The New and really Improved , Kyle Dubas Discussion Thread

[Apex Predator]

Honestly, If these guys continue to play the way they are playing until the end of the year, and somehow manage to f*** it up R1 of the playoffs, I don't even want to know what the hell will happen.

I've remained pretty firm on my stance that I feel like Dubas should remain as GM beyond this year. Even in the darkest of times. I think his ability to assemble a team is clearly there. His ability to improve our team through the draft has yet to show itself on the active roster (less Sandin), but I am very confident this will soon become the part of Kyle's legacy that is most notable. We have a bright future regardless of the outcome of this season. I'd much rather Kyle fix what potential mess is there after the season is over, because he has shown an ability to spot talent that is otherwise looked over.

I am confident that if he were to be given the opportunity to do so, he would move a core player in the event of another R1 collapse. Because regardless of doing it the right way for 82 games, these guys need to find a way to do it when the dial gets turned up. They've faced very little adversity this year. The 4 game slide early on was a bit of a pressure cooker, but that's about it. I think the Buffalo blown lead, and Colorado blown 3 goal lead historically would have ended up in a loss, but they managed to battle their anxieties in-game and pulled out a W. So who knows. I think there is reasonable belief to think this group has mentally matured.

We all know this regular season success means jack shit. But that doesn't mean we can't get excited about this group. They are playing the best hockey they've ever played by a mile. Winning with ease, and playing the exact way you need to play to win the cup. I'm personally not going to rob myself of the enjoyment of this hockey by anticipating the inevitable let down.

Kyle has done an excellent job IMO. Far from perfect, but the good far outweighs the bad. By a mile

At the beginning of the season I said if the Leafs lose in the first round Dubas should be fired. I’ve changed my opinion on that and believe if the worst does happen he should still come back.

Some may disagree with me on this one but if they do lose in the first round or worse miss the playoffs Dubas needs to break up the core 4. I believe we can’t come back with the core 4 with another failure of a 1st round lose or worse. I’m good with Dubas being the guy to make that decision.

 

[ACC1224]

At the beginning of the season I said if the Leafs lose in the first round Dubas should be fired. I’ve changed my opinion on that and believe if the worst does happen he should still come back.

Some may disagree with me on this one but if they do lose in the first round or worse miss the playoffs Dubas needs to break up the core 4. I believe we can’t come back with the core 4 with another failure of a 1st round lose or worse. I’m good with Dubas being the guy to make that decision.

IMO, it's not so much if they lose but how they lose(if they do).

 

[Twine Tickler]

Underrated deal. Losing Brown hurts but getting out of the disaster of a contract was worth it.

A lot of people forget this very important detail. Kyle was gifted one of the most promising rosters in the NHL. It was an enviable position for sure. But Kyle wasn't some silver spooned punk that got the gig undeservedly. Kyle is maybe the only GM in the league who has worked his way from the ground up. Equipment Manager to OHL GM, to AHL GM, to NHL GM. Winning every step of the way.

People seem to forget some of the messes Kyle had to clean up immediately after taking over. Marleau, Zaitsev, Martin, and Babcock all come to mind.

There were some casualties in all of this clean-up, one of them being Connor Brown. It's unfortunate, but that's ultimately what had to happen to fix some of the messes he was left with.

Team is constantly improving despite the casualties, so it's really hard for me to shit on those decisions TBH

 

[Gary Nylund]

Honestly, If these guys continue to play the way they are playing until the end of the year, and somehow manage to f*** it up R1 of the playoffs, I don't even want to know what the hell will happen.

I've remained pretty firm on my stance that I feel like Dubas should remain as GM beyond this year. Even in the darkest of times. I think his ability to assemble a team is clearly there. His ability to improve our team through the draft has yet to show itself on the active roster (less Sandin), but I am very confident this will soon become the part of Kyle's legacy that is most notable. We have a bright future regardless of the outcome of this season. I'd much rather Kyle fix what potential mess is there after the season is over, because he has shown an ability to spot talent that is otherwise looked over.

I am confident that if he were to be given the opportunity to do so, he would move a core player in the event of another R1 collapse. Because regardless of doing it the right way for 82 games, these guys need to find a way to do it when the dial gets turned up. They've faced very little adversity this year. The 4 game slide early on was a bit of a pressure cooker, but that's about it. I think the Buffalo blown lead, and Colorado blown 3 goal lead historically would have ended up in a loss, but they managed to battle their anxieties in-game and pulled out a W. So who knows. I think there is reasonable belief to think this group has mentally matured.

We all know this regular season success means jack shit. But that doesn't mean we can't get excited about this group. They are playing the best hockey they've ever played by a mile. Winning with ease, and playing the exact way you need to play to win the cup. I'm personally not going to rob myself of the enjoyment of this hockey by anticipating the inevitable let down.

