Maple leafs6/12/2023 ![]() ![]() At this past trade deadline, he targeted more competitive spirit with Ryan O’Reilly, Noel Acciari, Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty, and Luke Schenn. But he’s evolved over the years, continuing to tweak and tinker and address what his team was lacking in less tangible departments. Dubas is often regarded as just one thing - an analytical numbers guy. The other - Ilya Samsonov - managed to out-duel the best playoff goalie of this generation. One - Matt Murray - didn’t play a single second against the Lightning (or even dress). Last offseason, he gambled on two goalies. He held on even after the embarrassing loss to the Canadiens, when it would have been easy, understandable even, to pivot some way, somehow. He held onto Nylander, Marner, Matthews, Rielly, and Tavares - a core consuming a large chunk of a mostly static salary cap - longer than most GMs might have. “He probably, more than anybody, deserved to have this result, because he’s believed in the group - yet he’s made adjustments and changes along the way.”ĭubas’ faith in the core of the group is well established. “Kyle did an unbelievable job throughout the offseason and the trade deadline to put us in a position to succeed,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. His team has taken a step, just one, but a step no less when it mattered. Assuming he wants to stick around, Dubas’ future as GM should be secure. The implicit message was clear: His team needed some kind of result in the playoffs before the organization would commit to him in the future. Dubas entered the season without a contract beyond this season. With just this one series win, jobs were saved. That and the tremendous amount at stake for the franchise this spring. It’s one step closer to where we’re trying to get and it’s only going to get harder, and we recognize that, but this is a great moment for our group, for sure.”Īgain, one series win shouldn’t feel this consequential. “I think that just shows how hard it is to win and how competitive it is in this league. “Even last year it was so tight and we felt like we were really competed and did everything that we could to win and we still fell short,” Matthews said. That Dubas’ faith in the core of the group was misplaced. It was beginning to feel like maybe this group would never get over the hump. But still dropped a seven-game series to the Lightning. And just last year, of course, they were close. In 2021, they let a 3-1 series lead melt away in a seven-game loss to the Habs. In 2020, the Leafs were embarrassed by the Blue Jackets. They were underdogs again in 2018 and fell in seven to the Bruins. They were big-time underdogs in 2017 and lost in six close games to the Caps. But with every first-round failure for this particular group over the years, it was the one hurdle - the first hurdle - they could never get past en route to that much larger goal. ![]()
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