fail spectacularly.

A good leader recognizes whats working and whats not working and executes plans accordingly to improve the situation. Dubas didn't do any of it. Look at the amount of picks Dubas has traded away just for third team contract retentions.

Dubas IMO has been the worst GM in the history of the NHL if you apply context as to the situation he walked in and what he did with it.

I am a MAPLE LEAFS fan; and when someone's actions ruins things for the club; I will always raise my voice. FINALLY the incompetence is not here. And its a cause for celebration. We have just taken a first step towards righting the ship.

It is about the "LOGO" not who the GM is or who the players are. I have zero emotional attachment to gm, coach or players. If you are not working towards improving the club and not respecting the logo then you are not wanted here. Period!

When the name on the back has more meaning than the logo on the front (which was entire Dubas' tenure btw); that franchise is not going to achieve anything.

It is the best day Leafs Nation IMO moving forward it is nothing but progress!!!

 

[Larcos_Unal]

This is most likely incorrect. Dubas was getting discussion in the podcast sphere prior to being hired by the Leafs. I can remember hearing about him I think as early as 2012/2013 ish on the Marek vs Wyshynski podcast as someone who was going to come in during the next wave of young GMs with these new fangled analytics.

That's possible, but was any other team going to make him GM at age 32?? No chance in hell.

Leafs went out of their way for him and he got greedy. He'll learn and likely succeed elsewhere in a few years. It's a shame we've become a training ground for GMs and Coaches.

 

[notbias]

How do you know if it's true? There's nothing tangible said other than "trades were blocked that could have made the team better". That is vague and opinionated. Was it the Fleury and Hagel for Knies trade that was blocked?

meanwhile Dubas made a million deadline trades? What?

We don't know what is true from either this article or from Shanny's press conference, yet this thread is 100 pages long of people applauding him for making a good decision based on his story of what happened.

I am saying if this is true, then this is Shanny's team, and he is the one staying.

 

[Stephen]

We added 7 players at this years deadline and somehow Dubas hands were tied in upgrading the team at the deadline lol

I wonder if it would have been taking away power from the president, and locking out Shanahan, basically making him redundant. I could see that paving the way for a Dubas presidency once the Shanahan contract runs out in a couple of years. More of a boardroom play than any functional autonomy on the hockey side. I could see that angering the higher ups.

From a team construction POV, not like there was adult supervision that stopped Dubas from trading for Matt Murray, for example. Or making massive roster upgrades during the trade deadline or building a massive department with community initiatives, etc.

The idea that a number of Leaf trades were blocked by management that could have improved the Leafs playoff chances feels like a complete fabrication. Dubas wouldn't touch the Big 4. He's made small, medium and large deals. He's spent every dollar he can and more. He's traded out a number of high picks for a variety of purposes from rentals to contract disposal. The Murray deal was a pure ego play. I don't believe his hands were tied at all. And if they were, they weren't tied tight enough.

 

[Larcos_Unal]

Making the playoffs and then playing well in the playoffs are 2 different things.

Dubas had plenty of opportunity to right the ship and change team composition and cap allocation by trading a core piece but he didn't. On the contrary he gave out ridiculous contracts to the players and went dumpster diving. Spending additional assets in the trade because Leafs had no cap space so that the trading team and a third team would retain on cap.

That is one embarrassing GM IMO.

Dubas walked into the best situation. I can't recall any GM in history of this sport walking into the situation that Dubas walked into and then went on to fail spectacularly.

A good leader recognizes whats working and whats not working and executes plans accordingly to improve the situation. Dubas didn't do any of it. Look at the amount of picks Dubas has traded away just for third team contract retentions.

Dubas IMO has been the worst GM in the history of the NHL if you apply context as to the situation he walked in and what he did with it.

I am a MAPLE LEAFS fan; and when someone's actions ruins things for the club; I will always raise my voice. FINALLY the incompetence is not here. And its a cause for celebration. We have just taken a first step towards righting the ship.

It is about the "LOGO" not who the GM is or who the players are. I have zero emotional attachment to gm, coach or players. If you are not working towards improving the club and not respecting the logo then you are not wanted here. Period!

When the name on the back has more meaning than the logo on the front (which was entire Dubas' tenure btw); that franchise is not going to achieve anything.

It is the best day Leafs Nation IMO moving forward it is nothing but progress!!!

 

[Smif]

If Chris Johnston doesn't ask that question on Monday Dubas might still be the GM.

Actually insane how that press conference changed so much.

I think Dubas was dying to tell people what he did and he would've brought it up one way or another.

 

[Larcos_Unal]

We added 7 players at this years deadline and somehow Dubas hands were tied in upgrading the team at the deadline lol

According to my sources, Shanny nixed a deadline deal to bring back Dennis Malgin.

 

[Gallagbi]

How do you know if it's true? There's nothing tangible said other than "trades were blocked that could have made the team better". That is vague as hell and really doesn't say anything. Was it the Fleury and Hagel for Knies trade that was blocked by Shanahan? Maybe Shanahan pushed for Foligno? Without any concrete info, it's vague tabloid bullshit.