Kyle has done an excellent job IMO. Far from perfect, but the good far outweighs the bad. By a mile

I know right? The scary thing is that it's not hard to imagine us having to face a top 5 team in the 1st round and then we could easily lose despite playing a lot better than in previous playoffs and then .... anyhow I agree completely, no point in not enjoying the present because the present absolutely rocks. I mean it's only natural to think ahead and contemplate future possibilities (despite being attacked by our resident snowflakes) but at the same time, it's also probably best to not get obsessed with possible negative future outcomes. We could lose in round 1 but we could also face the toughest possible opponent in round 1 and give them a good thumping. But obviously best to win our division and have an easier match-up.

Anyhow great post, I agree with every word.

 

[Apex Predator]

IMO, it's not so much if they lose but how they lose(if they do).

If they lose some way like choking the series, getting swept or blown out in must win game I think it shows proof that the core mentally can’t win it in the playoffs.

 

[Twine Tickler]

At the beginning of the season I said if the Leafs lose in the first round Dubas should be fired. I’ve changed my opinion on that and believe if the worst does happen he should still come back.

Some may disagree with me on this one but if they do lose in the first round or worse miss the playoffs Dubas needs to break up the core 4. I believe we can’t come back with the core 4 with another failure of a 1st round lose or worse. I’m good with Dubas being the guy to make that decision.

100%

If a similar or greater disappointment occurs, and Kyle runs it back with the same core group, I think that's where my confidence in Dubas would start to waver. I just feel pretty confident that Kyle see's this team the exact way we do.

Walks like a duck, talks like a duck, ends up being a house cat.

He's done everything he can to make this current core group have playoff success. If it doesn't come this year, it's time to move on from the core. I think Kyle would likely agree on that, but who knows.

Hopefully it doesn't come to that

 

[ToneDog]

If they lose some way like choking the series, getting swept or blown out in must win game I think it shows proof that the core mentally can’t win it in the playoffs.

Dubas said he is betting his job on the core. If the core chokes in round #1, he should be gone and the new GM should decide who stays and who goes. If they were to lose to TB in round #1 as the Panthers/Isles lost to TB in last year's playoffs, the whole management team deserves to keep their jobs IMO.

 

[Twine Tickler]

I think this is the first time in god knows when that all 4 forward lines are absolutely humming.

We used to get such pedestrian shifts from our bottom 6, whereas now these guys are dictating the play. And they have been all year, even when the puck wasn't going in. I remember the hubbub around here when it was something like 10 straight goals from our core 4. All the while, our 3rd and 4th lines were playing the exact same way they are playing now. Puck is just going in now.

Still lots of hockey left, but if this continues I actually hope Kyle does nothing to impact our lineup, but rather add depth pieces in the event of injury. No major TDL moves. No one really deserves to come out of the lineup IMO, including Big Ritch.

Plus it would be nice to keep our 1st rounder this year. We could desperately use a higher profile Centreman in our prospect pool.

 

[zeke]

I think this is the first time in god knows when that all 4 forward lines are absolutely humming.

We used to get such pedestrian shifts from our bottom 6, whereas now these guys are dictating the play. And they have been all year, even when the puck wasn't going in. I remember the hubbub around here when it was something like 10 straight goals from our core 4. All the while, our 3rd and 4th lines were playing the exact same way they are playing now. Puck is just going in now.

Still lots of hockey left, but if this continues I actually hope Kyle does nothing to impact our lineup, but rather add depth pieces in the event of injury. No major TDL moves. No one really deserves to come out of the lineup IMO, including Big Ritch.

Plus it would be nice to keep our 1st rounder this year. We could desperately use a higher profile Centreman in our prospect pool.

all that being said, it's still amusing to me that the Leafs board convinced themselves that a Johnsson-Kerfoot-Kapanen 3rd line was a weakness on the team, not a strength.

 

[Twine Tickler]

all that being said, it's still amusing to me that the Leafs board convinced themselves that a Johnsson-Kerfoot-Kapanen 3rd line was a weakness on the team, not a strength.

Yup, We've had the personnel before. We just ran out of space to keep them. That group was also not mature enough to win in the way they are winning now. It's a shame.

The complete buy in that we are witnessing now is completely new. We saw flashes of it last year, but we we also had those games where it became a points night for the boys and they got away from the good habits because their skill would allow them to get away with it. I think you can see a major difference in how they defend those 2 goal leads now. Historically a 2 goal lead would have lead this group to open up, and press for that 3rd goal. Whereas now, we are quite comfortable nursing that 2 goal lead to the finish line. This team is playing less as individuals, and way more as a team. Far less neutral zone turnovers, and far more getting pucks in behind their D. It's the easiest formula to nursing a lead, and they are clearly starting to figure that out.

