UPDATE (12:13 p.m. ET): The Maple Leafs have confirmed Kyle Dubas is out as general manager with his contract expiring at the end of June.
ORIGINAL STORY: Kyle Dubas built an impressive roster, but the Maple Leafs’ continued inability to make deep playoff runs apparently cost the general manager his job.
Dubas is out in Toronto, NHL insider Chris Johnston reported Friday.
The 37-year-old broke into pro hockey as an agent before transitioning to the other side of that fence. Toronto hired Dubas as an assistant GM in 2014 and eventually elevated him to the big chair in 2018, one of the youngest ever to hold the position. The analytically minded Dubas was tasked with elevating a Leafs team that was good but not great.
His biggest move was signing center John Tavares away from the Islanders, a deal that came in the summer of 2018, just a few months after taking over as GM. Under his watch, the Leafs fired the highly successful Mike Babcock, tabbing Sheldon Keefe as his replacement.
Toronto made the playoffs in each of the five seasons Dubas was calling the shots, but only once — this past season — did the Leafs advance beyond the first round. Things appeared to fall into place for Toronto this spring when the Bruins were eliminated by Florida in the first round, but that Panthers team — which is now three wins from the Stanley Cup Final — sent the Leafs packing in a five-game gentleman’s sweep.
The Maple Leafs job immediately becomes one of the biggest NHL offseason storylines, especially with the draft just a month away.
