Tribute Kyle Dubas discussion

[Stephen]

You picked up on something that I did as well. Kyle said he had regrets, but didn't provide much insight in to why he had those regrets. I wondered what his thinking was & the reason he said it. Oh well.

My only guess is he didn't like the experience of hard negotiations and subsequently has made it his business to just sign extensions quickly, like with Kapanen, Johnsson, Holl, Kerfoot and Engvall.

 

[PromisedLand]

It's been a while since I've talked about Dubas. So gotta keep the energy and movement gonig...

#FireDubas

 

[Dragao6]

You picked up on something that I did as well. Kyle said he had regrets, but didn't provide much insight in to why he had those regrets. I wondered what his thinking was & the reason he said it. Oh well.

Yes the the real problem, and I knew that right away is no matter how much I wanted tavares to come here, its tavares contract that lead the way to these overpayment. Nylanders was just dubas showing he eventually caves with extensions

 

[FraumBallard]

My only guess is he didn't like the experience of hard negotiations and subsequently has made it his business to just sign extensions quickly, like with Kapanen, Johnsson, Holl, Kerfoot and Engvall.

Yeah.
4 Mistakes.
Way to go Wonder Boy.

 

[kb]

Yes the the real problem, and I knew that right away is no matter how much I wanted tavares to come here, its tavares contract that lead the way to these overpayment. Nylanders was just dubas showing he eventually caves with extensions

Nylander caved, not Dubas. At 4:35 pm it was the Nylander camp that called him.

 

[Bomber0104]

It's been a while since I've talked about Dubas. So gotta keep the energy and movement gonig...

#FireDubas

Give it time and it will happen.

The team's done nothing but get worse under his watch after all.

And that's not setting the bar high or anything because it was a rebuilding team that he inherited.

 

[mapleleaf979]

Dubas was brought into any GM's dream situation.
1) A forward group as good as any in the NHL was a gift.
2)A good goalie tandem with Anderson and Mcelhinney
3) A weak defense.

So, 2 years on the job. He ruined 2) by taking a risk with Sparks, Hutchinson, etc etc
What has he done to fix 3)? Muzzin was a good move, Kadri for Barrie/Kerfoot was a major error.

Mix in the over payment of Tavares and Marner.

Dubas is failing as Leafs GM. He should have been focusing all along on 3). The Kadri trade had a major odour of desperation considering the return. I mean with Kadri u have to get a Dman back with term and a dman that fits the need of a defensive defenseman. Not another undersized, soft dman in Barrie.

 

[robertmac43]

This is one of the most even polls I have seen on here in a while

 

[stickty111]

Liked Dubas's answers on the Q&A.

 

[stickty111]

It seems like Dubas doesn't hide away from any criticism he gets. He accepts all blame that comes his away. You have to appreciate that. He even blames himself when something doesn't go right.

 

[Joey Hoser]

Nylanders was just dubas showing he eventually caves with extensions

The only thing that the Nylander negotiation showed was that a lot of Leafs fans don't know wtf they are talking about. Everyone else could see that Nylander would easily play up to his salary and low and behold, he can.

 

[4thline]

Dubas was brought into any GM's dream situation.
1) A forward group as good as any in the NHL was a gift.
2)A good goalie tandem with Anderson and Mcelhinney
3) A weak defense.

And if he were fired today the GM replacing would be brought into any GM's dream situation
1) A forward group as good as any in the NHL- now with contracts rather than an ELC time bomb
2) A good goalie tandem with Andersen and Campbell
3) A mediocre defense with a lot of room for internal growth (high end youngsters) and cap space to improve (pre global economic collapse

 

[BertCorbeau]

Mailbag Exclusive: Kyle Dubas answers questions from Leafs fans

Question: Kyle, thanks for doing this. Can you tell us how you’re handling self-isolation and the coronavirus pandemic? What advice might you offer others in keeping your head on straight while others might be losing theirs? — Kevin M.

Dubas: Hi Kevin. Though it is a massive change from normal routine for all of our people and everyone in the world, it is made easier by knowing the impact we can all make by social distancing and doing our part to slow and stop the spread of COVID-19.

We have found that creating a new daily routine while at home has been very helpful. We are fortunate in that we still have a lot on the go with regards to scouting, player development and other team matters, so there is a lot to do, just in a very different way. I do not think I am qualified to give advice on how others can maintain their focus and their well-being while social distancing, but I can pass along what experts in the area have shared with us: maintain a solid sleep schedule, read, stay in motion even if only inside your house or condo, eat as well as you can, use this time to catch up on anything you have left on the back burner, FaceTime and call those you love, check in on those you are worried about, and set a good example for as many people as you can.

