According to North Star’s Chris Johnston, Kyle Dubas is out as GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs. His contract will expire on July 1.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) May 19, 2023
Toronto finally broke through to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs this Spring after not winning a round since 2004 but lost in five games to the Florida Panthers after. The team finished the regular season with a 50-21-11 record (.677 points percentage), fourth in the Eastern Conference and tied for fourth in the NHL.
Dubas, 37, and Toronto went all-in at the NHL Trade Deadline, acquiring center Sam Lafferty, defenseman Jake McCabe, center Noel Acciari, center Ryan O’Reilly, defenseman Erik Gustafsson, and defenseman Luke Schenn in an effort to add grit for the postseason.
Toronto, who has qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs every season since 2017, is facing a critical offseason as they have won just five games at most in a single postseason over that time. Right-wing William Nylander and center Auston Matthews can become unrestricted free agents on July 1, 2024, and are eligible to sign contract extensions on this upcoming July 1. The team could make a major shake up this offseason after coming up short for the sixth straight year.
Dubas, who has held the role since May 2018, told the media that he will only work for Toronto and would take time with his family if not retained. He was previously linked to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ GM opening before shooting that report down.
Toronto finished the regular season ninth with an average of 3.39 goals-per-game, seventh with a 2.68 goals-against per game average, second with a 26% power-play efficiency, and tied 11th with a 81.9% penalty-killing rate.
By Harrison Brown