Meanwhile Dubas made a million deadline trades? What? Nothing of what Mirtle reported lines up with the trades and signings of the last few years other than perhaps there was some tension and disagreements.

For those piecing things together i think it speaks a little more about autonomy and power than specifics

 

[The Masters]

I feel even better today than yesterday. Shanny made the right call. Now go find the right GM

 

[notbias]

I feel even better today than yesterday. Shanny made the right call. Now go find the right GM

The third time is the charm... right?

 

[57 Years No Cup]

From Mirtle's article today, Dubas and Shanny were at odds for a while. Shanny had blocked a few transactions for several reasons Dubas wanted to make which caused frustration in the management group, and Shanny had suggested a few moves that Dubas didn't agree with. Apparently the moves that weren't made could have helped the Leafs advance further in the playoffs. Shanny usually won those battles because of his stature.
Some others might also leave with Dubas gone, while others could stay on, but Mirtle mentions people like Ryan Hardy, Darryl Metcalf and Hayley Wickenheiser who could be at risk. There is no guarantee if even Pridham will stay.
Says Treliving is a front runner for the job, but says Doug Armstrong is a candidate too if Blues allow it.
On coaching, Joel Q is keen to the idea of Toronto, but it seems unlikely Leafs will make a controversial hiring right now. Keefe is likely to be let go, and seems Leafs will hire an experienced high profile coach.

I would love to know what these transactions and suggestions were.

 

[rocketman588]

Mirtle hints at moves that weren't made holding the team back. The shamelessness of it is eye catching. Dubas spent a significant amount of futures over the past few seasons fortifying the team for the playoffs. If anything it appears that Dubas may have been blocked from parlaying the team's best prospects to get another major addition. One more major addition probably wouldn't have done anything about the star forwards no show in round 2.

Dubas has been trying to pin it on shanny through media leaks a lot in the last couple of weeks

I assume that's why he laid it all out in the presser because he knew Dubas was going to try to spin it through leaks like the Babcock situation

 

[The Masters]

 

[thewave]

The third time is the charm... right?

Lou was brought in as an interim GM to essentially teach a young group how it's done. It was the right thing to do and had Dubas taken anything to heart that Lou taught, he may be GM still.

 

[SprDaVE]

For those piecing things together i think it speaks a little more about autonomy and power than specifics

Every GM that has a President have this power dynamic. People think the President hires a GM and then smokes a cigar at home collecting paychecks... it's not that simple. They have a say and they are probably fairly involved with decisions and visions.

Dubas made 7 trades last season leading up to the playoffs. He even went out to grab Murray. If we're saying Shanahan meddled in that as a negative, I dunno... seems fishy. The reporting that trades didn't happen would have made the team better without any tangible names brought up is complete bullshit by Mirtle. Hagel and Fleury for Mrazek and Knies jumps out to me as a trade that might have made the team better. That's the only trade from recent memory that was reported and didn't happen... it's possible Shanahan nixxed the trade while Dubas wanted to do it?

Shanahan deserves a lot of heat for the team not having success yet, and he's probably next if they can't get it done in the next 2-3 years.

 

[thewave]

Dubas has been trying to pin it on shanny through media leaks a lot in the last couple of weeks

I assume that's why he laid it all out in the presser because he knew Dubas was going to try to spin it through leaks like the Babcock situation

This shoe seems to just fit. Sounds so plausible it's probably true.

 

[usernamezrhardtodo]

From Mirtle's article today, Dubas and Shanny were at odds for a while. Shanny had blocked a few transactions for several reasons Dubas wanted to make which caused frustration in the management group, and Shanny had suggested a few moves that Dubas didn't agree with. Apparently the moves that weren't made could have helped the Leafs advance further in the playoffs. Shanny usually won those battles because of his stature.
Some others might also leave with Dubas gone, while others could stay on, but Mirtle mentions people like Ryan Hardy, Darryl Metcalf and Hayley Wickenheiser who could be at risk. There is no guarantee if even Pridham will stay.
Says Treliving is a front runner for the job, but says Doug Armstrong is a candidate too if Blues allow it.
On coaching, Joel Q is keen to the idea of Toronto, but it seems unlikely Leafs will make a controversial hiring right now. Keefe is likely to be let go, and seems Leafs will hire an experienced high profile coach.

If the video of Shanny's reacting to Dubas trading a first for Foligno is any indication...he probably stopped him from making really bad trades. Again, here we are with the "Muh..but...but he wasn't allowed to make the trades he wanted to" stuff with Dubas' vision. It's kind of like Communism...the current crop of Commies keep saying that "True Communism hasn't been tried yet...don't count China, Cuba and The Soviet Union...they didn't do it the correct way" they say.

If Dubas is pulling the "Expected Trades Won" card....I don't know what to say. The only caveat is if Dubas wanted to make the team tougher and Shanny was resistant to it...I am unsure on that one.