Kyle Dubas not returning as Maple Leafs general manager

Kyle Dubas will not return as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team announced on Friday.

Dubas, 37, was in the final year of his contract, which was set to expire on June 30, 2023.

He’s been with the Leafs’ organization since 2014 when he was hired as a sought-after, up-and-coming executive with the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Dubas had been Toronto’s general manager since May 2018, when he replaced long-time executive Lou Lamoriello.

“I would like to thank Kyle for his unwavering dedication over these last nine seasons with the organization, including his last five as General Manager,” said Brendan Shanahan, the team’s President and Alternate Governor.

The club has decided to part ways with General Manager Kyle Dubas

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) May 19, 2023

“Kyle fostered a great culture within our dressing room and staff and consistently pushed to make our team better season over season. We wish Kyle and his family the best moving forward and thank him for his valuable contributions.”

It’s unclear who will replace Dubas as Toronto’s general manager. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report on the news.

Friedman told Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek that Dubas and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) were negotiating a contract extension in recent days but talks fell apart.

Shanahan addressed the media at 3 p.m. on Friday and said that there was mutual interest in Dubas returning to Toronto as general manager but certain factors led to a shift in thinking.

“On Sunday, we had a good conversation, [and] I presented him with what I thought was a framework that reflected what his agent and I had talked to and a good finishing place in the effort to get this done as soon as possible,” Shanahan said.

Shanahan said Dubas’ agent returned with a different financial package on Thursday and that the 37-year-old told him he wanted to return to lead Toronto’s front office. Shanahan said he was “in a different place” and felt that the long-term direction of the team had to change.

Dubas was informed on Friday by Shanahan that the Leafs would not renew his contract.

Dubas’ tenure in Toronto a bright spot despite playoff struggles

Dubas addressed the media on Monday and alluded to his family’s struggles during the tumultuous season in Toronto.

“It’s been a very taxing year on them. And that’s obviously very important to me,” said Dubas. “My family is a hugely important part of what I do. So, for me to commit to anything without having a fuller understanding of what this year took on them, it’s probably unfair for me to answer where I’m at. I wish I could give you more. But we haven’t been able to have those full discussions yet. But it was a very hard year on them.”

Brendan Shanahan admits that there was a shift in his thinking after watching Kyle Dubas’s media conference last Monday. Prior to that, the two were working on an extension.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 19, 2023

Dubas told reporters he didn’t intend on joining another team’s front office should he be asked.

“I definitely don’t have it in me to go anywhere else. So, it’ll either be here, or it’ll be taking time to recalibrate, reflect on the seasons here,” he said. “But you won’t see me next week pop up elsewhere. I can’t put them through that after this year.”

On Friday, Shanahan mentioned that he had expressed to Dubas he preferred his future not be addressed until an extension was finalized.

“It’s hard on all of our families,” Shanahan said. “It’s the job we choose. It’s the sport we choose… it does not without a toll on families.”

Shanahan said after Monday’s press conference, he had a shift in thinking.

“I understood those feelings with the pressure players and management is under, coaches, family members,” Shanahan said. “But it was a real possibility for me at that point that I would be needing to look somewhere else.”

Key moves under Dubas as GM

The Maple Leafs have qualified for the playoffs every year under Dubas’ watch but have failed to advance past the second round. Toronto eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games but lost to the Florida Panthers.

In Dubas’ five seasons as Maple Leafs GM, they averaged 106 points.

Dubas has been responsible for several significant transactions in recent years.

He signed current captain John Tavares to a seven-year, $77-million deal in free agency. He extended the contracts of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander, and long-time defenceman Morgan Rielly. He was also behind the recent draft selections of top prospects Nick Robertson and Matthew Knies.

Other substantial moves include center Nazem Kadri being traded to Colorado for winger Alex Kerfoot and defenceman Tyson Barrie and the acquisition and subsequent contract extension of defenceman Jake Muzzin from the Los Angeles Kings.

More recently, Dubas signed goalie Ilya Samsonov, who eventually became the team’s starter. He also traded for goalie Matt Murray, who was injured for a good portion of the season.

The young executive fired Mike Babcock and replaced him with current head coach Sheldon Keefe, who has had a great deal of regular-season success behind the bench. Keefe has one year left on his current contract.

The 37-year-old made a flurry of moves this season to better equip the team ahead of the postseason, which eventually led to Toronto advancing to the second round for the first time since 2004.

Dubas acquired Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for multiple draft picks, including Toronto’s 2023 first-round selection. Dubas also traded for defenceman Jake McCabe and forward Sam Lafferty and brought in veteran defenceman Luke Schenn.

The Maple Leafs enter the offseason with a ton of free agents, including O’Reilly, Schenn, Acciari, Kerfoot and defenceman Justin Holl, among others.