The Kyle Dubas era in Toronto has officially ended, with the general manager leaving the organization. The Toronto Maple Leafs had high hopes of making a great playoff run this year, and they won a playoff series for the first time in 20 years when they eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round.
But since, it’s been a tough couple of weeks, with a lot of speculations and changes in leading positions.
Kyle Dubas has left the general manager position, and nobody has understood why. Dubas was with the Toronto Maple Leafs for five years, and with his contract set to expire on June 30, it became clear last week that he’s not returning.
“I would like to thank Kyle for his unwavering dedication over these last nine seasons with the organization, including his last five as general manager,” Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said in a statement.
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There’s been a lot of speculations about what really caused the Maple Leafs to let go of Dubas, and now, NHL insider Drank Seravalli comes with some new reports about it. Seravalli said on Daily Faceoff’s The DFO Rundown that it was friction between Dubas and Shanahan that led to the decision.
Accordingly, Dubas made a push with Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment to get Shanahan out of hockey operations and decision-making. Dubas wanted full control and autonomy, but eventually, it ended with Dubas being let go.
”How else do you explain the reaction?” Seravalli said.
”Have you ever seen the detail, to that magnitude, laid out in front of you at a press conference? A pure timeline, and even including such things as ‘Kyle sent me an email and said he’d like to stay.’ Who sends an email to keep their job?”
”Working through all of it, I’ve been saying for months, if you listen to me, that there’s been friction between Brendan Shanahan and Kyle Dubas. And I’ve seen other reports trying to shit on that reporting and downplay it. It’s just the truth. It’s what’s been happening behind the scenes for months now.
”In fact, I think it goes back all the way to when Shanahan blocked Dubas from getting the Colorado Avalanche job back in 2017. This has been ongoing, it’s been festering, and Kyle Dubas felt like he had the goods to make a play for the job the way he wants to do it, with his own autonomy.
”When you come for the boss’s job, you’d better have the goods. And Dubas lost.”
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