Kyle Dubas asked point blank about his dismissal in Toronto; his answer may surprise you
Heading into last summer, the focus in Toronto was not only on the impending contract extensions for Auston Matthews and William Nylander, but also the contract status of Kyle Dubas and what his potential extension might look like.
Well, when the dust settled at the end of May, Dubas found himself out of a job and the Leafs had hired ex-Flames GM Brad Treliving to replace him. The fallout was believed to have occurred over a late pivot from Dubas during negotiations where he demanded a little more than what President Brendan Shanahan and MLSE were comfortable with. There was also his very public comments about his future and whether or not he wanted to continue on as GM that may have rattled the cage a bit, especially because he was cautioned not to appear at the Leafs' season-ending presser due to his ongoing negotiations.
Prior to being let go, Dubas had said that the job was very hard on his family and that he'd speak with them before making a decision on whether or not he'd return as GM. He also mentioned that he wouldn't be popping up somewhere else in the weeks ahead of he didn't return as Leafs GM. As we all know, though, he didn't return as Leafs GM and did go back on his word, signing a multi-year deal in Pittsburgh to be the President of Hockey Ops and the interim GM.
This week, during the GM meetings in Florida, Dubas caught up with TSN/The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun to speak about his first season in charge in Pittsburgh. Towards the end of their time, LeBrun had asked the ex-Leafs GM why he hasn't yet spoken publicly about how his tenure in Toronto had ended. Dubas' answer was actually very thoughtful.
Dubas did suggest that he may do a tell-all interview at some point "deep in the future", where he reveals his side of the events that led up to his eventual dismissal, but for now, he's happy just focusing on the task at hand in Pittsburgh. The Leafs don't seem to be too concerned with his departure or living in the past as they prepare for what they hope will be a much longer playoff run under a new GM.
| POLL | ||
MARS 19 | 634 ANSWERS Kyle Dubas asked point blank about his dismissal in Toronto; his answer may surprise you Do you think Kyle Dubas is a good general manager? | ||
| No, not at all | 324 | 51.1 % |
| Yes and no. He needs to have some success first | 285 | 45 % |
| I think he's great | 25 | 3.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
