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With Kyle Dubas out as GM, the Maple Leafs have plunged into chaos and uncertainty

 With Kyle Dubas out as GM, the Maple Leafs have plunged into chaos and uncertainty

TORONTO – Sport 5 turned into still hours away.

The Maple Leafs had staved off elimination in Sport 4 and were jam to host the Panthers with hopes of holding their season alive again. Their GM, Kyle Dubas, had true watched an no longer fundamental morning skate at Scotiabank Enviornment and turned into headed reduction the entire trend down to the Leafs’ dwelling dressing room.

The vibes weren’t gargantuan.

“Even my man Jimmy’s gone detrimental,” Dubas said as he handed by, referring to indubitably one of the most ecstatic-creep-lucky safety guards.

Even Jimmy, evidently, didn’t mediate Dubas would return as Leafs GM. “Hope to rating out about you again in the end,” he urged Dubas.

Exactly one week later, Brendan Shanahan fired Dubas in his place of job at the crew’s word facility in Etobicoke.


In beautiful irregular vogue, Shanahan laid out his model of the occasions that led to that ideal-nonetheless-no longer-ideal resolution. His explanations didn’t precisely compute and left plenty of questions unanswered. (Shanahan took questions for lower than Quarter-hour.)

It left the impression of a company that willingly walked itself into chaos and gargantuan uncertainty at a time when Auston Matthews and William Nylander are every due for extensions, the organization has an Earth-shattering superstar alternate to present, main roster request marks to handle, and a brand new coach to be employed (or no longer).

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Most puzzling, still, and at the muse of the entire fiasco, is the Leafs’ resolution (turned into it possession? Became once it Shanahan? Every?) no longer to prolong Dubas’ contract in the first set up of abode final offseason.

As Shanahan himself said of any lame-duck space, “It’s no longer very best, indubitably.”

In instant: Would the Leafs contain fired Dubas on Friday had he been under contract already? The answer is kind of indubitably no. This leads you to shock why the Leafs determined to fireplace Dubas the least bit, especially after they were dedicated to bringing him reduction very best just a few days previously.

Shanahan said he approached Dubas final summer time and urged him he wouldn’t be receiving an extension.

“I attempted to reassure him that it wasn’t a reflection on his future with the club,” Shanahan said.

However what precisely turned into it a reflection of? The Leafs were coming off, literally, the perfect abnormal season in franchise history and had taken the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning to the brink in seven video games.

What else precisely did the Leafs must rating out about from their GM at that level? Became once it simply a topic of playoff success? Shanahan didn’t resolve the topic, which he declined to handle final tumble, on Friday.

The Leafs president, who effectively-known his 9-365 days anniversary with the crew in April, said Dubas had a “gargantuan” offseason that summer time of 2022.

“We had some hard selections to present,” he said, puny doubt referring, to amongst completely different things, the resolution to switch on from Jack Campbell. “I mediate Kyle did an very excellent job.”

Shanahan went on to reward Dubas’ performance all over an “very excellent abnormal season,” particularly his work at the alternate slash-off date, when he obtained, amongst others, Ryan O’Reilly, Luke Schenn, and Noel Acciari.

“As a topic of truth, I presumed that again, Kyle did an very excellent job,” Shanahan said.


(Nathan Denette / The Canadian Press by project of AP)

So very excellent that the Leafs were in renewing his contract. Again, Shanahan approached Dubas in his place of job, according to Shanahan’s retelling of occasions, and urged him that he had “seen adequate in my thoughts that I fundamental him to be our frequent supervisor going forward.”

This turned into mid-March, according to Shanahan.

However what precisely had he seen by that level that he hadn’t seen already? What had for depart modified about the Leafs? The assumption turned into continually that a Dubas extension turned into tied to postseason success. However then, evidently, it wasn’t despite every thing.

Dubas’ Leafs were, again, a extraordinarily true abnormal season crew. Simply treasure they were the season earlier than and the season earlier than that. Why were the Leafs willing to prolong Dubas’ contract in March if they weren’t in July, August, or September? Became once possession on board after they weren’t earlier than, and if that is so, why?

