News Article: The Athletic: Shanahan blocked Dubas from completing trades that "could have improved the Leafs’ ability to advance further in the playoffs"

[DarkKnight]

The one making the round is he blocked Knies. What does making the team better mean? It’s not like Dubas wasn’t trading picks and making immediate thinking moves? So Shanny didn’t let him completely mortgage the future, the horror. I wonder too how much this change in adding muscle and grit this year, was that Shanny having more of a say? I like Mirtle, but he is a partisan here, good dirt, useless for balance. And Jonas is in mourning, poor thing.

 

[Apex Predator]

Knies+ mrazek + a first for the flower and Hagel.

Even last summer the SDPN dudes were saying this (so coming from CJ) to tell people that Shanny was blocking trades

Wasn’t that the trade that got leaked by Chicago and Dubas was mad at Davidson for it?

 

[Woodman19]

I mean, is anyone surprised a team president might veto trades for a GM without a contract beyond next year? Why would you give them carte blanche when they might not care of the state of the team after they leave.

 

[Jmo89]

If Shanahan was “blocking” to the detriment of the team, how did Toronto manage to get Mrazek and Murray on the team?

What is more likely is the leadership team may not reach a consensus on all transactions. The members of the leadership team have points of view that need to be reconciled. That’s part of working in a collaborative team environment.
This is a natural occurrence in any organization.

Sounds like Mirtle and Dubas are trying to manufacture controversy.

Poor Dubas, blocked from running the team. If only he had an owner and a pres that let him spend money like candy, bring in a ton of staff with personal connections, hand out huge contracts with signing bonuses, take on money like Murray, while also unloading mistakes using draft picks.

Poor guy wasn't able to do anything.

 

[rocketman588]

Wasn’t that the trade that got leaked by Chicago and Dubas was mad at Davidson for it?

Yeah the exact one

 

[LaPlante94]

Isn't Mirtle to Dubas pretty much Dreger to Nonis minus the family relationship?

 

[rocketman588]

Isn't Mirtle to Dubas pretty much Dreger to Nonis minus the family relationship?

Yes him and CJ are basically his press corps

 

[BertCorbeau]

What an article for the clicks .. this off-season is looking like it's off to a disastrous start. Not that Dubas leaving is the reason, rather just how things are going down.

Turning into a messy divorce.

 

[makbeer]

Someone mentioned a Knies trade he blocked.

Thank you Shanny.

 

[Antropovsky]

I'm curious to see what trades were blocked, of course... But I think the bigger problem with this team was lack of discipline, lack of accountability and a lack of leadership. Even Keefe thought this team lacked leadership and grit. How many times did he repeat how over the past years that they didn't have any players on the bench who talked?

He complained how many times in the Amazon videos that the team didn't score playoff style goals. Where was Marners average shot distance these past playoffs? 40'

Seemed like same problems Babs likely would've complained about too. Dubas traded Kadri and let Hyman walk (dubas was upset Hyman left as if it was unexpected). Two players who played the most heart on the team. Gone.

Babcock instantly turnes Hyman and Kadri into his projects. They played key roles on his team. He hated Barrie the minute he was on his team. Keefe played Barrie substantially more, but it's easy to see that Babs was right as Barrie was a cap dump by Oilers before this year's playoffs.

Dubas was the problem.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

That is the thing. Frickin Mirtle just does not say which trades were blocked.

I guess in itself, there is a story in simply having Shanahan block trades at all. Assuming that is true of course.

Would explain why Dubas would have demanded more autonomy and control. It is one thing if Shanahan thought he was doing it for the good of the team, or that Dubas was making a poor decision, but if you are having to block a bunch of your GM's trades for those reasons, why offer him an extension? You clearly do not trust his judgement enough to make decisions on his own at that point. And it certainly would be frustrating for Dubas or any GM in that situation, and we have to wonder if quality GM's will refuse to come here as a result.

Almost seems like Shanahan should just appoint himself to be GM. Put his own neck on the line.

 

[notbias]

Knies+ mrazek + a first for the flower and Hagel.

