The New and Improved , Kyle Dubas Discussion Thread

[aight]

I was not really into hockey board back then but I do remember Quinn Leafs didn’t really have top end talents beside Sundin and Eagle.
McCabe was over rated due to his slap shot and can opener check, Kaberle was good though. Really don’t remember who was the 2C back then but it seemed like whoever played with Sundin ended up having career year.
I also remember one TDL where they got Leetch(my fav Leafs Dman), Housley(played 1 shift), Dougie and Francis.

Leetch and Francis were 03/04 while Housley and Gilmour were the year before.

 

[Pookie]

Dubai was never GM of the Islanders. Obviously, it wouldn’t workout for anyone. They couldn’t compare the two.

really? Some here have suggested Dubas is the best hockey mind in the league.

but if we can only compare him to Leaf GMs... he has to be in the conversation for the worst of all time.

not saying he’d win... but obviously one of the contenders in a long line of contenders.

 

[Leaf Fans]

really? Some here have suggested Dubas is the best hockey mind in the league.

but if we can only compare him to Leaf GMs... he has to be in the conversation for the worst of all time.

not saying he’d win... but obviously one of the contenders in a long line of contenders.

Sure and some people have suggested he is the worst.

 

[yubbers]

Well if you season goalie for years and he become best goalie in the AHL and you waive him. You send pretty skewed message to all your up and coming players. McElhinney wasn't even solution for us, because Andersen is way too injury prone to have him as backup. Would have been stop gap for season or two. Even Tampa Bay couldn't have kept him float during playoffs if Vasilevsky injures himself. Dubas screwed that goalie situation then, but have learned his lesson and now we have Hutchinson in Marlies etc.

Why let Hainsey walk? He was way too expensive for us in that point and we took Ceci, because we wanted to get rid of Zaitsev, since he wanted out and had anchor contract. Ceci had only year left was younger and there was some hope that he had upside. Now his signed by Oilers, because Ceci showed some promise in Pittsburgh. So it wasn't that long shot, only bad timing. Hainsey retired after one season in the worst team of the league.

Are we only fanbase that analyzes all this scenarios like this.

He was in the AHL for what? 7 years? That's for a reason. Known hot head as well. Which was inevitably his undoing. We had to kick a goalie out of the locker room line a week and change it from the playoffs. We literally missed the playoffs the following season because our backup bled points. Not only did it not work.... It was an unmitigated disaster. Line it literally couldn't have gone worse. McBackup was a proven sure thing. Sparks had always sucked. He's not an NHL goalie. Been apparent for years. Which is why many of us screamed bloody murder. But man it was so much worse than expected.

3.5 mil 1 year deal is too expensive for a top pairing dman? Far from the truth. Dubas just had other plans. Our homegrown talent just came off a career year playing with him and you swap him out for Ceci. Nonsense. Again.... Same season we missed the playoffs.

You can't spin either of those things as good. Three tan regressed significantly because of those 2 moves.

 

[yubbers]

Because Dubas did what every single GM would do, and gave their young, cheap, home-grown, Calder-Cup winning, AHL goaltender of the year a chance at backup, instead of losing him to save a 35+ journeyman waiver claim that was going to hit UFA in a year, who is not the god that people treat him as because of his one fluke season in 2017-2018.

Because Ceci was already locked into either a contract or an arbitration hearing by Ottawa, and because Ceci was a better player and better fit than 38 year old Hainsey, with the potential for more.

Weird how so many if us knew Sparks was hot garbage and a hothead. Where's he playing currently?

So No has a career year playing with Hainsey but then regresses hard playing with who?
Better player though right? Whatever you gotta tell yourself I guess.

 

[Gabriel426]

Leetch and Francis were 03/04 while Housley and Gilmour were the year before.

Thanks.

 

[The CyNick]

really? Some here have suggested Dubas is the best hockey mind in the league.

but if we can only compare him to Leaf GMs... he has to be in the conversation for the worst of all time.

not saying he’d win... but obviously one of the contenders in a long line of contenders.

He's much closer to the bottom than even the middle of all time worst Leafs GMs.

No GM I can think of was handed such an easy road to success and then failed so miserably.

 

[zeke]

Weird how so many if us knew Sparks was hot garbage and a hothead. Where's he playing currently?

.

That year Sparks posted a .902, McElhinney a .912.

Leafs would have had significantly worse goaltending that year even if they kept McBackup. He was never repeating that career year again.

