Kyle Dubas

[dirk41]

Dubas confirmed it to the media. He promised Nylander that he would NEVER be traded as long as he's the GM. I heard him say it myself on the radio.

He never said that. He said he did not “intend” to trade Nylander.

 

[Gary Nylund]

He never said that. He said he did not “intend” to trade Nylander.

I can assure you that my hearing works just fine. Believe what you like I guess, not sure why so many people are desperate to believe that this didn't happen.

 

[diceman934]

I created a thread something I rarely do and I ripped on Dubas as he had said far to many statement of absolute and this is the worse one yet. The man is an idiot and has proven him self not that good at his job. For a man who every one on here called smart he sure is stupid.

He needs to shut his pie hole and do his job. His start as a GM has been less than average. People give him credit for JT I do not as he was coming home. He made promises to JT that he will not be able to keep and it continues with promises to Nylander.

 

[Nithoniniel]

The message from Dubas has been consistent since taking office. He plans to keep the young forward core together, he intends to sign them all and build a long-term contender around them.

It's not just something he said to Willy at the end of the negotiations. It's been a consistent message to everyone.

That doesn't bother me personally, I think the likelihood of a good Nylander trade is low enough to not be worked up about that particular door closing, but I understand those that don't agree with the hard stance. But let's not pretend that Dubas doesn't really mean it, or intend to follow through.

 

[GoonieFace]

I created a thread something I rarely do and I ripped on Dubas as he had said far to many statement of absolute and this is the worse one yet. The man is an idiot and has proven him self not that good at his job. For a man who every one on here called smart he sure is stupid.

He needs to shut his pie hole and do his job. His start as a GM has been less than average. People give him credit for JT I do not as he was coming home. He made promises to JT that he will not be able to keep and it continues with promises to Nylander.

Does it really matter what he said? People say things all the time, he has no obligation to Nylander, he can trade him anytime. Nylander came out and said Dubas promised not to trade him, what do you expect Dubas to say at that point. Its all lip service and means nothing. Saying Dubas is stupid is childish and absurd.

 

[diceman934]

Dubas confirmed it to the media. He promised Nylander that he would NEVER be traded as long as he's the GM. I heard him say it myself on the radio.

Yes he did and like his other sound bite he is removing all doubt as to his lack of intelligence.

 

[Gary Nylund]

The message from Dubas has been consistent since taking office. He plans to keep the young forward core together, he intends to sign them all and build a long-term contender around them.

It's not just something he said to Willy at the end of the negotiations. It's been a consistent message to everyone.

That doesn't bother me personally, I think the likelihood of a good Nylander trade is low enough to not be worked up about that particular door closing, but I understand those that don't agree with the hard stance. But let's not pretend that Dubas doesn't really mean it, or intend to follow through.

I really hope he doesn't mean it myself and the possibility that he might mean it is quite scary. Intending to do whatever is one thing, handing out NTC's for free is another. Making this promise was a clear mistake, either he's bound to a promise he should have never made or his word means nothing any more once he breaks the promise which is obviously not a good thing. And the most absurd thing is that he promised not only to not trade him for the duration of this contract, but promised to NEVER trade him. That's just crazy and Dubas really needs to learn how to keep his mouth shut. JMHO.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Does it really matter what he said? People say things all the time, he has no obligation to Nylander, he can trade him anytime. Nylander came out and said Dubas promised not to trade him, what do you expect Dubas to say at that point. Its all lip service and means nothing. Saying Dubas is stupid is childish and absurd.

Does it matter what he said? Simple answer is yes, of course it does. Unless you don't think credibility matters?

I would stop short of calling Dubas stupid myself, I'll just say he did a stupid thing and hopefully he learns from it.

 

[Nithoniniel]

I really hope he doesn't mean it myself and the possibility that he might mean it is quite scary. Intending to do whatever is one thing, handing out NTC's for free is another. Making this promise was a clear mistake, either he's bound to a promise he should have never made or his word means nothing any more once he breaks the promise which is obviously not a good thing. And the most absurd thing is that he promised not only to not trade him for the duration of this contract, but promised to NEVER trade him. That's just crazy and Dubas really needs to learn how to keep his mouth shut. JMHO.