It doesn’t produce necessary sense.

Shanahan said he urged Dubas to plan shut into consideration the likelihood. If he turned into, finally, in extending, Shanahan defined, he would plan possession. He didn’t want Dubas tense about his contract when the playoffs rolled round. (However he turned into OK with Dubas having that concept in the help of his thoughts when he turned into tinkering with the crew all over the abnormal season?)

Per week later, Shanahan said Dubas had concept it over and fundamental to creep ahead with an extension. He pointed Shanahan throughout his agent.

By the discontinuance of the abnormal season, after what he said were true conversations with Dubas’ agent, Shanahan felt treasure they’d “beautiful necessary a accomplished deal that mirrored what he fundamental financially and what he fundamental as a frequent supervisor, what turned into vital to him.”

On that Friday evening, when the Leafs’ season resulted in Sport 5 in opposition to the Panthers, Shanahan said he again expressed to Dubas that “he had done a true job.”

They texted again on Sunday and according to Shanahan, perceived to be in settlement after one other in-particular person assembly. Shanahan presented what he said turned into a contract alongside the lines of the one he and Dubas’ agent had discussed.

“We talked about how, reasonably frankly, it’s laborious on all our families,” Shanahan said.

Dubas then acknowledged those realities, earnestly and emotionally, when he addressed the media on Monday afternoon. Dubas said he wasn’t depart if he even fundamental to realize as GM after a particularly “taxing” 365 days on him and his family. And it turned into then, Shanahan said, that his stare about bringing Dubas reduction as GM began to interchange.

He drove dwelling that evening and began to shock. However no longer to the level, evidently, that he turned into ready to switch on upright away. No, Shanahan turned into still intent on bringing Dubas reduction. The two met on Wednesday, according to Shanahan, and continued discussions.

“I had potentially extra questions than solutions, and I did no longer contain readability,” Shanahan said. “It further made me feel that there’s a solid likelihood…he would possibly perchance moreover no longer want to be the frequent supervisor of the Toronto Maple Leafs.”

No topic beginning the season with out a contract extension for his GM, it turned into very best then that Shanahan said he began envisioning what the Leafs would treasure with a completely different GM. In completely different words, the Leafs had no clear backup concept to that level.

Shanahan said he heard from Dubas’ agent on Thursday and turned into presented with what he said turned into a brand new “financial bundle.”

Extra money in completely different words.

It turned into true earlier than dinner, Shanahan said, that Dubas emailed to deliver he would treasure to realize. After some soul buying, on the heels of a disappointing season, he turned into dedicated to being the GM again.

“At that level, if I’m being true, I had gotten to a completely different set up of abode about how I felt about the trend forward for the Toronto Maple Leafs and what turned into easiest,” Shanahan said. “The electronic mail that I purchased from Kyle, I true felt in a completely different plan. And I felt that the long-time duration plan forward for the Maple Leafs would possibly perchance moreover must switch.”


Dubas in his early days with the Leafs. (Bernard Weil / Toronto Star by project of Getty Photos)

This implies it wasn’t Dubas’ job performance that concerned him and finally tag him his job. Moderately the opposite. Shanahan confused over and over how snug he turned into with the job Dubas had done. It’s why the Leafs were ready to commit to him earlier than the playoffs.

No, what evidently swayed them turned into Dubas’ instant, days-long reluctance to coming reduction. Despite the indisputable truth that the Leafs had left him dangling with out a contract all season, a moment of hesitation on his share led them to dramatically switch course and dive deep into the unknown.

Which frankly seems treasure an irregular plan of doing alternate, especially with all that pressing work ahead.

Door 1  turned into Dubas. The identified commodity. Any individual who had established relationships with the avid gamers and especially the celebrities, nonetheless moreover someone who seemed willing, sooner or later, to interchange course and more than seemingly switch on from a form of stars. Any individual who had constructed the Leafs up accurate into a excessive-functioning operation.

Door 2 turned into a broad request impress.

The Leafs selected Door 2 and the mammoth request impress, all because, it seems, Dubas hesitated.

