The half-decennium of Kyle Dubas, because Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager from 2018 to 2023 was the determining era of the franchise that not every Leafs fan loves. In a candid conversation about the Cam and knitting podcastDubas revealed that he almost left the Leafs organization when he was in the race to become the general director of the Colorado Avalanche. Eventually he decided not to take the job because his mentor, Lou Lamoriello, convinced him to stay.
What could have been?
Dubas was the assistant -GM of Toronto at the time and was chased by Colorado. He said that he spoke with Lamoriello and was convinced that Dubas knew the selection of the Leafs from top to bottom – players for the operation of the organization – and that, market size and other things to stay aside to stay in Toronto, was the best. “Lou’s look at me at that moment was as if you know everyone here, you know the players, you know the ins and outs of it,” said Dubas. “So that was a big push for me to stay and do that.”
Dubas is polarized Maple Leafs GM
When Lamoriello resigned in 2018, Dubas was promoted to GM, and that was the stage for a series of deals that would reform the schedule of Toronto. Although he saw Lamoriello as a mentor – and still does – Dubas De Leafs quickly made his team.
Dubas made a few smaller movements, but his first big splash came on July 1, 2018, when he signed John Tavares for a seven -year -old contract, $ 77 million. Tavares was the shiny victory of that outdoor season, came over from the New York Islanders and left an angry fan base to join his hometown dream team. The issue for many was what Dubas paid to get him when it was demonstrably not necessary.
Almost Tavares was, his contract set a high benchmark for other star attackers such as Auston Matthews, William Nylyer and Mitch Marner, who contribute to the team’s salary cap. Many thought that the signing was unnecessary because Nazem Kadri already effectively fulfilled the second line of the center. Kadri was eventually traded in 2019, in a deal that turned out to be a premature step and a big loss for the organization.
On December 1, 2018, Nylyer signed a six-year contract of $ 45 million after a long-term hold-out. Initially seen as too much payment, because Nylyer had only shown potentially flashes, Dubas bet on his future improvement. Nylyer has since developed into a valuable player, but some claim the way Dubas has treated his holdout and set up a new marker for future negotiations was a mistake.
Between February and September 2019, the Maple Leafs Auston Matthews signed for a five-year-old AAV deal of five years, $ 11.64 million and Mitch Marner for a six-year AAV contract of $ 10.9 million. Just like the Nylander deal, these contracts paid more for potential instead of proven play -off success. Both players turned out to be stars, but each contract was missing maximum period and wore high average annual values, which allowed Matthews and Marner to reach free agency earlier than ideal.
On April 11, 2021, the Leafs exchanged three concept choices for Nick Foligno and Stefan Noesen. This trade is widely criticized as the worst under Dubas. Foligno contributed little, was an injury sensitive and the Leafs lost valuable choices, making it a regrettable and unpopular deal with fans.
The Leafs later exchanged Jared McCann to prevent him from lost Alex Kerfoot in the expansion design, but chose to protect Justin Holl. As a result, they lost McCann, who became one of the top players of Seattle.
Zach Hyman was the biggest mistake not to sign again. He flourished in Edmonton in addition to Connor McDavid, and the Leafs missed his top-six contributions to what is now seen as a price tag with a bargain.
What if Dubas Toronto had left in 2017?
There were good things that Dubas did while the GM in Toronto. It would be unfair to completely overlook them.
That said, if Kyle Dubas had accepted the Avalanche GM role in 2017, the Front Office and the selection of Toronto may have looked very different. It could be claimed that the changes might not have been as drastic as proposed, given that the Toronto Maple Leafs brendan Shanahan hired as a team resident on 11 April 2014. Many believe that he was the puppet master behind most, if not all, of the movements of Dubas. In addition, Dubas hinted to act Marner (or one of the Core Four) before he was relieved of his duties in May 2023. He demonstrably saw the mistake of his ways to hold for too long and was planning to make adjustments before he lost the chance.
Nevertheless, the movements of Dubas in Pittsburgh have also been investigated since taking over, and the pattern that pops up here is that he makes daring decisions that are not always wise. He undoubtedly made mistakes at the helm in Toronto.
It is an interesting “what if” question, and not just in Toronto. What would he have done in Colorado if he had been hired? The rebuilding of Colorado could have been accelerated with Dubas at the helm, whether they could falter and did not win the Stanley Cup in 2022.
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