—

Question: It is very well known you are a strong supporter of analytics. In your brief time as GM of the Maple Leafs, do you still feel this is the only way to go or have you opened your beliefs into sometimes veering away from analytics once in a while and just going with your gut feelings or qualitative instincts? Regardless, I wish you all the best and hope you can bring us to the promised land! Go Leafs GO! — Justin P.

Dubas: Justin, our view on analytics and data is that it serves to objectively inform all areas of our operation — scouting, player development, player contracts, coaching, tactics, etc. It has never been the only source of information that we use when making decisions with our program. We do understand why that narrative has taken hold but it is not really accurate. We are working to try to get us to the “promised land” that you mention, Justin! Thank you for your question and passion!

—

Question: I have to suspect that, in Toronto’s hockey crazy market, it’s sometimes difficult for you to maintain a healthy work/home balance. How do you effectively shut off your work when at home? Does it affect your home life? Has your wife ever become irritated with you at home because of your job? (e.g.: No hockey talk tonight!) — Todd C.

Dubas: My wife becomes irritated with me for mostly non-hockey reasons, Todd! My son and I are lucky because she is really what drives our family each day. Fortunately, the entire time we have been together I have worked in hockey and our relationship is just used to the way the day rolls and the amount of time that sometimes goes into the team. She does not get a reprieve from hockey when I am out of the house either, as our son loves hockey and the Leafs and has questions the entire day about the team and our players. That said, neither of us really view it as “work.” I feel very fortunate to be able to make a living in professional sports and especially for a team like the Maple Leafs.

—

Question: While it may be unfair to ask a “hindsight is 20/20” question, looking back over the period from the summer of 2018, are there any things you would’ve done differently? — Al M.

Dubas: I don’t think it is an unfair question at all, Al. I appreciate you asking in such a straightforward way. Looking back, I have said before and will say again that the way the William Nylander contract negotiation dragged is something I would like to have done differently for sure. That’s the one area where the process behind how the negotiation was executed was poor and that’s my fault. There are a lot of other things I would change or do differently, but the Nylander negotiation is the major area where I feel the most regret. As the years go on, there will be plenty of decisions which you will look back on and feel that I have made a poor choice. Please don’t let me off the hook! You win some, you learn some.

—

Question: Thanks for the opportunity to talk to Kyle. I guess my question for Kyle would revolve around the salary cap for next year. I can easily see a scenario where the cap takes a pretty significant hit. If the league is unable to come back and unable to award the Stanley Cup this year, there will be no gate revenues nor broadcast revenues to cushion the bottom line. How could the league deal with this, and how would the Leafs fare? Thanks. — Andrea

Dubas: That’s a question far above my pay grade, Andrea!! Whatever the economic landscape is, we will have to adapt and find a way to put the best team possible on the ice as we continue to grow toward our goal of being a perennial contender for the Stanley Cup. We have a long ways to go, but how we overcome the obstacles along the way will likely be the biggest determinant of whether we get there.

—

Question: Hello Kyle, thanks for doing this. Can you look us Leaf fans in the eye and explain your failure to properly address the inability of our current defensive corps to keep the puck out of our net? You are responsible for the current personnel, like Tyson Barrie. Sorry Kyle, Barrie is a bust — can’t defend, can’t score — and you gave up Nazem Kadri for Barrie. Bad trade! One need only to look at our goals against compared to the Bruins. As a season-ticket holder who pays for his tickets without corporate subsidy, our players have taken too many nights off and that is completely unacceptable. The buck stops with you! — Dan W.

Dubas: Hi Dan! First off, you’re right! The buck does stop with me and if our team doesn’t reach its potential, it is on me. Brendan Shanahan has entrusted me to lead our program on the hockey side, and our staff and players place their trust in me to lead us in the right direction. So in the end, any issues or failures fall on me, absolutely!

Your honesty and direct criticism are also appreciated (and I mean that sincerely). The passion of Leafs fans (similar to that of Greyhounds fans in the Soo during my time there) never lets us rest on our laurels. When they think we stink, they let us know directly. It keeps you moving and reminds you that this is not a position to be taken lightly as there are millions of fans who are trusting in you to get the job done.

That said, I will take this time to slightly disagree with some of your points.

1. Keeping the puck out of our net ... When Coach Keefe took over, we were 25th in the league in goals against per game (3.44). Since he took over, we have been in the middle of the NHL pack and cut our goals against to 3.04 per game. Is that where we ultimately aspire to be? No, we aspire to become as staunch defensively as the teams you mention (at about 2.5/game). Getting there revolves around one of the issues you allude to in your question — mindset. We have shown at times that we can really give an excellent defensive effort against some of the best offensive teams in hockey and then other nights leave our entire organization and fans feeling frustrated.