Even last summer the SDPN dudes were saying this (so coming from CJ) to tell people that Shanny was blocking trades

Basically the one that the Chicago GM leaked at the last deadline was the one that shanny blocked appearently

I've seen no source and can't find one for this... have one? Genuinely asking since people keep bringing it up.

 

[beleaf101]

Eye opening. I think the person who looks the worst in all this Mirtle.

 

[TheRumble]

You guys need to give Mirtle credit. He was one of the few hockey writers who was skeptical about the Kessel era Leafs even though they were winning in 2013. The guy was getting death threats from Leaf fans who thought he just had it out for the team.

He's originally from BC and is a Canucks fan btw. Don't see why he'd be biased.

 

[Azail]

I guess in itself, there is a story in simply having Shanahan block trades at all. Assuming that is true of course.

Would explain why Dubas would have demanded more autonomy and control. It is one thing if Shanahan thought he was doing it for the good of the team, or that Dubas was making a poor decision, but if you are having to block a bunch of your GM's trades for those reasons, why offer him an extension? You clearly do not trust his judgement enough to make decisions on his own at that point. And it certainly would be frustrating for Dubas or any GM in that situation, and we have to wonder if quality GM's will refuse to come here as a result.

Almost seems like Shanahan should just appoint himself to be GM. Put his own neck on the line.

It does kind of seem like a lot of teams are going this direction though. The president is definitely more in the day to day then maybe in the past. The GM in the past made these decisions, but this wouldn't be the first team to have the President be able to block or even have to go through the uppers.

Hell in Toronto with the Raptors it is the same. Masai isn't the GM, but lets be honest, he makes the decisions, not Bobby Webster.

 

[Leafs87]

Honestly I highly doubt any trade he made could have pushed us further. Also he already traded quite a haul at the deadline. What more was he going to let him trade in an effort to save his job…?

 

[justashadowof]

Eye opening. I think the person who looks the worst in all this Mirtle.

Wrong. It's the petty person who feed Mirtle this information.

 

[sxvnert]

Of course this article was written by Mirtle.

Seigel, Mirtle, Johnson, and Friedman are Kyles biggest ball faners in the league.

either way, with no details its just weak

Its always "my sources tell me" or "people high up in the organzition"

 

[Superstar]

Which available player at the trade deadline was gonna shellshock Bobrovsky?

 

[rocketman588]

I've seen no source and can't find one for this... have one? Genuinely asking since people keep bringing it up.

It just is the one that has gotten brought up multiple times even prior to the firing by insiders I think Fridays sdp Adam brought it up again also

 

[sxvnert]

Mirtle telling Dubas' side of things. What a shock.

Listen to the rage in his last podcast.

God only knows the amount of access he gave these guys to have this level of buy in.

 

[Malachi Crunch]

The one making the round is he blocked Knies. What does making the team better mean? It’s not like Dubas wasn’t trading picks and making immediate thinking moves? So Shanny didn’t let him completely mortgage the future, the horror. I wonder too how much this change in adding muscle and grit this year, was that Shanny having more of a say? I like Mirtle, but he is a partisan here, good dirt, useless for balance. And Jonas is in mourning, poor thing.

Jonas has probably crushed four bags of sunflower seeds since last Friday

 

[ULF_55]

Shanahan ------------ somewhere in here the truth ------------------- Dubas

 

[CaptainCrunch17]

If Shanahan was “blocking” to the detriment of the team, how did Toronto manage to get Mrazek and Murray on the team?

What is more likely is the leadership team may not reach a consensus on all transactions. The members of the leadership team have points of view that need to be reconciled. That’s part of working in a collaborative team environment.
This is a natural occurrence in any organization.

Sounds like Mirtle and Dubas are trying to manufacture controversy.

I suppose next we’ll hear how Shanahan only blocked Dubas’s good deals and let the bad ones get consummated.

 

[Superstar]

You guys need to give Mirtle credit. He was one of the few hockey writers who was skeptical about the Kessel era Leafs even though they were winning in 2013. The guy was getting death threats from Leaf fans who thought he just had it out for the team.

He's originally from BC and is a Canucks fan btw. Don't see why he'd be biased.

Why wouldn't he be bias if he's getting inside information from Dubas? Dubas is essentially helping him get paid.