Editor In Leaf
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It’s Past Time for the Toronto Maple Leafs to Promote Dubas

By James Tanner

Jun 30, 2013; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello speaks on the phone during the 2013 NHL Draft at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 30, 2013; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello speaks on the phone during the 2013 NHL Draft at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports /
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Toronto Maple Leafs assistant general manager Kyle Dubas is staying put.

There was quite a lot of angst among Toronto Maple Leafs fans this week when Elliotte Friedman revealed that Kyle Dubas was given permission to speak with the Avalanche about a job.

Friedman updated last night to say that that had already happened, been explored and that Dubas was saying.  We are relieved.

Dubas is a well-spoken, bright, up and coming future GM and we want him for ourselves.  The idea (assumption?) is that he’ll replace Lou Lamoriello eventually (or that he already should have).

Hearing that he was allowed to pursue other work was disappointing. Obviously the Toronto Maple Leafs don’t want to restrict him from advancing but to the people trotting that crap out, consider this:  if you don’t want to prevent him from advancing, and you don’t want to make him bitter, all you have to do is offer him a job, or promise him one in the future.

In a league where at least two/thirds of the GMs are actively terrible at their jobs, having a good one is as good as having a super-star player.  Kyle Dubas is like the Auston Matthews of management – we know he’s going to be good, just not how good.  You don’t let that get away.

And apparently they won’t. In his report, Friedman said that the Leafs originally gave permission and then retracted it.  Perhaps they realized how dumb it was and thought better of it.

You know, maybe they realized that when your current GM is 106, it doesn’t make any sense to let his protegé walk.

Dubas Should Already be GM

The Toronto Maple Leafs should just go ahead and name Kyle Dubas the GM right now.   When Lamoriello was hired, the rebuild was already in full effect.  If anything, Lamoriello leads the Leafs down a dumb path of Matt Martin contracts and old-school thinking.  I’m not saying he’s closed minded, I just don’t know.

It appears to me that the Leafs were going heavily towards an analytics direction when Shanahan and Dubas first got here and that they’ve since pulled back.  I want to see the Leafs on the cutting edge and not engaged in dumb practices like drafting for size, signing checkers and employing old-school “defensive” defenseman.  (Note defenseman who are actually good at defense are fine).

In the end, it’s good the Leafs are keeping Dubas.

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But it’s past time to promote him.  The Phil Kessel trade turns out to have been a stroke of genius and Dubas is widely considered to have put that together.   It’s maybe the best trade anyone has made in the NHL in years.

Freddie Andersen, Auston Matthews, Kasperi Kapanen and Kerby Rychel are all Leafs because of that trade.

So let’s promote the architect already.

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