A look at the incredible facelift Kyle Dubas has given the Leafs on defense over the last 5 years

When Dubas took over as Leafs GM, the D pairings were:

Rielly-Hainsey
Gardiner-Zaitsev
Dermott-Polak

That's a bleak look for a team with aspirations of deep runs into the playoffs. Since then, Dubas has worked tirelessly to improve the blue line, as well as other areas of the roster. He acquired Jake Muzzin via trade, signed T.J. Brodie, bolstering the blueline, but his efforts were foiled by Muzzin's numerous injuries. He's found a few temporary stand-ins, like Tyson Barrie, Cody Ceci and Ilya Lyubushkin, who had varied success in the blue and white, but now he's finally put together a seriously strong D corps.

Yesterday, he finally managed to acquire a suitable replacement for Muzzin in 29-year-old Jake McCabe. It should also be acknowledged that McCabe will cost just over 1/3rd of what Muzzin did against the cap for this season and two more. Even after losing a true playoff warrior and a Stanley Cup Champion to injury, Dubas has managed to turn Lou Lamoriello's horrendous D corps into:

Rielly-Brodie
McCabe-Liljegren
Giordano-Holl
Sandin-Timmins
Benn

That's just this season. For next year, Rielly, Brodie, McCabe, Giordano, Sandin, Liljegren and Timmins are all already under contract. The 5 defensemen not named Rielly or Brodie are signed for a combined $6.85M against the cap. That is outstanding value, and a very underrated part of Kyle Dubas' work as GM. Not only has he re-built the Leafs D corps, he's managed to completely replace the Leafs goaltending while still managing to add significant pieces to the forward group. Dubas deserves an extension, and if he doesn't get it, there will be teams lined up around the block to make their pitch for his services.