Winning is far more fun than potting 50 goals or 100+ pts

 

[Gary Nylund]

Winning is far more fun than potting 50 goals or 100+ pts

 

[Gary Nylund]

Rising up the standings was fun, now back down to 4th in the division and 9th overall. Good news is that the top 9 are still so tightly packed that things could change very quickly but it feels like the division race is going to be a dogfight until the very end.

 

[The Best Leafs Ever]

My god! Dubas has created such a strong team, every single of our depth players are giving their 300% for the $10 price tag. Gotta give some props to the guy!

Now only if our best players can give their 80% maybe, we can win .

 

[Gary Nylund]

My god! Dubas has created such a strong team, every single of our depth players are giving their 300% for the $10 price tag. Gotta give some props to the guy!

Now only if our best players can give their 80% maybe, we can win .

Not sure that's fair, out top guys haven't been so bad. I'm not sure how to grade Dubas really. On one hand, I like most of the moves he's made so that's good obviously, on the other hand, it's a strong team for sure but we're 7th overall which is where we've been treading water for a number of years now and have yet to have any playoff success. I could see this going deep this season and winning the cup this year or next for sure. But then, I could also see them losing in the 1st round again this year and next, then Dubas probably gets fired and it would be hard to say that's the wrong move because in the end it's the results that matter.

 

[ShaneFalco]

Not sure that's fair, out top guys haven't been so bad. I'm not sure how to grade Dubas really. On one hand, I like most of the moves he's made so that's good obviously, on the other hand, it's a strong team for sure but we're 7th overall which is where we've been treading water for a number of years now and have yet to have any playoff success. I could see this going deep this season and winning the cup this year or next for sure. But then, I could also see them losing in the 1st round again this year and next, then Dubas probably gets fired and it would be hard to say that's the wrong move because in the end it's the results that matter.

They're going to have a much tougher road in the playoffs this year. Totally blew the opportunities against CBJ and the Habs. However, we seem to have a better balance this year and some more toughness

 

[Gary Nylund]

They're going to have a much tougher road in the playoffs this year. Totally blew the opportunities against CBJ and the Habs. However, we seem to have a better balance this year and some more toughness

Yup, there's good and there's bad, as always.

Bad - totally blew it the last 2 years. Two years of wasted opportunities is a massive failure no matter how you slice it.
Good - looking better this year.
Bad - tough road once again in the playoffs, maybe the toughest road yet.

Last year we looked good pretty much all year until once again, the wheels came off at crunch time so it's hard to get too excited. Really hope things are different this time around.

 

[Apex Predator]

The team was not as good as there 15 and 2 stretch and they are not has bad as these 3 loses in 4 games stretch. I think some fatigue is in play for them. Dubas up to this point had done good with his signings. Mrazek coming back to give Campbell a rest will be good. End of day it’s what they do in the playoffs.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Not sure that's fair, out top guys haven't been so bad. I'm not sure how to grade Dubas really. On one hand, I like most of the moves he's made so that's good obviously, on the other hand, it's a strong team for sure but we're 7th overall which is where we've been treading water for a number of years now and have yet to have any playoff success. I could see this going deep this season and winning the cup this year or next for sure. But then, I could also see them losing in the 1st round again this year and next, then Dubas probably gets fired and it would be hard to say that's the wrong move because in the end it's the results that matter.

Dubas is getting fired this year if they don’t make a deep run in the playoffs.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Dubas is getting fired this year if they don’t make a deep run in the playoffs.

A definite possibility.

 

[The Podium]

Dubas is getting fired this year if they don’t make a deep run in the playoffs.

He may, he may not. I think if he does we will come to regret that decision.

 

[ACC1224]

Dubas is getting fired this year if they don’t make a deep run in the playoffs.

I'd be very surprised if that was the case.

 

[zeke]

Hall 23gms 5gls (2pp) 13pts (5pp)
Kase 25gms 8gls (1pp) 12pts (1pp)

Nick F 15gms 0gls (0pp) 4pts (0pp)
Nick R 28gms 1gls (0pp) 8pts (3pp)

 

[capfit9]

its clear Dubas wasted $6.3 million of cap space on two guys (Ritchie & Mrazek) this past off season but the worse part, its for multiple years on a team that's always strapped for cap space

 

[ShaneFalco]

Dubas is getting fired this year if they don’t make a deep run in the playoffs.

I think he will too, as he should be.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

its clear Dubas wasted $6.3 million of cap space on two guys (Ritchie & Mrazek) this past off season but the worse part, its for multiple years on a team that's always strapped for cap space

I imagine that getting out of those two deals though won't be too costly. Mrazek once he gets into some games will be a positive acquisition for a team this offseason looking to shore up their goaltending and will be a legitimate trade target, don't think we'd need to pay someone to take him. Ritchie however will probably cost a pick to go with him. I'm assuming that money they're taking up should go to Campbell on his next deal because hoo boy is Jack really making himself expensive with his play this season.