Is Dubas a bad GM?

[Not Canada Drai]

I think it's still too early to tell but so far he's been struggling. I would ASSUME that he has a long leash as he was groomed and is young but who knows in a hockey market like Toronto.

I still think the team is a lot better than their record.

 

[Neutral Hockey Fan]

How do you feel about the game before?

Or the 2 games before that?

 

[Neutral Hockey Fan]

Thankfully, Dubas was smart enough to not give into media pressure, and hang onto Barrie. Did exactly what he needed to do today.

I actually agree. Keeping Barrie makes it more likely the leafs can retain their first round pick this year. If they trade him and improve their team, the first round pick is as good as gone. Very diligent. Good call

 

[supsens]

he needs to toughen up and be harder on those players, demand more with confidence excuses blaming the last coach things like that wont work.
he needs to say comments like...if a couple guys don't start putting in the effort they will be driving the zamboni soon...and the old coach is gone the excuses are over the only thing left is to start changing players.
not.... they are young, its a no win, hopefully it all works out,good try guys lets go get a frapamapachino

 

[Cassano]

Keeping Barrie is a horrific move

 

[Rhaegar Targaryen]

I actually agree. Keeping Barrie makes it more likely the leafs can retain their first round pick this year. If they trade him say and improve their team, the first round pick is as good as gone. Very diligent. Good call

Either way they are giving up a first round pick, though. If it’s not this years it’s next years.

 

[Dache]

There is more to hockey than putting in work.

You cannot outwork your way to a Cup.

No but you can sure underwork your way to losing

 

[Dache]

Nothing wrong with what he said, dude is an adult running a hockey team not a frothing at the mouth message board dopamine addict that needs everything to be le epic life or death drama. If you're playing a high school game and the other team puts a 5 year old in goal it's gonna mess with you one way or another and you won't hear the end of it either way. They can easily put this behind them and win games the way they did in the days before.

A high school game is not professional sports.

 

[AvroArrow]

Keeping Barrie is a horrific move

Yup. I don't understand it. Literally a 7th round pick would've been better than nothing. He's walking at the end of the year (which may be a good thing) but you're getting nothing for him. This team obviously is not a contender this year, why keep a pending UFA you can't afford to re-sign ?

 

[Kuznetsnow]

A high school game is not professional sports.

Yeah good point human emotions no longer apply. Stupid blues and ducks canceling the game after Bouwmeester's heart attack aargh I can't even

 

[DS7]

He's a good GM with a talent for numbers but still raw and maybe a little over his head. Reputation and rapport among GMs and players is a great asset and i don't get the feeling he has that quite yet (thinking about Gillis and how it hamstrung him when it came to making deals)

Leafs should have retained Lou for one more year so Dubas could see how a veteran GM handles his players holding out on him as RFAs, and negotiate better deals with Tavares and Matthews.

 

[Dache]

Yeah good point human emotions no longer apply. Stupid blues and ducks canceling the game after Bouwmeester's heart attack aargh I can't even

What does that have to do with scoring on an emergency goalie? Holy hell man.

 

[Kranix]

He's a bad son to Shanny

 

[LeonDraisaitl]

Yeah good point human emotions no longer apply. Stupid blues and ducks canceling the game after Bouwmeester's heart attack aargh I can't even

I think you know the two situations aren’t at all comparable and you just want to argue.

 

[LeonDraisaitl]

The only way winning would look bad on the leafs is if they went overboard and scored like 15 goals with obnoxious celebrations. You shouldn’t lose a game purposely (if that’s what they did, personally I think they just sucked) because you are afraid to take advantage of another teams bad situation.

 

[YakDavid]

I think the quote about the Carolina game and about the trade deadline makes me really question him

 

[BondraTime]

Yes

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Yup. I don't understand it. Literally a 7th round pick would've been better than nothing. He's walking at the end of the year (which may be a good thing) but you're getting nothing for him. This team obviously is not a contender this year, why keep a pending UFA you can't afford to re-sign ?

trading their best right handed defenseman (by far) for a 7th would be incredibly stupid for a team in a playoff race

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Yup. I don't understand it. Literally a 7th round pick would've been better than nothing. He's walking at the end of the year (which may be a good thing) but you're getting nothing for him. This team obviously is not a contender this year, why keep a pending UFA you can't afford to re-sign ?

How often does in a team in a playoff spot sell its UFAs though?

Without getting into a debate about whether or not they're a contender this year, I think it's a difficult situation for a GM to sell off an important player when the team is still sitting in a playoff spot, regardless of whether the player has a long term future with the club. Especially when two regulars (Rielly and Ceci) are still out.

Most teams in that situation just bite the bullet and keep the player, see how far they can go, then let him walk on July 1st.

Plus, you never know. Two teams might be interested enough in Barrie that they want a shot at him before July 1st, and Toronto can trade his rights for a 3rd or something during that week prior to free agency where teams can talk numbers with pending UFAs.

 

[Martin Skoula]

He's a good GM with a talent for numbers but still raw and maybe a little over his head. Reputation and rapport among GMs and players is a great asset and i don't get the feeling he has that quite yet (thinking about Gillis and how it hamstrung him when it came to making deals)

Leafs should have retained Lou for one more year so Dubas could see how a veteran GM handles his players holding out on him as RFAs, and negotiate better deals with Tavares and Matthews.

Yeah Lou would have given them illegal 100 million dollar contracts and gotten fined a 1st.

The idea that Lou is anything but a garbage negotiator right now is complete fantasy, he's gotten dog walked on just about every deal he has signed this decade. He just paid a third liner 6x5, Matthews would have taken Lou and his son's lunch money.

 

[PWJunior]

How often does in a team in a playoff spot sell its UFAs though?

Without getting into a debate about whether or not they're a contender this year, I think it's a difficult situation for a GM to sell off an important player when the team is still sitting in a playoff spot, regardless of whether the player has a long term future with the club. Especially when two regulars (Rielly and Ceci) are still out.

Most teams in that situation just bite the bullet and keep the player, see how far they can go, then let him walk on July 1st.

Plus, you never know. Two teams might be interested enough in Barrie that they want a shot at him before July 1st, and Toronto can trade his rights for a 3rd or something during that week prior to free agency where teams can talk numbers with pending UFAs.

The tampering period has virtually eliminated the mid round pick for a player's rights before UFA...

 

[AvroArrow]

trading their best right handed defenseman (by far) for a 7th would be incredibly stupid for a team in a playoff race

Him being the best isn't saying much. Our RD is very weak and Barrie has been very bad defensively. Everyone knows what he provides on the PP, nobody is questioning that, but offense hasn't been the issue with this team, its been D.

I don't see the point in making the playoffs just to get slapped in 1 round

 

[c9777666]

I don't see the point in making the playoffs just to get slapped in 1 round

just get in and you have a puncher's chance.

Remember when Nashville was the last team to make it in a few years ago, 16th out of 16? They were supposed to get slapped by Chicago in round 1.

How did that turn out?

 

[AvroArrow]

just get in and you have a puncher's chance.

Remember when Nashville was the last team to make it in a few years ago, 16th out of 16? They were supposed to get slapped by Chicago in round 1.

How did that turn out?

Nashville had defense, we do not.

 

[Neutral Hockey Fan]

trading their best right handed defenseman (by far) for a 7th would be incredibly stupid for a team in a playoff race

the bolded should be seen as an absolute negative when talking about how dubass decided to build this team. If Barrie is your best (by far) right shot defenceman, your team has no hope of winning anything. I agree with you in general though, Dubas needs to be a lot better in order to justify having a job to start next season.