That broad request impress will now be entrusted with convincing Matthews to protect by July 1, trading a form of stars, and presumably finding a brand new coach to interchange Dubas’ man, Sheldon Keefe. All in a topic of weeks. And since those choices are so massive, so franchise-altering, the Leafs will evidently see out someone with journey – which narrows the pool of candidates considerably to of us that’ve been GMs earlier than.

It is presumably no longer the perfect particular person for the job essentially then.

Does that mean that said particular person will attain a bigger job than Dubas would contain? Perhaps. Perhaps no longer. That particular person will seemingly be walking accurate into a company they’re entirely irregular with and can nonetheless contain to present a series of whoppers in a topic of weeks.

Not gargantuan!

The Leafs would possibly perchance moreover contain simply brought Dubas reduction to realize the work he began.

“To me, there’s an urgency to realize that,” Shanahan said of finding a brand new GM. “I don’t mediate it needs to be rushed. I want to for depart stammer, I’m no longer gonna attain it in a (rapid) plan. I want to be very considerate and thorough, nonetheless I attain mediate it’s miles a priority and it needs to happen reasonably quickly.”

Which sounds plenty treasure it “needs to be rushed.”

This is succesful of moreover must be rushed as a result of timing of all this. The timing would possibly perchance moreover were shunned had the Leafs simply prolonged Dubas final summer time.

Your entire operation Dubas constructed would possibly perchance moreover effectively attain down in the course of (Jason Spezza has already resigned), all because he hesitated.

And what now with Matthews? Will he want to commit to the Leafs with out vivid necessary about the following GM? Will he desire to wait and rating out about how things play out? And what then? The Leafs can’t presumably alternate Matthews, nonetheless what if he won’t label that extension?

Will the following GM, the one who doesn’t know Nylander or Mitch Marner effectively treasure Dubas did, the one who would possibly perchance moreover mediate the worst, will that particular person smartly produce a alternate that entails one or every? Will they label ludicrous contracts in free agency treasure some of Dubas’ predecessors did, including the one Dubas modified in 2018? Will they rent the upright coach if Keefe isn’t brought reduction?

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This resolution must solid an very excellent brighter highlight on Shanahan.

He’ll be hiring his third frequent supervisor in lower than 10 years. He pivoted to Dubas from Lou Lamoriello after three seasons and has now determined to interchange Dubas after 5. He wears the Leafs’ final failings bigger than somebody.

It turned into Shanahan who determined to rent a coach – Mike Babcock – earlier than he had a GM. It turned into Shanahan who brought in Brand Hunter to bustle the draft for the Leafs (which backfired). It turned into Shanahan who had Hunter and Dubas working the Leafs collectively when the Leafs still hadn’t employed that GM (Lamoriello).

It turned into Shanahan who purged the entire front place of job after the 2014-15 season.

It turned into Shanahan who plucked Dubas from Sault Ste. Marie. It turned into Shanahan overseeing the Leafs when he and Dubas sat collectively on a summer time day in 2018 to pronounce the signing of John Tavares. It turned into Shanahan responsible when the Leafs misplaced in the first round in the two seasons earlier than Dubas took over and the four that adopted after that.

It turned into Shanahan who modified the course of the Leafs when he promoted Dubas to GM. It’s Shanahan now leading the Leafs reduction into the unknown.

“We had a true relationship the entire 365 days,” Shanahan said of Dubas this past season.

However something clearly modified that day when Shanahan urged Dubas he wouldn’t be prolonged. In seasons outdated, the two watched the Leafs play alongside every other in a private box. That modified this season. Dubas regarded on from the clicking box for the first time alongside Spezza, Brandon Pridham, and varied individuals of the front place of job.

However no longer Shanahan.

“Kyle turned into instrumental in the set up this organization is at the brand new time,” Shanahan said. “I’ve obtained to mediate of, how will we gather the set up we want to creep in the end and what are the perfect ways for us to be better and what are new suggestions and new thoughts.”

And who would possibly perchance be the particular person leading that course of?

Exterior of Shanahan, that’s the broad unknown upright now, the unknown that Shanahan selected when Dubas hesitated.

(Top tell: Steve Russell / Toronto Star by project of Getty Photos)

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