A shocking, roller-coaster five days ended in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ search for a new general manager ahead of
what could be a watershed moment for the success-starved Original Six organization.
Shanahan, the team’s president, sacked his general manager on Friday, capping a rocky period that began with
Dubas publicly expressing Monday that he wasn’t sure he wanted to continue in the post.
The Leafs announced in a press release soon after 12 p.m. ET that the club was “parting ways” with the 37-year-old,
whose contract was slated to end on June 30 after five seasons in charge.
However, in a lengthy opening statement that lasted more than 11 minutes at a press conference three hours later,
Shanahan said he decided to hand Dubas his walking papers that morning after days of back-and-forth
communication that included contract discussions and at least one face-to-face meeting.
The ultimate decision to fire the GM came despite Dubas sending an email the night before suggesting his want to
stay on board — but with a higher compensation demand via his agent, according to Shanahan.
“At that point… I had gotten to a different place in terms of how I felt about the future,” he told reporters at
Scotiabank Arena Friday. “As difficult as it is to make a huge change to someone you care about, Kyle’s email made
me feel differently, and I realized that the Maple Leafs’ long-term future might have to change.
“Slept on that and woke up this morning, drove to Kyle’s office … and informed him that we were not going to be
renewing his contract.”
With Dubas the stunning first domino to fall in what is shaping up to be an intriguing few months in hockey’s biggest
market, attention now shifts to his replacement, as well as the status of head coach Sheldon Keefe and the future of
star forward Auston Matthews, both of whom have close ties to the now-departed GM.
The Leafs won a playoff series for the first time in over two decades this spring, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning
before falling to the Florida Panthers in a heartbreaking second round.
“Throughout the year, the way the team was managed, I had no issues,” said Shanahan, who fielded eight questions
from reporters in his first media appearance in a year. “Kyle did an excellent job.”
“When the season did end … I had expressed to Kyle that night that as disappointed as we all were, that I thought he
had done a good job,” he said.
Despite all of the adulation, the Leafs are still without a general manager and facing some seismic decisions.
