Dubar’s dominoes almost leave the leaves to do different GM jobs – Hockey Writer – Toronto Maple Leaf

Kyle Dubas’ fifty years as Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager from 2018 to 2023 were the era of franchise-not every Leafs fan will remember profound. In a candid conversation about CAM and Strick Podcast, Dubas revealed that he almost left the Leafs organization when he ran to become general manager of the Colorado Avalanche. Eventually, he decided not to take the job because his mentor, Lou Lamoriello, convinced him to stay.

What could it be?

Dubas was the assistant general manager of Toronto at the time and was hunted by Colorado. He said he spoke with Lamoriello and firmly believed that Dubas knew from top to bottom Leafs’ roster – players to organizations’ operations – and the market size and other things next to it that could stay in Toronto. “The way I thought of me at the time was like you knew everyone here, you knew the players, you knew the ins and outs of it,” Dubas said. “So it was a big push for me to do it and do it.”

Dubar becomes polarized maple leaf GM

When Lamoriello resigned in 2018, Dubas was promoted to GM, which laid the foundation for a series of deals that would reshape Toronto’s roster. Even though he saw Lamoriello as his mentor, and still so, Dubas quickly made Leafs his team.

Dubas took some smaller moves, but his first big splash was on July 1, 2018, when he signed John Tavares for a seven-year, $77 million contract. Tavares was a shiny offseason win, landing from the New York Islanders and leaving behind an angry fan base to join his hometown dream. The question for many is what Dubas pays without it.

Like Tavares, his contract sets high benchmarks for other star forwards such as Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner, contributing to the team’s salary cap struggle. Many people think that signing is unnecessary, especially because Nazem Kadri has effectively filled the second-tier central role. Kadri ended up trading in 2019, a deal that was premature moves and huge losses from the organization.

On December 1, 2018, Nylander signed a six-year, $45 million contract after a long-term retention. Dubas was initially seen as paid because Nelander only showed potential flashes and thus bet on his future progress. Nylander has since grown into a valuable player, but some think it is a mistake to Dubas handles his own way of retention and set a new mark for future negotiations.

Between February and September 2019, the Maple Leafs signed Auston Matthews to reach a five-year, $11.64 million AAV deal, and Mitch Marner reached a six-year, $10.9 million AAV contract. Like Nylander’s deals, these contracts pay more for potential rather than playoff success. Both players proved to be stars, but each contract lacks the highest tenure and has a high annual average value, allowing Matthews and Marner to reach free agents faster than ideal.

On April 11, 2021, Leafs traded three draft picks to Nick Foligno and Stefan Noesen. The trade has been widely criticized as Dubas’ worst trade. Foligno has made little contributions and is vulnerable to injury, and the Leafs have lost their valuable draft picks, making it a regrettable and unwelcome deal among fans.

Later, Leafs traded Jared McCann to avoid losing Alex Kerfoot in the expansion draft, but chose to protect Justin Holl. As a result, they lost McCann, who became one of Seattle’s top players.

Zach Hyman is the biggest mistake of not resigning. He thrived in Edmonton with Connor McDavid, and the Leafs missed his top six contributions on the now-deemed free agent price tag.

What if Dubas leaves Toronto in 2017?

Dubas did a good thing while at GM in Toronto. It is unfair to ignore them completely.

That said, if Kyle Dubas accepted the general manager role of Avalanche in 2017, the front desk and roster in Toronto might be very different. One might argue that given the Toronto Maple Leafs hired Brendan Shanahan as team president on April 11, 2014. In addition, Dubas hints at the trade Mana (or one of the core quad cores) before being removed from duty in May 2023. He could say that he saw the mistake of the way he persisted for too long and planned to adjust before losing his chances.

Still, Dubas’ move since taking over has also been scrutinized, and the pattern here is that it is not always wise to make bold decisions. There is no doubt that he made a mistake while he was at the helm in Toronto.

It raises an interesting “if” question, not just in Toronto. If he was hired, what would he do in Colorado? Colorado’s reconstruction could accelerate Dubas, or they could falter and not win the Stanley Cup in 2022.