I know, and I understand your position. I just think it's a promise to do something that: 1) you rarely ever see done, 2) would be extremely unlikely to benefit us anyway. The track record for young forwards of that caliber being traded is both small and horrendous. But I understand why you wouldn't want him to make promises like that either way.

 

[Gary Nylund]

I know, and I understand your position. I just think it's a promise to do something that: 1) you rarely ever see done, 2) would be extremely unlikely to benefit us anyway. The track record for young forwards of that caliber being traded is both small and horrendous. But I understand why you wouldn't want him to make promises like that either way.

I agree that it rarely is a good idea to trade young forwards of that calibre. On the other hand, if a team was ever in a position where it may well be a good idea it's us. He may be only our 4th best forward and we're in need of defence etc. And even if he's a Leaf for the next 10 years, then he's not young anymore is he and that's what's just so over the top for me, promising to not trade him during this contract wasn't enough no, he had to go even further.

I get what you're saying too and you know I respect your views. We can argue about how big a mistake this was or wasn't, all I know for sure at this point is that it was a mistake, that much is clear. I've been super high on Dubas and I'm disappointed that he would make such a clear cut mistake so early on the job. It's a bit scary and I really hope he's not arrogant enough to not understand by now that it was a mistake.

What can I say. I hope Nylander plays like a demon in the playoffs, Liljegren is called up and plays well, Dermott excels and is an established top 4 by seasons end and Sandin plays lights out and is ready to step in next season. If all that happens then we're good, it's a lot to hope for though. There are a ton of scenarios far more likely IMO that will keep this promise Dubas made on the front burner for a long time to come.

 

[GoonieFace]

Does it matter what he said? Simple answer is yes, of course it does. Unless you don't think credibility matters?

I would stop short of calling Dubas stupid myself, I'll just say he did a stupid thing and hopefully he learns from it.

Credibility matters to a certain point, but in this case I don't think it applies. I mean, if the right deal came along he would be crazy not to trade him. This is a business, and sometimes things get said just to get said, I would be more disappointed if Dubas stuck to his word rather than getting a good return should a trade be offered.

 

[Matthews34]

A promise is only as important as the person it's promised to. Things change all the time. Maybe Willie is the one that wants to opt out on the promise and decides he wants to be the man on his own team at point Dubas' promise won't matter. Also the blowhard Burke has repeatedly told the story of him promising a player early in hiscareer he wouldn't trade him to get him signed only to trade the player a few days later. It didn't ruin his credibility.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Credibility matters to a certain point, but in this case I don't think it applies. I mean, if the right deal came along he would be crazy not to trade him. This is a business, and sometimes things get said just to get said, I would be more disappointed if Dubas stuck to his word rather than getting a good return should a trade be offered.

I agree. I fear though that Dubas won't want to break his promise. Not that he'll necessarily stick to it but I think it may be in the back of his mind that he'd just rather not trade him unless it's really super clear that it has to be done. It's all speculation of course as we can't possibly know what Dubas is thinking but it's a bit scary to think about. If the promise affects his thinking at all it's obviously not a good thing.

 

[egd27]

Does it matter what he said? Simple answer is yes, of course it does. Unless you don't think credibility matters?

I would stop short of calling Dubas stupid myself, I'll just say he did a stupid thing and hopefully he learns from it.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have used the words that I did. That being said, things change over time and where we were in December of 2018 is not where we are today. Given our present circumstances, we felt it was best for both the organization and the player that we make this move."

Simple.....and there are much better PR people out there than me.

 

[Mess]

Credibility matters to a certain point, but in this case I don't think it applies. I mean, if the right deal came along he would be crazy not to trade him. This is a business, and sometimes things get said just to get said, I would be more disappointed if Dubas stuck to his word rather than getting a good return should a trade be offered.

He painted himself into a tight corner now and a position of damned if he does or damned if he doesn't trade Nylander after publicly stating "as long as I'm GM, he doesn't intend to trade him".

