You can't measure the success of a GM based on playoff rounds won. That's dinosaur thinking. If true Brian Burke would be a great GM because he won a cup in Anaheim, he then proceeded to destroy the Leafs setting them back 8 years.
Might it be fair then to state that Burke has been better in that role overall while Dubas was better while with the Leafs?
Burke was a success in Vancouver and Anaheim for a few years. It didn't make him successful in Toronto but it didn't diminish what he did with those prior clubs. So how then to measure the success if it isn't winning?
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Burke was a dinosaur in the game. What worked 10-20 years ago doesn't work today. When you misevaluate your team to that degree, it's unforgivable. I think the sign of a successful GM is how he manages the assets of the team (Prospects, Draft picks, roster players, etc). Is he making moves that balance the present and the future. Is he going to make a bad trade at the deadline to save his job but damage the future of the organization for personal gain (ala George McPhee in WSH trading away Forsberg for Erat).
He walk into the best situation in NHL history.
Really? He was saddled with the Zaitsev contract, had to give up Brown to offload him. He then had to trade a 1st to offload Marleau in order to be cap compliant. Then a once in a 100 year pandemic hit and the cap didn't go up as predicted. Considering he was a rookie GM, he probably had a lot of restrictions on him in terms of moves he could make. Am I missing something?
No he didn't have to give up anyone. He should have built around M&M instead he did what the old leafs use to do. Singed the UFA to a huge retirement pckage.
thehockeywriters.com
Such a dramtic articleAspiring Leafs GMs Will Have to Sidestep Shanahan's One Rule - The Hockey Writers Latest News, Analysis & More
If an aspiring GM comes in and says he wants to trade a member of the core four in Toronto, does that rule them out of the job?
Shanahan Has Told The “Core Four” He Expects to Keep Them Together
Another NHL insider, Chris Johnston of the Steve Dangle Podcast Network, recently reported that Shanahan called each of the Maple Leafs’ core four players and told them the organization intends to keep them together. All four want to stay put, and now the franchise has said, ‘Yep, that’s the plan.’ That’s an interesting “promise” to make considering it’s possible that every single GM who applies for the job might believe trading one of them is the only real way to fix this roster.
In the case of Treliving, someone who isn’t likely afraid to speak his mind, would he say he thinks one of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, or William Nylander should be dealt, if he believes that’s the best path forward? One would assume so. And, if he does, would that take him out of the running considering Shanahan just told his stars that they won’t be traded? It would be an intriguing way to start an already soap opera-like relationship.
That leaves Treliving in a curious spot. While it’s not known what his vision for the team might be, if it isn’t keeping to core intact, how does he sidestep what Shanahan has essentially already promised his top-end talent? For that matter, how does any experienced GM who wants to be upfront and honest about their thoughts and implement “their plan” for a team that continues to disappoint?
Is This Shanahan Already Blocking Moves By a New GM?
Even if Shanahan and a new GM are on the same page when it comes to the “core four”, what happens if the GM wants to make other moves and Shanahan isn’t favorable to them? The fact that Shanahan didn’t wait to approach his stars before a new GM was hired already speaks to the notion that his top priority isn’t the vision of whoever joins this team as its manager. Shanahan essentially said, ‘I’m going to be hiring someone, and they might think one thing but don’t worry guys, we’ll keep you together.’
This is why Kyle Dubas was rumored to be so frustrated. Shanahan was reportedly frequently stepping in and not letting his manager make key decisions. With this report coming out by Johnston, every GM interviewing for this position now knows that Shanahan will talk to his players but not ask for his GM’s opinion first. How does a new GM who wants any sort of autonomy operate under these conditions? Moreover, if all of those applicants walk away from the gig because they don’t have a real say in roster decisions, what candidates are left beyond GMs will simply be a “yes person” to Shanahan’s every thought when it comes to hockey decisions?
Can A New GM Work Around Shanahan’s Constant Interference?
Some people will make the argument that every GM has a boss and that huge decisions need to go through a certain chain of command before the deal is done. That is probably accurate. Few GMs have full autonomy over all roster decisions. At the same time, these GMs probably want to be included in important discussions with the key players on the team and Shanahan has already proven he’s willing to make assurances without a new GM in the loop.
Maybe this was a one-time thing. Maybe it wasn’t. Any GM that comes in an interview for this job needs to know and be comfortable with how everything operates with Shanahan at the top of the food chain. And, if you cross him, we’ve already seen what happens to those who want him removed from the equation. Bye, bye.
theathletic.com
Will they stop fellating him through the media soon?'It doesn’t make any sense': Kyle Dubas’ dismissal leaves Maple Leafs staff confused and hurt
There's an overall sense of disillusionment around the Maple Leafs right now according to members of the team's front office.
Confusion and hurt ripples through Maple Leafs in wake of Kyle Dubas’ dismissal
Anger. Confusion. Shock. Disappointment.
Those are some of the feelings reverberating around the Maple Leafs right now in the aftermath of Kyle Dubas’ firing as general manager last week.
The Athletic reached out to several people who work for the Leafs this week. Anonymity was granted to them as they were not permitted by the team to speak to the media.
This story reflects their feelings at the moment and speaks to a level of disillusionment that team president Brendan Shanahan and the next GM of the Leafs will have to work to unwind.
“I’m in mourning right now,” one person who worked in the front office with Dubas during his time with the Leafs said.
There’s a real sense of loss for staff members. Dubas was their leader and the one who hired many of them. Suddenly, he was gone a week after the season came to an end – and without, in their minds, a satisfactory explanation as to why.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” a Leafs front office member said of the way Dubas was let go. “That’s why it’s disappointing.”
Shanahan went from wanting to bring Dubas back to firing him in a matter of days. And then offered his version of events in a press conference that left people inside the organization confused and upset.
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It’s security they have because of Dubas.
Though he wasn’t offered an extension himself, not until after the trade deadline, Dubas fought to extend staff members who entered last season with expiring contracts. He got them extended with one, two, and three-year deals.
At least one staff member was inclined to ride things out with Dubas for an uncertain year. Dubas insisted — take the security, protect your family.
“Don’t worry about me,” he told his people. “I’ll be OK.”
Those close to Dubas insist they liked working for him. Dubas put them first and had clearly grown into his leadership role.
