Available Media wrapped up the locker room cleanup day with Kyle Dupas and Sheldon looking how both seemed very defeated in tone and uncertain about their futures with the Leafs. Brendan Shanahan’s absence certainly looms over the action as well, and while those saying things that would be “explosive” seemed to be overreacting, there is now a very clear indication that things will not be business as usual within the Maple Leafs hockey circuit.
Here are some quotes from both Kyle Dubas and Sheldon Keefe:
Kyle Dupas, referring to his expiring deal, said he will be speaking to his family in the coming days about how they want to move forward… He will also be speaking to Brendan Shanahan and ownership.
– Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) May 15, 2023
It’s Toronto or bankruptcy for him as GM now, says Kyle Dubas:
"It will either be here, or it will take a while to reset in season [that passed]. You won’t see me next week showing up elsewhere, I can’t put it down [my family] Through it."
– Kristen Shelton (@kristen_shilton) May 15, 2023
Both of the quotes above from Kyle Dubas made it seem like he’s not sure if Toronto is the right fit for him and his family and he’s no longer sure that Toronto views him as the guy they want to move on either.
From Dubas’ perspective, this appears to have been a difficult year for his family and as much as the Leafs want him back, I can respect that he may not want to be away from an organization that is “taxing him.” I don’t think it’s the pressure of winning or the pressure of getting results that gets to Kyle, I think it’s the pressure of having bickering connections as owners that makes things a little difficult sometimes, and it’s now painfully clear that Brendan Shanahan doesn’t insulate him from that criticism anymore.
In terms of the Toronto interpretation or the explanation above, I’m not sure how certain we are that that will come to fruition. I don’t think you’ll see Kyle Dubas pop up anywhere in May or even June, I’m sure his contract doesn’t allow it anyway, but it’s entirely possible that a team willing to wait for him could still get his attention in their direction. I can’t imagine him looking to take a year out of hockey after he’s spent his life in it, he’s not looking to rush at the first opportunity that comes up without doing some research and getting his family involved.
Dubas on why Shanahan didn’t appear on stage with him like in the past: I’m in charge. I have to sit down and be responsible for them (the decision). leave it on me
– David Alter (@dalter) May 15, 2023
Kyle Dubas has said and done the right things all year when it comes to Brendan Shanahan’s distant presence. He sold the last year of his contract as an opportunity to prove himself and he sold this moment on the podium alone as a desire to be the most responsible.
Now that said, we haven’t heard anything directly from Brendan Shanahan not even much speculation regarding the growing distance between the president and GM. There’s nothing wrong with it being an intimate relationship between a boss and an employee, but absence also doesn’t inspire much confidence in the organization at the moment either. Everything seems a little more up in the air than usual.
In terms of trading any of the 4 core currencies, Dupas says he would be open to making any deal that would improve the club: “If we do any deal, we’ll absolutely make sure we do it. I think the team we just played sets a good example. It’s not going to be done on Hurry up.”
– David Alter (@dalter) May 15, 2023
This is definitely a different tone from what we’ve heard from Kyle Dubas previously. And it’s interesting. If Kyle Dubas is in fact the general manager moving forward, this sounds like an open invitation to contact him. However, we know John Tavares and Morgan Riley are unlikely to go anywhere thanks to their immobility clauses. And trading in Auston Matthews is not something anyone should look forward to. This opens up a lot of Marner and Nylander speculation that will keep us all talking until free agency.
Dubas is looking forward to the injured Robertson, Kniss and McMahon joining some of the Marlies next year in camp to replenish the roster if there are UFA losses.
– Lance Hornby 🇺🇦 (@sunhornby) May 15, 2023
This is a bit more than Dubas’ traditional response to end-of-season pressure. There is always a vote of confidence in favor of the Marlies and the prospects, but they are also pitted against Dubas for hedging his bets and bringing in enough talent that they have to earn jobs without writing their name in the lineup as a lock.
Everyone seemed uncertain that Kyle Dubas would return. He has spoken out about his recent displays of affection and has not been as playful with the media as we have seen him in the past. He’s definitely a guy who takes time to see what happens next and as much as it’s in the Leafs’ best interests to get him back, it’s not guaranteed.
As for Sheldon Cave, who spoke first:
Sheldon says how the Leafs got into the Florida series "A little too guarded." Panthers attacked the series.
– Luke Fox (@lukefoxjukebox) May 15, 2023
It’s somewhat refreshing to hear something other than a seemingly overly rampant “hot goalkeeper” narrative. The Panthers played the Leafs as hard as they did the Bruins and Toronto never wanted to catch up. A lot of that has to be put on Keefe no matter how hard the players try to get ownership.
Keefe on Dubas GM mode: I hope it gets resolved.
– David Alter (@dalter) May 15, 2023
Besides the fact that I’m sure Sheldon Keefe would like to continue working with the same general manager he’s been with since arriving behind the bench at Soo, I think there’s also a bit of job security at play here and Dupas is the best path forward for Keefe to stay. Behind the Leafs seat. Any new GM would likely be looking to bring in their guy, barring a possible AGM promotion to GM from within the Leafs organization.
This isn’t to say that Sheldon Keef can just get a job working for Kyle Dupas, that’s just not true. He’s a good coach, but maybe not the right coach for the Leafs to take the next step with.
qualitative: "I absolutely love and appreciate my position and the opportunity to coach the Toronto Maple # Leaves … I feel like we’ve made progress as a group."
– Teri Kochan 🇺🇦 (@koshtorontosun) May 15, 2023
And as important as many of us have been to Keefe, especially lately, there’s no denying that they’ve taken it a step further. The Leafs became a better defensive group for the team and the Leafs became comfortable playing to their strengths after adopting the highly organized style of Mike Babcock earlier.
Sheldon Keefe in early qualifying exit meetings: "This is something we definitely learned: whether it’s round one or round two, it sucks."
– Joshua Locke (@joshuakloke) May 15, 2023
I know this is said to make people feel for them, but honestly it’s important that it affects them for a while. The last thing people want to see tomorrow is a picture of Mitch Marner on a golf course or William Nylander on a jet ski. This isn’t to say they can’t have some fun this summer, but a few days in a dark room listening to upbeat music wouldn’t hurt.