You covered both sides of that dilemma quite well here, other than perhaps acknowledging that once he broke his word and would trade Nylander if the right trade came along as any good GM should, nobody would ever take Dubas at his word again. Not in contract talks with players or agents, not in the media or news conferences etc.

It was a rookie mistake to give Nylander a verbal NTC and then tell everyone that he did so, disclosing private behind close door discussions. The first thing Nylander did after signing his new deal was to tell everyone publicly what Dubas promised him, and locking that in permanently when Dubas was confronted and confirmed it.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Also the blowhard Burke has repeatedly told the story of him promising a player early in hiscareer he wouldn't trade him to get him signed only to trade the player a few days later. It didn't ruin his credibility.

I haven't heard the story, I'd be interested to know how comparable this was (my guess is that our situation has a much higher profile). What happened?

"Perhaps I shouldn't have used the words that I did. That being said, things change over time and where we were in December of 2018 is not where we are today. Given our present circumstances, we felt it was best for both the organization and the player that we make this move."

Simple.....and there are much better PR people out there than me.

Oh I agree, spinning isn't a problem, happens all the time. My only worry is that if Dubas wants to keep his word and that affects his thinking even just a little bit, that would be bad.

Just forget what you promised Kyle, pretend it never happened and if you trade him, we'll spin it when the time comes. That would be my advice.

 

[4thline]

"Perhaps I shouldn't have used the words that I did. That being said, things change over time and where we were in December of 2018 is not where we are today. Given our present circumstances, we felt it was best for both the organization and the player that we make this move."

Simple.....and there are much better PR people out there than me.

Bingo, this is the definition of making a mountain out of a molehill. With every passing month it becomes less of an issue. Problematic if the potential trade/no trade decision was this summer, but if he trades him after year 5 the only people that care will be shit disturbing media and fans.

 

[DarkKnight]

He never said that. He said he did not “intend” to trade Nylander.

Just to keep the chronology straight. Nylander came out and said Dubas promised him he would never be traded while he was GM. This comment created quite a stir. Kyle then addressed the media, and was visibly uncomfortable when asked, he then responded with the massaged language you've mentioned...or as I call it "damage control".

 

[Nineteen67]

Did Dubas ever say anything to the media or are we just hearing what Nylander heard ?

He did. He worded his statement rather awkwardly but in essence he said as long as he was GM his intention was not to trade him.

 

[Suntouchable13]

He did. He worded his statement rather awkwardly but in essence he said as long as he was GM his intention was not to trade him.

Which doesn't mean anything. If there is a deal today on Kyle's table that blows him away, Willy is packing his bags.

 

[Nineteen67]

Does it really matter what he said? People say things all the time, he has no obligation to Nylander, he can trade him anytime. Nylander came out and said Dubas promised not to trade him, what do you expect Dubas to say at that point. Its all lip service and means nothing. Saying Dubas is stupid is childish and absurd.

Inexperienced might be a better description. Don’t know about everyone but he’s helluva lot smarter than I was at his age.

 

[Nineteen67]

Which doesn't mean anything. If there is a deal today on Kyle's table that blows him away, Willy is packing his bags.

No doubt...at least I hope he would make the deal.

 

[zeke]

We really can't afford to trade Willy.

We have only 4 legit top-6 wingers.

We can expect our prospects to replace the likes of Marleau/Hyman/Brown, but we don't have the prospects to replace the likes of Marner/Willy/Kappy/Johnsson.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Bingo, this is the definition of making a mountain out of a molehill. With every passing month it becomes less of an issue. Problematic if the potential trade/no trade decision was this summer, but if he trades him after year 5 the only people that care will be **** disturbing media and fans.

I'd guess that if Nylander were traded between now and the end of his current contract, this summer would be the most likely time for it to happen.

 

[Gary Nylund]

We really can't afford to trade Willy.

We have only 4 legit top-6 wingers.

We can expect our prospects to replace the likes of Marleau/Hyman/Brown, but we don't have the prospects to replace the likes of Marner/Willy/Kappy/Johnsson.

Hyman is in a top 6 role so we don't have enough top 6 spots for all those guys anyway.