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The Toronto Maple Leafs start a new chapter, what comes next?

By Jim Lynch |
May 12, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner (16) and team mates react after losing in overtime to the Florida Panthers and being eliminated in the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
May 12, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner (16) and team mates react after losing in overtime to the Florida Panthers and being eliminated in the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Maple Leafs have decided to make a change as they will not bring back Kyle Dubas as General Manager. Now the team has to embark in a new direction without their long time GM.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will now have to start a new chapter without Kyle Dubas.

Kyle Dubas was named the 17th general manager of the Maple Leafs in May of 2018. The Leafs made the playoffs in every season of Dubas’s tenure, but they won just one playoff round.

Dubas was the GM during two different coaching tenures in Toronto. When he became GM Mike Babcock was already the team’s coach, but after a 9-10-4 start of the 2019-20 season, Dubas got to make a move choosing to name Sheldon Keefe the coach of the team.

This season Dubas was working without an extension in the books, which definitely added to the pressure and overall attention on the situation. While the Leafs did end up getting their first postseason series victory since 2004 this season, they still are going to move forward without Dubas as GM.

While we do not know the full story of why Toronto is not bringing back Dubas, his press availability from this past week might have a few answers. Dubas spoke about wanting to talk with his family before making any decisions on his future.

Here is Dubas’s media availability from just a few days ago. At the time it did seem like the Leafs were ready to bring back Dubas for another season.

Here is the full quote the Maple Leafs released after deciding not to bring back Dubas:

“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. 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.”– Brendan Shanahan (President and Alternate Governor of the Toronto Maple Leafs)

The Maple Leafs now are going to have to move forward in a different direction. The team threw a lot at this postseason run, adding a handful of players like Ryan O’Reilly and Jake McCabe for example. For the next three drafts, the Leafs are without their first round picks in 2023 and 2025, all of their seconds, their third round picks in 2023 and 2024, their fourth and fifth round picks in 2023 and 2025 and their seventh round pick this upcoming summer. They currently only have three draft picks for this upcoming draft.

The Leafs also have a handful of players on expiring contracts that need to get worked out as well as extensions for Auston Matthews and William Nylander to worry about this upcoming season. Both Matthews and Nylander are set to get new contracts at the end of the 2023-24 season so working out an extension as soon as possible will be crucial for the Leafs future.

Whoever the new general manager is, they will have to figure out the best way to move forward with so many big UFAs as well as how to move forward with the core four of the team. It will be an offseason to remember for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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