With the conference finals nearing an end, here's more of what teams and fans have learned -- and what still needs reinforcement.
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Here's what I hope isn't true about the departure of Kyle Dubas: That a public admission about consulting with his family about next career steps -- and the strain that his job with the Leafs has put on his family -- was actually processed as a sign of weakness and wavering commitment by team president Brendan Shanahan.
"As Kyle expressed, he might not want to be our GM," Shanahan said. "And I have to take that very seriously."
From a mental health perspective, this is gross.
We spend more time now talking about the full scope of life for players, coaches and executives than we ever have in the NHL. I've heard people claim Dubas wasn't "all-in" for the Toronto job because of these comments, that the concerns for an individual's wellbeing don't apply when the job is as vitally important as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Heaven forbid.
Yet that's exactly why we focus on mental health now in professional sports. To break that stigma. To not have a world where "I want to discuss this with my family" is met with "huh, I don't know if this guy's really committed here."
I've known Shanahan for years. I'm hoping this was just something he seized on as part of the public justification for splitting with Dubas. I can't imagine an individual with his character and moral compass would actually buy that.
What I believe to be true about Kyle Dubas: That he acted as any pending free agent would -- and not just by saying he needed to talk to his family about next steps, which is what every player with a family says whether they re-sign or don't.
His contract with the Leafs ends this summer. He famously bet on himself and won. OK, won a playoff round, but that's more than Brian Burke, Dave Nonis and Lou Lamoriello won in Toronto. So he had that juice.
And he also had options: The Pittsburgh Penguins have president of hockey operations and general manager openings. The Ottawa Senators' new ownership could potentially offer him their top job.
Multiple NHL sources have told me that Dubas was looking for equal hockey management power to Shanahan and a salary that would be commensurate with that power. If that's the case, then I get it: What team president is going to fight to retain an underling that wants both of them sharing a chair at the head of the table at the same time? Ever try to sit two-to-a-chair? It's as uncomfortable as having the person you supervise asking for your salary.
Dubas shot his shot. He flew too close to the sun in the centre of the hockey universe. The Leafs lost a brilliant young executive. Dubas lost a job he genuinely loved. That's business. I truly want to believe that's the determining factor in all of this rather than hockey culture once again trouncing someone's emotional vulnerability.
