Leafs GM may have turned down extension with team
According to former NHLer Nick Kypreos, we may have been looking at the negotiations between Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas and the team through the wrong lens. We've assumed this whole time that Dubas wants to stick around, but it's the Maple Leafs who are holding out until the playoffs end to make a decision. However, Kyper has mentioned that it could be the other way around.
As for a concrete offer being proposed to the 5-year general manager, Kypreos says he's not entirely sure if one was offered or not but if and when salary was discussed, Dubas probably brushed off Brendan Shanahan and company because they were nowhere near the same ballpark. In other words, Dubas may find himself more valuable than what Shanahan and MLSE believe.
Dubas' reign in Toronto has been a roller coaster ride and there seems to be a line in the sand on whether or not you like what he has done or not. The "big 4" are being paid handsomely and because of the stringent salary cap, it has been nearly impossible to maneuver around, yet somehow the analytical mind of Dubas has always found a way to bring in effective depth pieces to an otherwise expensive roster.
That in and of itself is why teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins are licking their chops right now because they need a modern and analytical approach on maintaining a contender, shedding unnecessary salary, and finding the right depth pieces to fit the puzzle. Kypreos mentioned how the Penguins' new ownership group is extremely pro-analytics and are willing to break the bank for Dubas' services, should they become available.
Knowing this and knowing what he has done for the Maple Leafs, Dubas can leverage that interest into a better offer. There will certainly be more teams out there outside of the Penguins who could use him and who would be willing to pay him what he believes he's worth. Kypreos likened his negotiations to how Mike Babcock used the Buffalo Sabres as a leverage tool to get the Leafs to up their offer, never actually wanting to go to Buffalo and playing them like a fiddle.
However Shanahan and MLSE also understand that a playoff series victory is necessary to keep him around, otherwise that would be 5 consecutive seasons at the helm that he has led a subpar team. The Leafs are 1 win away from advancing to the second round for the first time since 2003-04 and if Dubas and company can pull it off tonight in Game 5, he will carry most of the power heading into negotiations.
He's going to be a hot commodity and if there's even a lick of success to his name, the Maple Leafs will have a tough decision to make on whether or not they want to pay him an egregious amount to stick around for the long haul. First lets wait and see if the Maple Leafs can take down the Lightning before we get ahead of ourselves.
| POLL | ||
27 AVRIL | 1342 ANSWERS Leafs GM may have turned down extension with team Will Dubas be back with the Leafs next season? | ||
| Yes | 568 | 42.3 % |
| No | 353 | 26.3 % |
| I hope so | 260 | 19.4 % |
| I hope not | 161 | 12 % |
| List of polls | ||
