Kyle Dubas is new Leafs GM

[Frank E]

I think we may be grasping a bit at straws here in terms of digging up what Dubas thought of McCann 4 years ago coming out of the O.

His NHL numbers haven't been all that interesting, and he's been a healthy scratch lately.  I'm not all that excited.

 

[herman]

I think we may be grasping a bit at straws here in terms of digging up what Dubas thought of McCann 4 years ago coming out of the O.

His NHL numbers haven't been all that interesting, and he's been a healthy scratch lately.  I'm not all that excited.

That means he could be had on the cheap.

As noted in the article, he's Kapanen-aged, playing centre, and looks like he was thrown into the NHL a bit too early.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

McCann scored the same number of points as Brown this past season, he did it in 14 less games, and he's 2 years younger.

If the Panthers are actively shopping him, I'd at least look into it.

 

[herman]

https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2018/05/31/the-2017-18-toronto-marlies-the-team-that-kyle-dubas-built/

Some more dives into how Dubas builds teams.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/TorontoMarlies/status/1002618115006459904

Dubas talking! This is sort of about the Marlies, but really it's more of a state of the union.

Topics:
Marlies veterans and their role in the team's success, both in game results and player development;
Props to the Marlies team, the coaching staff, the dev group, the medical staff;
Talks a bit about the scouting group and the combine, and the information gathering process in general;
Quick hits about Pridham/Gilman towards the end.

 

[dappleganger]

Just a thought, no information behind this, does Shanahan hire Dubas instead of Hunter or keeping Lou because he can better control Kyle?

 

[Kin]

Just a thought, no information behind this, does Shanahan hire Dubas instead of Hunter or keeping Lou because he can better control Kyle?

Control him how? If Shanahan wanted more control over things, why wouldn't he just give himself those responsibilities?

 

[herman]

Just a thought, no information behind this, does Shanahan hire Dubas instead of Hunter or keeping Lou because he can better control Kyle?

If you look over everything that Shanahan has said these past couple of weeks re: Dubas, the answer is he judged that Dubas made better decisions conducive to the success of the franchise compared to the two departing fellows.

 

[herman]

One thing that stands out in how Dubas addresses the media, other than the general intelligence and thoughtfulness, is how he credits everyone involved by name as often as possible.

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

Shanny alluded to Dubas being on the right side of some important debates when he introduced him as the GM.

?Unfortunately, people aren?t privy to all of the information we have, nor do they really care to sit back and hear all of the different details of how you come to your decisions. But you make them based on things you see and things you learn.?

 

[Zee]

Just a thought, no information behind this, does Shanahan hire Dubas instead of Hunter or keeping Lou because he can better control Kyle?

I've never gotten the perception that Shanahan is some control freak. He seems to genuinely want what's best for the Leafs which would ultimately be that's best for him as well.

 

[Frank E]

Just a thought, no information behind this, does Shanahan hire Dubas instead of Hunter or keeping Lou because he can better control Kyle?

Control him how? If Shanahan wanted more control over things, why wouldn't he just give himself those responsibilities?

Well, really as far as we know, he may have a different job description for Dubas than he had for Lou...maybe a few more checks.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/scottcwheeler/status/1002960763164635136

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

https://twitter.com/scottcwheeler/status/1002960763164635136

Nice to hear.

 

[herman]

https://www.nhl.com/news/toronto-maple-leafs-gm-kyle-dubas-open-to-anything/c-298879168

From the time you were named GM, there has been a lot talk from the outside about you and coach Babcock potentially not being on the same page, whether it's because of a difference in age, philosophies, or just the fact how close to Lamoriello and Hunter he was. How do you respond to that?

"If you know Mike, people have a perception of him and how he operates and how he looks. Yes, he's very confident and sure of himself but he's very sure of himself because he goes out of his way to seek multiple opinions of others. So when he makes a decision or takes an action, it's not just what he wants to do, it's also aided by the opinions and insights of others. That's one of the interesting things. When people see the final product, they don't see the process someone goes through to form their opinion. I was previously on the staff where I saw firsthand him seeking the opinions of others. That's my interaction with him. He wants to have disagreements. He wants to have dissent. It's all to come to the end game of our process. I just laugh and find it comical that people want to spend their time worrying about that instead of getting more info on things that really matter. The proof will come in the team's record as we move forward."

$$$$$

 

[herman]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AzvqBwbHIQg

This is the Marlies locker clean out press availability for Dubas.

He talks about the Calder Cup win, the efforts of the staff and players, but the questions naturally gravitated towards the draft (Dubas? approach, and came just short of saying he had nothing to do with the 2016 and 2017 drafts), and team building going forward. He also touched on something I hoped would happen: that the early Leafs exit would afford the non-Marlies staff a long look at some of the internal options.

 

[Bullfrog]

My lord, he is so engaging. It's so refreshing to have a GM who's willing to speak candidly, while still not divulging sensitive information.

I really couldn't stand the Lou era. I'm so glad it's done.

 

[herman]

My lord, he is so engaging. It's so refreshing to have a GM who's willing to speak candidly, while still not divulging sensitive information.

I really couldn't stand the Lou era. I'm so glad it's done.

https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2018/06/18/kyle-dubas-on-approach-to-the-2018-draft-i-know-some-people-say-hes-only-a-trade-down-person-i-dont-know-how-that-got-to-that-point/

His answers are tinged with Lou-isms though. And overtly referenced at one point. I added the interjection that MLHS skipped over.

Have you made any firm decisions with your UFAs, to move on from any of them?

Dubas: Not necessarily firm. The door is always open. We are evaluating where things are at. They can start talking to teams on June 25. We?ll just take our time that we are afforded here and continue to stay in touch with their respective representations and roll from there.

Have there been many talks with those representatives?

Dubas: I?m not going to get into? You?ll never get that from me here, so I?m sorry.

Reporter: *sarcastically* Thanks, Lou.

Dubas: *laughs* I graduated from that school, so yeah.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2018/06/18/kyle-dubas-on-approach-to-the-2018-draft-i-know-some-people-say-hes-only-a-trade-down-person-i-dont-know-how-that-got-to-that-point/

His answers are tinged with Lou-isms though. And overtly referenced at one point.

I know this is a very easy question to answer but I feel like a lot of GMs still bumble it:

How much does positional need factor into a draft as opposed to just taking the Best Player Available?

Dubas: Position need, to me, zero. We want to find the best players and draft them and bring them in. We can sort that out through trades and waivers after. The more good players we can get in, the better.

 

[herman]

I feel the same way about the answer just before it.

What do you make of the idea that Kyle Dubas has to make a big splash in his first few months as Leafs GM?

Dubas: It doesn't affect me. We have to make good decisions. I don?t think I have to do anything big just to do so. I think that would be a disservice to the organization, frankly. It?s not about me. It?s about the players and the coaches. I don?t think there is any need for me to do anything that isn't right for the organization. If what people describe as a big splash happens to make our team a lot better, then we?ll do it, but it?s not something that is important to me, at all.