In the days following the shocking announcement that the Leafs had decided to part ways with now ex-GM Kyle Dubas, we have seen an enormous amount of different takes on the subject and whether or not the job that Dubas had done in Toronto was sufficient. Some fans were of the belief that Dubas could have and should have done more. Others understand what the vision for the team was and recognize that it's very difficult to win in the playoffs. One former NHL scout, however, has some serious egg on his face over a tweet that he had put out on Saturday relating to the Leafs, Kyle Dubas and his decision to draft Rodion Amirov at 15th overall in 2020.
Grant McCagg, a former NHL scout who currently covers the Montreal Canadiens, ended up entering a thread discussion on Twitter involving some of the questionable moves that Dubas had made during his tenure in Toronto. McCagg submitted that one issue that he had with Dubas was his questionable decision to draft Rodion Amirov over the likes of Kaiden Guhle and Braden Schneider in the 2020 draft with his 15th overall pick (which originally belonged to the Pittsburgh Penguins).
If you're wondering what drafting a winger has to do with defensemen who were available in the same range, buckle up my friends, because what came out next was both hilarious and embarrassing. After a Leafs fan kindly pointed out that Amirov is currently fighting for his life, battling a brain tumor, McCagg went on to dissect the moves that Dubas had made to address deficiencies, implying that a healthy Amirov would have actually helped the Leafs' D corps by now. There are two reasons why this is horrible; one is because McCagg is implying that the Leafs should have known that Amirov was about to be diagnosed with a brain tumor and the second is that Amirov is a winger - not a defenseman.
McCagg has been getting deep fried by fans for the better part of the last 19 hours because of this mess. Honestly, I get that a former NHL scout may not have much knowledge of recent draft classes, but my goodness - at least do the homework before you offer your opinion on another team's prospects.