 

[zeke]

No GM I can think of was handed such an easy road to success and then failed so miserably.

Lou Lamoriello.

 

[Racer88]

Lou Lamoriello.

You mean the 2 time GM of the year is worse then Dubas…….not a chance.
Dubas has created a cap strapped misfit groupe of 4 “haves” and the rest of the team are “have nots” that play like a bunch of individuals not a team

 

[Pookie]

Sure and some people have suggested he is the worst.

remains to be seen. But he is in the conversation

 

[Leaf Fans]

remains to be seen. But he is in the conversation

Yeah, some people think he is the best young hockey mind * sorry* " best hockey mind in the League" while others think he is a poor GM.

 

[The CyNick]

Lou Lamoriello.

In these troubled times its nice to provide a laugh.

 

[Stephen]

Lou Lamoriello.

This juggernaut?

Add Marner, Nylander and Hyman below decks.

 

[Leaf Fans]

In these troubled times its nice to provide a laugh.

For sure, I enjoy the laughs you give us. Keep it up!

 

[Marmoset]

This juggernaut?

Add Marner, Nylander and Hyman below decks.

Thank you for the trip down memory lane. I know I've been on Dubas in this thread but at least he didn't trade a high pick for Peter Holland. That's something going for him.

 

[kb]

Some of you are still trying to defend Dubas and tear down Lou?

Go to the Islanders form and try out your arguments and see how that works out for you

Some of you still think that Lou did a great job here with his throwing away of 2nd's for 2 fourth liners, and leaving his successor with $11 million in immovable contracts and 3 elite star players coming off ELC's?

 

[Gabriel426]

This juggernaut?

Add Marner, Nylander and Hyman below decks.

You forgot Grabner and Hunwick.

Forgot how horrible that team was. Yet that team actually kept it closed till JVR and Bozak got injured. Then Lou proceed to sell off anything for draft picks and played Sparks in net.

 

[Gabriel426]

Some of you still think that Lou did a great job here with his throwing away of 2nd's for 2 fourth liners, and leaving his successor with $11 million in immovable contracts and 3 elite star players coming off ELC's?

To be fair no GM is perfect.

I don’t think Lou is perfect but he wasn’t crap either. Same applies to Dubas.
Lou’s job wasn’t to take the Leafs to the Cup(although it would be nice), he came in to change the culture-the ones that the players didn’t really give a crap about the fans and winning. When Hornchek(can’t spell his name) took over, those games were unwatchable bc you can clearly see the players just want the game to finish and go home. Lou took over that team. And to certainly extend so did Babs.
Dubas’s job coming in as GM is Cup or bust based on the rosters plus signing the biggest UFA in the history of the Cap era.

 

[Pookie]

Some of you still think that Lou did a great job here with his throwing away of 2nd's for 2 fourth liners, and leaving his successor with $11 million in immovable contracts and 3 elite star players coming off ELC's?

Lou wanted to stay. Told Shanahan.

Shanahan said no. We are sticking with the original plan. Good luck.

And Islander fans are forever grateful

 

[hotpaws]

What actual good would come from them trashing the core to the media aside making a small number of fans feel better?

maybe you should read my post again since i have no idea what your response has to do with my post

 

[Zybalto]

Lou wanted to stay. Told Shanahan.

Shanahan said no. We are sticking with the original plan. Good luck.

And Islander fans are forever grateful

Well, gratefull for that and the top 5 goaltending he inherited. (That performs well in the playoffs)

I actually think the Lou vs Dubas/Keefe vs Babcock arguments are as inane as the Reimer vs Bernier arguments from the past.

There's a reason why the Leafs are a top 5 team in the league over the last 4 years and all these guys have their fingerprints on it as well as their warts but the upside from all of them outweighs the bad in every single case IMO.

Lou came in to steady the ship and for all the flack about the Marleau contract, he played a massive role in showing the young guys what it is to be an NHLer. Babcock gave some real tough love to the kids and both Lou and Babs got rid of the country club atmosphere surrounding the team.

Young Dubas has been very underrated in his signings basically turning the D into one of the best in the league to go along with the scoring power. His depth signings havnt turned out so great (with some outliers like Spezza) but all GMs (including Lou) have had bad signings over the years. Keefe is other side how good the D has been as Dubas brought in Muzzin/Brodie and the system implemented by Keefe resulted in an immediate jump in defensive play.

Why have the Isles had more success in the playoffs? The same reason why the Leafs have struggled. Goaltending, depth contributions and a more or less healthy team.

