@@Toronto Maple Leafs

[Stephens] the rumblings that I’ve heard at least are that Fenway Sports Group is ready to put the full court press on Kyle Dubas if he leaves Toronto

  • April 14, 2023


[Stephens] the rumblings that I’ve heard at least are that Fenway Sports Group is ready to put the full court press on Kyle Dubas if he leaves Toronto

38 comments

  1. MLSE would be really dumb to let him walk after hes rebuilt the whole organization… he aint goin anywhere he just has the leverage now and MLSE are goin to have to match dollars from others. Noone can outbid MLSE. So hed have to choose to leave. Part of what i heard earlier was extension was already done this whole lame duck thing was PR for how last season ended. Only wau Dubas isnt GM is he walks

  2. Highly sought after GM is sought after. More at 5, and also 6, 7, 8, and at any time on the internet because the Leafs drive clicks.

  4. If MLSE wants to keep Dubas they’ll keep Dubas. This isn’t a situation of they could pry him from Toronto. Even if Pittsburgh offer him President of Hockey Ops if MLSE wants to keep him they will just add a couple more 0’s to his pay. Non-issue.

  5. i have no interest in seeing dubas leave but it would legit be hilarious if he did. very leaf like.

  6. We would be in rough shape of Dubas goes. If Pridham goes I don’t know if there is a GM that could save us.

    I want Dubas to stay, I would be interested in knowing what he wants if he wants to go. What part of the Leafs or being a GM assuming he is looking for a promotion does he not like?

  7. For what it’s worth Elliot Friedman just said on a radio show he thinks Dubas will remain in Toronto. Playoff failures aside the Leafs have had one of their best streches of regular seasons under him ever in franchise history. Like a comment I read on Twitter you don’t just luck into yearly 100 point plus seasons.

  8. Idk what other GM vacancies we can expect around the NHL this summer but Kyle would have his pick of any of them. Any team would love to hire him.

  10. Honestly, my stance on Dubas has kind of loosened.

    Beginning of the year, I thought he needs to go if it’s another round 1 exit.

    At the same time I thought, what exactly would I have done differently about the core of this team?

    Would I still have drafted Matthews? Yup. Would I have let Marner or Nylander walk when their deals were up? Nope. Would I have signed JT to the same deal? Yup.

    The players have failed to do the job, but nobody could have predicted that. And you can’t criticize with the benefit of hindsight, unless you can seriously sit here and tell me you’d have gone an entirely different direction.

    Dubas has done an incredible job of finding value players, trades that just seem like we’re absolutely fleecing the other team. Like look at the McCabe deal, we somehow have him 50% retained for several years? And some deals didn’t work out, but I remember the day the Leafs traded Kadri, I thought it was fucking genius. You turned Kadri into a cheaper, younger center, who had virtually the same year statistically that Kadri had AND 60 point D man. That’s insane.

    Nothing has paid dividends of yet, but removing the benefit of hindsight, there isn’t much about what Dubas has done that I wouldn’t have. The two major things for me, I still think Marner got too much money based on his comparable AT THE TIME, and I think Ottawa needed to retain more on Murray. Oh, I also hated the Mrazek deal from the moment I saw it. I thought it was a lose-lose, and the only scenario it worked out would be if Campbell was terrible, and Mrazek emerged as a #1. Which is viewed as, if plan to fail, you will.

    But also, look at the Leafs playoff losses. The Capitals one, sure. Expected. Bruins, took them to 7, veteran team, it’s acceptable. Next year, Bruins again, took them to 7, lost to a SCF team. Blue Jackets, they should have had it, but to be fair, both teams had the same point%, Columbus was very strong defensively, 2nd best in the entire league. Montreal? Should have had it, but I mean again, Montreal went to the SCF, hate it all we want, Montreal was doing something right. Then again, caught an L to the 2 time defending champions… all of these series went the distance except Washington.

    If the Leafs fail in round 1, to me that is the sign major player change is required. And I still think I want Dubas doing that.

  14. If Dubas gets run out of town by the dinosaur brains… Leafs deserve what they get.

  15. I just don’t see how we can get rid of him at this point. He’s shown this year more than anything that *he gets it* and is committed to learning and adapting. His deadline was his final exam and I can’t find a single person who’s not on board with this roster. One big step back imo if we let dubas go.

  16. Dubas has done basically all he can, its up to the players and coach.

    I like Keefe, but IF any changes are to be made, he should go first.

  17. I really don’t want to lose Dubas. He hasn’t been perfect, but he has made mostly good signings, draft history is excellent, consistently learns from his mistakes for the most part, is progressive, has pulled off some absolute magic, and has surrounded the core with an even better rounded team year over year. I understand I may be wrong, and know the playoff success hasn’t been there, but I’d like Dubas to see it through.

