I don’t think this comes as a surprise to anyone, but the Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that they’ve named Kyle Dubas the 17th general manager in the franchise’s history. Dubas, who’s only 32 years of age, had been the Leafs’ assistant general manager under Lou Lamoriello since 2015.
Brendan Shanahan, President and Alternate Governor of the @MapleLeafs, announced today that Kyle Dubas has been named the 17th General Manager in the Club’s history. #TMLtalk
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) May 11, 2018
Dubas is the most recent individual from hockey’s statistical renaissance to take full control of an NHL team. A couple summers ago, John Chayka of the statistical analysis company known as “Stathletes” was named the general manager of the Arizona Coyotes at just 26 years of age.
He got his start in hockey with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL in which he was a scout during his time at Brock University studying Sports Management. After graduating, Dubas was promoted to general manager of the Greyhounds. He then joined the Leafs as a special consultant with a focus on improving the team through statistical analysis.
In 2015, Dubas was promoted to assistant general manager with the roles of managing player development, managing research and development, and overseeing the team’s top prospects with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.
This move appears to be one that the organization had planned for quite some time. When Dubas was hired by the organization years back, it seemed inevitable the whiz kid would eventually be given the keys to the whole thing. As Leafs fans will say, it’s all part of the Shanaplan in Toronto.
Dubas’ goal will now be to build around the assets the team has acquired over the past few years, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner, and bring the Stanley Cup to Toronto for the first time since 1967. It’s a massive task, but doing so would enshrine him as a hockey legend forever.
Is this the right move for the Leafs? Or is Dubas too young to take on such a high-pressure role in the world's wildest hockey market?
