The 3 worst moves by Kyle Dubas during his tenure as GM of the Leafs
With the Kyle Dubas ordeal in Toronto now forever in the rear-view mirror, we look back at some of the worst moves made by the now former general manager. Some might be shocked to learn that none of the John Tavares signing, Auston Matthews contract, or Mitch Marner contract are a part of this list but that's for 2 reasons: 1) There are a few moves he made that are increasingly worse and 2) Those contracts, as bad as they may seem, were done with the cap expected to rise.
There are a lot of moves and signings that Dubas was responsible for during his tenure in Toronto that turned the stomachs of those in Leafs Nation. Here are the 3 that come to mind that rank among the worst, plus one honourable mention.
1) The Nazem Kadri trade
Kadri had effectively run himself out of town with another suspension in the playoffs that played a large role in the Toronto Maple Leafs being ousted. In Game 2 of their first-round series against the Boston Bruins in 2019, Kadri cross-checked Jake DeBrusk in retaliation for a hit from DeBrusk that he took exception to. Kadri was suspended for the remainder of the series - a series the Leafs lost in 7 games. Kadri had done the same thing the year prior against the Bruins and was given a 3-game suspension for his hit on Tommy Wingels in another series the Leafs lost in 7.
The cons started to outweigh the pros and the Leafs decided to trade Kadri shortly thereafter to the Colorado Avalanche for Tyson Barrie, Alexander Kerfoot, and a 6th round pick in 2020. The Leafs also traded Calle Rosen and a 3rd round pick in 2020. Barrie was on an expiring contract and played himself out of Toronto with 39 points in 70 games and was a no-show in the playoffs. His defensive play was suspect at best, and he was not the type of player the Leafs needed on the back-end.
Three days after the trade, the Leafs signed Kerfoot to a 4-year deal worth $14 million and gave him a modified no-trade clause in his final season. He had a career-high 38 assists and 51 points in 2021-22 but for the most part was a disappointment. He played a lot of bottom-6 minutes, his versatility was good, being both a centre and a winger, but he never managed to make an imprint of the Leafs.
Kadri on the other hand scored 58 goals and 155 points in 178 games across 3 seasons with the Avalanche that included a Stanley Cup victory. He chipped in with 16 goals and 34 points in just 33 post-season games, which included a remarkable 18 points in 15 games in 2019-20 and another 15 points in 16 games en route to the Cup in 2021-22. Kadri's career-season led him straight into free agency where he inked a 7-year deal worth $49 million with the Calgary Flames. While the Flames were a mess from top to bottom, he still managed a respectable 24 goals and 56 points.
Barrie was a non-factor, Kerfoot was a disappointment, and Kadri became the player the Leafs envisioned he'd become when they drafted him 7th overall in 2009. He had shown that kind of promise in Toronto but his suspensions in the playoffs seemingly forced Dubas' hand. Still, the ex-Leafs GM didn't get enough for Kadri.
2) The Nick Foligno trade
This move is a true head-scratcher to this day and a move that never even made sense to begin with. At the trade deadline in 2021, the Leafs orchestrated a three-way trade with the Columbus Blue jackets and the San Jose Sharks. Toronto received Nick Foligno and Stefan Noesen, Columbus received Toronto's 2021 first round pick and 2022 fourth round pick while retaining salary, and San Jose received Toronto's 2021 fourth round pick for retaining 25% of his salary.
At the time of the deal, Foligno was 33-years-old, had just scored 7 goals and 16 points in 42 games for the Blue Jackets and was almost a former shell of his old self. His sand-paper, gritty, physical game was what the Leafs were looking for but there's no way anyone was coughing up a first round pick and 2 fourth round picks for the battered forward. His tenure in Toronto was short due to injuries as he was limited to 7 regular season games and 4 playoff games as the Leafs were ousted in the first round against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Jackets drafted Corson Ceulemans with the 25th overall pick but Carson Lambos was around, Zachary Dean, Olen Zellwegger, and Zachary L'Heureux as well. Asset management was not at the forefront of his mind when executing this deal. If this was the Foligno from 2014-15 when he scored 31 goals and 72 points or even the Foligno from 2016-17 when he scored 26 goals and 51 points, then maybe it could be justified. However, Dubas panicked with the deadline coming to a close and it cost the Leafs 3 draft picks.
3) The Jared McCann debacle
In July of 2021, the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired forward Jared McCann from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Filip Hallander and a 7th round pick in 2023. It was a deal that had many fans ecstatic and it didn't cost too much to acquire him since the Penguins weren't going to protect him in the Seattle expansion draft. However, Toronto surprisingly left him off their protected list too in an effort to protect Justin Holl.
The Leafs protected Jack Campbell, Jake Muzzin, Morgan Rielly, T.J. Brodie, Justin Holl, Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander. They opted for the 8 skaters and 1 goaltender protection format rather than the more popular 7-3-1 because they didn't want to lose Holl. They had hoped that maybe Seattle would pry Kerfoot but instead they took McCann and all the fans who rejoiced when the Leafs acquired the then-25-year-old, were quickly reminded why we can't have nice things in Toronto.
In his first season with the Kraken, McCann scored 27 goals and 50 points in 74 games and is coming off a 2022-23 season where he potted 40 goals and 70 points in 79 games. The former first round pick from 2014 has found his calling in Seattle and he couldn't be any happier. On the flip side, the Leafs protected Holl, who many have dubbed as a defensive liability, a pylon, and everything in between with his costly errors, gaffes, and sometimes mind-blowingly low hockey IQ.
An honourable mention to add to this list is the trade that sent Patrick Marleau to the Carolina Hurricanes that included a conditional 1st round pick and a 7th round pick for a 6th round pick. Marleau was in the final year of his contract that had a cap hit of $6.25 million and the Leafs needed every penny since they had just signed Auston Matthews and needed to sign Mitch Marner.
The Hurricanes took on the contract, bought it out almost immediately, and then used that first round pick to draft Seth Jarvis in the 2020 draft. The pick became the 13th overall selection after the Leafs' qualifying round playoff defeat to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jarvis scored 42 goals and 98 points in 58 games in Junior during his draft year, added 11 points in 9 AHL games in 2020-21, and now has 31 goals and 79 points in 150 NHL games and was just featured in the top-6 for the Canes in the Eastern Conference Finals - he also has 8 goals and 18 points in 29 post-season appearances.
Asset management was not at the forefront of any of these trades. The Leafs could've kept Kadri or at the very least acquired a better package than an offensive defenseman on an expiring contract and a middling forward. The Leafs did not have to dole out 3 precious draft picks including a first rounder for a battered veteran, nor did they have to protect Justin Holl over McCann, who had shown offensive promise and flash even before being acquired. The Marleau trade was a must but the price to pay was a little egregious considering it was an expiring deal and that it was common knowledge that he would be bought out immediately.
Dubas might've had a good trade deadline in 2023 but he also had some skeletons in his closet leading up to his dismissal. No general manager is a saint, everyone makes mistakes, but some of the deals backfired almost immediately. Perhaps the team will be better in the trade department with a new GM in place. It certainly can't get much worse.
| POLL | ||
MAI 25 | 739 ANSWERS The 3 worst moves by Kyle Dubas during his tenure as GM of the Leafs Which of these moves was Dubas' worst in Toronto? | ||
| The Kadri trade | 196 | 26.5 % |
| The Foligno deal | 163 | 22.1 % |
| Protecting Holl over McCann | 336 | 45.5 % |
| Other | 44 | 6 % |
| List of polls | ||