  18. OK let’s be clear for all of the idiots in this sub MLSE generates more revenue than any other NHL owner.In hockey. No other ownership group in hockey will be able to outbid MLSE for hockey personnel if you want to argue that fedway group. Somehow would take money from other assets and pay more to pay Dubassl but M LSE couldn’t do that then you’re just as dumb as everybody else commenting on this thread MLSE cannot /will not be outbid for hockey personnel especially their own. Everything elsr is a waste of breath. His salary will be peanuts to mlse

    If dubas wants out thats only way mlse loses him

  19. I think the only reason he has not resigned is they don’t know how much to pay him. That will come down to how well the leafs do in the post season.

  20. It’s always the Leafs, every time without fail, best way to get media involved and hits to your articles just mention the Leafs. People are so gullible

  22. Ok, and if we lose in the first round again I’ll pay for his flight out of here.

  25. Save this comment, whatever. For those that want Dubas out, regardless of how we do in the first round, there is a certain … “common sense” aspect to him THAT THIS TEAM WILL MISS. Money towards cap: only on pretty surefire top 6. No bottom 6 making anything that will hurt us long term. Besides the 44 contract, which, even to me is one of his biggest mistakes, isn’t that bad considering the market, even if I’d rather have kept Sandin instead of him going forward. What’s done is done there.

    Some of yall might not have been around for anything after Quinn and before Shanny came in. DISASTERS. Everywhere. Burke (who did make some ridiculously good trades) and Nonis spent money all over the place to the wrong people. Some of you are forgetting what cap mismanagement looks like and how much it stings. We were lucky Ottawa took all of Dion, but eating that million for Kessel for what felt like forever? Oof.

    Sometimes it feels like he misjudges what aspect of the team to help out (ie skill vs physicality), but he learns from his mistakes and most of his trades have been pretty solid. Could also argue that he has kept the core together for too long based on results, but man, how do you split that group up when they are making what they are making and come out a better team? People wanted results asap, and it didn’t happen, and the core got shit on. Imagine the Caps giving up on Carlson, Ovi, and Backstrom after 4 or 5 years. Not to mention the fucking division we play in that constantly houses 2 or 3 teams in the top 6 of the entire league since the Shanaplan.

    For the haters, be careful what you wish for re Dubas. There is a reason he would be snatched up in a millisecond if he were free. Think about that. He WILL be hard to replace.

  26. I think Dubas wants to see things through with this core before leaving. Of course MLSE has to want him to stay as well. Not sure why they wouldn’t but we aren’t privy to what goes on behind the scenes.

  28. I know this is a dumb take but if we somehow lost Dubas I think that would be just about the biggest blow possible to our franchise.

  29. It’s on the players at this point. Dubas has insulated them with great bottom six players and a revamped D. Just look at the defence we had for the 2016-2020 playoffs.

    I think if they let him go I’d almost be done with the team because it means they don’t think rationally or logically.

  30. Dubas will be here. Has one more bullet and that is probably the trade regarding Nylander. Similar to masai and the derozan trade.

  31. As far as I’m concerned we should be treating Dubas the way Nashville treated Poile. There’s no reason he shouldn’t be around here for a long, long time.

    He’s shown that he has all the tools to build for both the short and long term, and stable management is something this team hasn’t had for 40+ years. We’d be idiots to make a reactionary change.

  32. the thought of dubas or keefe leaving toronto is absolutely terrifying and they need to be retained, whatever the cost

  33. How is this kind of trash allowed? This is league is a fucking joke in so many ways.

  35. The guys assembled the best maple leaf team I’ve ever witnessed. Sorry Fenway, but you won’t pay like the leafs can.

  37. I don’t think Dubas leaves, nor do I think MLSE lets him walk.

    Letting Dubas go, IMO, would be the second biggest mistake this franchise ever made (second only to Conn Smythe stepping down and selling part ownership to Ballard – or, depending on how what you believe went down, Stafford bringing on Ballard with Bassett as partners).

    Dubas isn’t perfect. He’s made some mistakes, some 20/20 hindsight, some that were apparent at the time in terms of contract value and trades that could be questioned.

    But no question in my mind overall he has put this team in way better position to succeed. He makes proactive moves and plays a step ahead, built a culture that respects players, and our success recently lies a lot on his shoulders.

  38. I think this has less to do about money and more to do with the fact that he hasn’t as far as we know been offered a contract for next year. This may become a personal issue more than a financial one.

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