As a results oriented person, would you then not see Lou's tenure as GM as being a failed term? What did the team accomplish during the playoffs during his years at the helm?
Come on, your shtick is growing old. You and I, as many here know, saw the Leafs exceed expectations, not win a round, fall back a little, and are now poised to either succeed with the core and compliments that are signed, or fail. Dubas is no more a failure (or success) after two years than Lou was after 3 years. The team is a work in progress. Each had their failures as GM, each had their successes. Hardly a difficult concept to digest, and if you're going to stick with your shtick, then you're simply being contrary for the fun of it. This year is important, yes. A win of a round or two, mmmm, what do we do to improve? A loss...do we tear things down? But, come on, you're constant bickering about a GM who is two years into his term with 1 playoff series loss to a Cup contender, is purposeful to a deceitful degree. Let's see what transpires if the playoffs proceed, and then consider the options, and then determine the GM's value should he need to redefine his agenda as the team's leader.
Lou took over a dumpster fire and got us in the playoffs quicker than anyone internally or externally expected. The 2017 team gave the Stanley Cup contender Washington Capitals all they could handle.
The 2018 team built on that and set a franchise record for points. They did lose in the playoffs to Boston, but they were still finding their playoff identity and were growing as a group. Lots of reason to be optimistic about the future at that point. For some unexplained reason Lou is canned.
Dubas took over for 2018-19, inherited amazing young players who were still getting better, and was gifted a #1 C in free agency (a rare occurrence in the modern NHL). He makes radical moves in net and other places and the team goes backward, including losing to Boston yet again in the playoffs. Through natural progression you would expect the team should be in the 2nd round.
In the meantime, Lou takes over another dumpster fire, one that was expected to be a bottom five team, makes some critical moves and they have a successful playoff run.
This past summer comes a series of moves by Dubas that drastically alters the team and manages to cost us high end picks and lose all cap flexibility we built up by having young stars. We remove arguably the best coach in a generation, and now we're a bubble playoff team fighting just to get into the dance and likely facing at best another 1st round exit.
So yeah, Lou accomplished a lot here. I just wish he was given the chance to finish the job and build out the team in his vision instead of turning it over to a kid who has no NHL success or experience.
Lou was essentially given one year to progress in the playoffs, he didn't, so he was removed.
Dubas took over and didn't get past the playoffs in year one, and likely won't pass the first round in year two. That's where Lou was fired. Now, it's not even fair to compare the two, because Dubas' started with a team coming off a franchise record in points and Lou started with a team in the basement. See the difference? Why should Dubas get 4-5 years when he's starting at the 50 yard line and Lou started by in his own end zone?
And what happens if Dubas doesn't even make the playoffs this year? Surely then he should be fired, no?
