Dubas intends to stick with Leafs
Assistant GM says he isn’t ready to run an NHL team
The rumour mill should probably leave Kyle Dubas alone.
The 29-year-old assistant general manager of the Maple Leafs is on track to become an NHL GM one day, and he acknowledged Wednesday that it’s flattering when his name comes up for job openings — as it did when the Arizona Coyotes fired Don Maloney recently. But he’s quick to make it clear that he intends to see the Leafs’ rebuilding project, which he helped initiate, through to its conclusion.
“Very bluntly put, I don’t believe I’m ready to be an NHL general manager,” Dubas said while the Leafs’ farm team, the Toronto Marlies, practised at Ricoh Coliseum ahead of Saturday’s playoff opener against the Sound Tigers in Bridgeport, Conn. “I believe I have a lot to learn, and I believe Toronto is the best place for me to learn that.”
Those were welcome words around the offices of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. Dubas is one of the youngest front-office executives in the league and considered among the best and brightest when president Brendan Shanahan hired him away from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL two summers ago.
“He continues to evolve and pushes himself to learn and get better more than any one I ever met,” said Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe, who was also Dubas’s coach in the Soo. “He recognizes there’s lots left to learn. He’ll never stop at that. He keeps pushing himself and these experiences make him better.”
Dubas is on the vanguard of new hockey thinking, with the skills of a scout — who values intangibles — and an analyst — who crunches numbers and breaks them down easily understood hockey-talk morsels.
His dual role is GM of the Marlies and he ran the team all year. He said that hands-on experience with a club that finished first overall in the AHL’s regular season is proving invaluable.
“The personalities of the players are different than junior, where you have to be almost like a parent,” said Dubas. “Here, you provide a little bit of mentorship to some players. But some are 28, 29 and have families.
“You have to adapt and handle each player differently. The stakes are higher here. Players are feeding families and paying rent. The disputes on ice time are handled by players moreso than agents or parents.”
The popular thinking is that Dubas will be the next GM of the Leafs, groomed to replace Lou Lamoriello when the 73-year-old’s contract expires in 2018.
Dubas worked for one Leaf season under Dave Nonis, and was briefly co-GM of the Leafs with Mark Hunter last spring — after Nonis was fired and before Lamoriello was hired. Dubas made trades, signed players, went through the draft and attended the annual GMs meeting.
“Frankly speaking, what I learned is, I still have a lot to learn to get to that level,” said Dubas. “I don’t believe that I’m there yet. This has been a great experience, focusing on the Marlies and player development.”
The Marlies are the top seeds for the Calder Cup playoffs heading into their best-of-five opening-round series against the Sound Tigers. Dubas is eager to see what their best players — including William Nylander and Nikita Soshnikov — can do in the post-season and beyond.
“It’s another development opportunity for our players,” said Dubas. “It’s going to be exciting for us to see how they respond. It will be another way for us to evaluate how far they’ve come during this season. We hope the run goes as long as it possibly can.” Many expect Kyle Dubas to become the GM of the Leafs when Lou Lamoriello departs.
“Very bluntly put, I don’t believe I’m ready to be an NHL general manager.” KYLE DUBAS LEAFS ASSISTANT GM