Yes I agree. Management has failed.
If the leafs fail to do any damage with the players they have making the money they do, the leafs will come out of this era with a worse reputation (not unfairly like right now everyone making memes of the leafs), fans will get fed up and pick a new team.
I don't think management has failed, because the clock is still ticking so to speak, and the games not over.
I see this more as a lot of foresight discussion voicing displeasure of big contracts and signings that appear to put the Leafs into a tough spot to be Cup competitive.
However its retrospective 20/20 hindsight analysis that will determine success or failure for Dubas and the Leafs.
We don't know how this story ends yet.. Dubas might still come out of this looking like a genius and prove all his current doubters wrong. KD might still get the last laugh while some of us Leaf fans that questioned him will be left eating crow, while watching our Leafs parade down Young/Bloor St in celebration, but that onus is on him and team he built to start delivering on that return.
Even it takes an world wide pandemic anomaly assisted victory with a season that will be marked by numerous "**" astrics forever questioning the validity of the results, at least its still success regardless.