I'm pretty happy with where we are situated right now. It's not like we have an actual disaster of a GM like Benning. Now there a powder keg waiting to blow a team up. (If the fuse hasn't been lit already)

 

[Dekes For Days]

Weird how so many if us knew Sparks was hot garbage

It's easy to say things like that with hindsight. Choosing Sparks was the right choice at the time, and something every GM would have done. McBackup was not going to repeat his performance, and he was gone to UFA within a year anyway.

He was in the AHL for what? 7 years?

It was not 7 years, and using your logic, Campbell would have been "hot garbage" and not worth a shot as well. Same with plenty of other successful goalies (Dreidger, Cup champion Binnington, Cup champion and two-time Vezina winner and Conn Smythe winner Tim Thomas, etc.).

We literally missed the playoffs the following season because our backup bled points.

We haven't missed the playoffs any season, and McBackup was a UFA and we wouldn't have had him in 2019-2020 anyway.

So No has a career year playing with Hainsey

Rielly had a career year in points that year primarily because he was healthy, he played with Tavares/Marner a lot, and he had an unsustainable SH% and OISH%. It had nothing to do with Hainsey. Ceci was a better player than 38 year old Hainsey, and he was already locked into either a contract or arbitration.

 

[Pookie]

Well, gratefull for that and the top 5 goaltending he inherited. (That performs well in the playoffs)

I actually think the Lou vs Dubas/Keefe vs Babcock arguments are as inane as the Reimer vs Bernier arguments from the past.

There's a reason why the Leafs are a top 5 team in the league over the last 4 years and all these guys have their fingerprints on it as well as their warts but the upside from all of them outweighs the bad in every single case IMO.

Lou came in to steady the ship and for all the flack about the Marleau contract, he played a massive role in showing the young guys what it is to be an NHLer. Babcock gave some real tough love to the kids and both Lou and Babs got rid of the country club atmosphere surrounding the team.

Young Dubas has been very underrated in his signings basically turning the D into one of the best in the league to go along with the scoring power. His depth signings havnt turned out so great (with some outliers like Spezza) but all GMs (including Lou) have had bad signings over the years. Keefe is other side how good the D has been as Dubas brought in Muzzin/Brodie and the system implemented by Keefe resulted in an immediate jump in defensive play.

Why have the Isles had more success in the playoffs? The same reason why the Leafs have struggled. Goaltending, depth contributions and a more or less healthy team.

I'm pretty happy with where we are situated right now. It's not like we have an actual disaster of a GM like Benning. Now there a powder keg waiting to blow a team up. (If the fuse hasn't been lit already)

i absolutely agree with the fingerprints.

And I absolutely agree with the reality that talent and health of a roster have a significant impact on success.

That said, the heath and talent factor was still in the Leafs favour with Montreal.

While we lost Tavares early, we still got out to a 3-1 series lead against the worst qualifying team.

And in the 11 periods of hockey that followed (3 games, 2 OTs) we only out scored Montreal 1 time.

That’s either talent or tactics. Or both.

 

[Racer88]

Well, gratefull for that and the top 5 goaltending he inherited. (That performs well in the playoffs)

I actually think the Lou vs Dubas/Keefe vs Babcock arguments are as inane as the Reimer vs Bernier arguments from the past.

There's a reason why the Leafs are a top 5 team in the league over the last 4 years and all these guys have their fingerprints on it as well as their warts but the upside from all of them outweighs the bad in every single case IMO.

Lou came in to steady the ship and for all the flack about the Marleau contract, he played a massive role in showing the young guys what it is to be an NHLer. Babcock gave some real tough love to the kids and both Lou and Babs got rid of the country club atmosphere surrounding the team.

Young Dubas has been very underrated in his signings basically turning the D into one of the best in the league to go along with the scoring power. His depth signings havnt turned out so great (with some outliers like Spezza) but all GMs (including Lou) have had bad signings over the years. Keefe is other side how good the D has been as Dubas brought in Muzzin/Brodie and the system implemented by Keefe resulted in an immediate jump in defensive play.

Why have the Isles had more success in the playoffs? The same reason why the Leafs have struggled. Goaltending, depth contributions and a more or less healthy team.

I'm pretty happy with where we are situated right now. It's not like we have an actual disaster of a GM like Benning. Now there a powder keg waiting to blow a team up. (If the fuse hasn't been lit already)

With all due respect has Dubas done anything to fix the goaltending issues?
Do you feel that we now have top 5 goaltending?