Toronto Maple Leafs: Kyle Dubas Is the Best G.M. in the NHL

A good hockey team starts with good management and the Toronto Maple Leafs are fortunate to have the best General Manager in the NHL.

Kyle Dubas was named the 17th G.M. in Toronto Maple Leafs history in May, 2018 and is turning into the best executive the team has ever seen.

There has been a lot of criticism thrown at Dubas in two short years as G.M. Some of it is justified, but for the most part, it’s been pretty unfair.

Dubas is only in his second season as G.M., and if you look at his track record, it’s been very good.

His first task as G.M., was the 2018 NHL Entry Draft where he selected Rasmus Sandin with the 29th overall selection.

If you did a re-draft right now, Sandin would easily be a top-10 pick and could arguably be a top-five pick in a re-draft a few years from now. The 29th overall pick isn’t typically looked at as a player to make a huge difference, but Sandin is going to be a top-four defenseman with Toronto as early as the start of the 2020-21 season.

Dubas is the Best G.M. In Hockey

There have been a number of critics complaining about the contracts he gave out to Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares, but if you’re an NHL franchise, would you rather have those players signed for a couple bucks too much or not have them at all?

All four of those players are game-changers and are going to help the Leafs eventually win a Stanley Cup, and personally, I think they’re underpaid.

The Nylander contract is turning into one of the best in the NHL and Tavares was worth $11 million on the open-market, if not more.

Matthews deserves to be one of the highest paid players in the NHL because he’s going to win a ‘Rocket’ Richard trophy and possibly a Hart Trophy during the tenure of that contract and Marner is one of the most creative players in the league.

All four of those players are unbelievable and worth every cent Dubas paid them.

The NHL used to be so old-school and if players said anything besides “get pucks in deep” they would get into trouble, but Dubas has changed that mentality.

Not only are his players being featured in GQ and are able to showcase their personality, but Dubas is leading by example.

A few weeks ago, Dubas participated in a fun golf match with comedian Gerry Dee and TSN’s James Duthie and Jeff O’Neil.

Prior to and after winning the match, Dubas has continued to chirp his competitors and show off his personality. A lot of people looked at Dubas as this analytics guru who can only speak in numbers, but he’s very funny and down-to-earth.

Not only has he been very colorful with his jokes, but he’s always been someone to stand up in what he believes in and has presented very strong messages on behalf of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The NHL has usually been a league where not much gets said, but Dubas has been up front and vocal about making a difference in this world.

Whether it’s supporting Pride Month every June or being at the forefront of racial equality for Black Lives Matter, Dubas is a trendsetter for the NHL and someone who should be looked at as the perfect modern day General Manager.

There are a number of old hockey minds that don’t use their platform for good, where Dubas has always made sure to spread awareness with important issues where he can.

A good G.M. is someone who wins Stanley Cups and has a long career, but a great G.M, is someone who treats his players with respect and makes the world a better place, while also being successful on the ice.

Dubas has drafted well (Sandin, Robertson), signed great free agents (Tavares), found talent outside traditional avenues (Mikheyev, Lehtonen) and made great trades (Hyman, Muzzin, Kerfoot) as well as keeping his best player when no one thought he could.

On top of all this, he’s representing the league and working towards trying to change the toxic culture of hockey.

If you ask me, Dubas is not only a great G.M., but he’s an amazing individual and every Toronto Maple Leafs fan should be happy he’s their leader.