Grandfather taught Dubas a lot about coaching

Kyle Dubas knew his grandfather was a great coach.

But not until the wake for Walter did the younger Dubas comprehend what the right person behind the bench did for a team, away from the rink as well.

Walter had run the Tier II Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds before they joined the OHL, a non-paying job he squeezed in after a 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. shift at the steel mill. He had to give up coaching as his young family grew, but few in town forgot his influence, not the least of them his grandson, the Hounds' stick boy who often sat with him through practice and eventually became the club's GM.

“The night he passed away, we went to the house where he and my grandmother lived for 60 years,” Dubas told host Ron Maclean during Saturday's Tim Hortons Toronto Maple Leaf virtual Coaches Open House.

“She'd cut out and saved all the ( game) articles from the paper. You heard from former players that he was demanding and held them accountable, but he always had their back. He spent a lot of time with players who needed parenting and general counselling. He was their favourite coach, to play a certain way, to buy in and by how they were treated.

“It's something I've tried to carry over into my career. I got to know some great coaches, Dave Cameron, Craig Hartsburg, Sheldon (Keefe, with the Leafs). I've always enjoyed my relationship to coaches, thanks to my grandfather.”

Dubas and Keefe might visit the 7-11 next season.

They're keen on what coach Jon Cooper did with the Stanley Cup winning Tampa Bay Lightning for a key stretch in the playoffs, using seven defencemen and 11 forwards, which the retooled Leafs roster might be better suited for some nights whenever the NHL resumes.

“Cooper had Ryan Mcdonagh and Victor Hedman on the right side, rotating five other guys

... Sheldon and I have had that conversation a lot,” Dubas told Maclean. “I wouldn't be surprised to see us do that, though in the end, it's Sheldon's call.

“In 2016, I know Sheldon called Jon when we were in the (AHL) conference finals against Hershey. We felt our depth (that year with the Marlies) was better on defence and Tampa had used (7-11) a lot.

“No. 1, it creates a difficult match up front. You're either running your top three lines a lot or when your fourth line comes up, you have a member of the first line to make it more potent.

“In our case, that's Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander, with Jason Spezza and Kyle Clifford to use last year's (roster) as a hypothetical.”

Bounced by Columbus in the first round, the Leafs bolstered the blue line in the summer with TJ Brodie, Zach Bogosian and Mikko Lehtonen.

“The group of defence includes some with a specific function, which we'll have more of this year,” Dubas said.

“Lehtonen has been KHL defenceman of the year, a much more offensive guy who thrives on the power play. Bogosian has been an excellent penalty killer; he's used to that (seven-man) system in Tampa.

Whether it's Rasmus Sandin or Timothy Liljegren, they can be worked in.