2. Tyson Barrie … Tyson is one of the top-scoring defencemen in the NHL over the last three seasons and since mid-November has been right around the top 10 in scoring among NHL defencemen. I don’t think we set Tyson up for success the way we could have but he has really stepped up at both ends of the ice, especially as players like Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin and Cody Ceci have been injured.

Thank you for the questions and for your direct criticism. Though we may disagree, I appreciate your constant support of the Leafs and will do all I can to make you proud, Dan.

—

Question: Thanks for doing this. Kevin’s reporting and Mailbag have become my portal to a lot of things to do with the Leafs. Strange days we are in and while keeping things in perspective, I miss the game more than I would have guessed. A question: With the benefit of some hindsight, has your position with the team been more or less intense than you originally anticipated? Thanks for what you do. — Doug

Dubas: Good question, Doug. It certainly has not been less intense. There have been so many unique experiences over the last 22 months between contracts, trades, staffing decisions, controversies, injuries, and now the coronavirus pandemic putting our season, rightfully, on hold. All of that said, we have a great staff who share their tremendous experience and help us ride the waves as they come.

One of my good friends asked the bolded. Pretty good question, particularly considering around this parts he gets name-called and overly criticized for building teams with advanced stats.

This answer should quash the idea that he only uses "spreadsheets" to build a team .. It won't, but it should.

 

[Menzinger]

My only guess is he didn't like the experience of hard negotiations and subsequently has made it his business to just sign extensions quickly, like with Kapanen, Johnsson, Holl, Kerfoot and Engvall.

I think from this (and things ive read elsewhere) thr length of the Nylander negotiations caught management off guard

 

[Menzinger]

One of my good friends asked the bolded. Pretty good question, particularly considering around this parts he gets name-called and overly criticized for building teams with advanced stats.

This answer should quash the idea that he only uses "spreadsheets" to build a team .. It won't, but it should.

Its always been a weird sticking point for some.

The man grew up at hockey rinks due to his family. Comes from a pretty traditional hockey Canada background but folks act like hes this total outsider.

Yeaj he likes advanced stats but so do a fair amount of older coaches and GMs in todays league so

 

[darrylsittler27]

Im Concerned about the future impact and the empty prospect pool.

 

[ACC1224]

One of my good friends asked the bolded. Pretty good question, particularly considering around this parts he gets name-called and overly criticized for building teams with advanced stats.

This answer should quash the idea that he only uses "spreadsheets" to build a team .. It won't, but it should.

Thought it was a pretty silly question. I don't believe anyone thought that stats were used exclusively.

 

[LeafingTheWay]

Thought it was a pretty silly question. I don't believe anyone thought that stats were used exclusively.

Look at twitter. There's a side of Leafs-twitter that solely believes he lives and dies by his excel sheets lol.

 

[ACC1224]

Look at twitter. There's a side of Leafs-twitter that solely believes he lives and dies by his excel sheets lol.

Looking at Twitter would be the first mistake.

 

[FlareKnight]

It seems like Dubas doesn't hide away from any criticism he gets. He accepts all blame that comes his away. You have to appreciate that. He even blames himself when something doesn't go right.

Definitely one of his strengths. Don't think he's all that great a GM, but at least he's incredibly eloquent. The takeaway any time he comes forward to talk about things is how well he communicates. Honestly, he'll probably be in good shape to go into politics or something down the road.

Just too bad he's the Leafs GM and not their PR guy. That he takes or responds to criticism is a nice bonus. But it really needs to come along with better results.

 

[kb]

Thought it was a pretty silly question. I don't believe anyone thought that stats were used exclusively.

You'd think that. But alas......

 

[Dragao6]

Nylander caved, not Dubas. At 4:35 pm it was the Nylander camp that called him.

Called him and got 7M...dubas had to get him less then pasternak, and specially when the guy calls u last minute u think u have advantage but dubas caved instead of threatening to let him sit unless he accepts the 6M contract.

 

[TheProspector]

And if he were fired today the GM replacing would be brought into any GM's dream situation
1) A forward group as good as any in the NHL- now with contracts rather than an ELC time bomb
2) A good goalie tandem with Andersen and Campbell
3) A mediocre defense with a lot of room for internal growth (high end youngsters) and cap space to improve (pre global economic collapse

Bingo. The team as a whole was always going to risk getting weaker as the ELC timebomb went off. He's managed to keep it together, and maximise the window.

Nobody would be whinging about Dubas if Andersen hadn't forgotten how to play goaltender for most of the season.

 

[Walshy7]

It seems like Dubas doesn't hide away from any criticism he gets. He accepts all blame that comes his away. You have to appreciate that. He even blames himself when something doesn't go right.

contrast that with Babcock who shifted all blame after the last playoffs

 

[TheProspector]

contrast that with Babcock who shifted all blame after the last playoffs

Babcock is a piece of shit.